Norway’s long-troubled state railroad agency finally fixed another problem that had shut down all traffic through a critical tunnel in Oslo since late Saturday night. A cable fire forced closure of the capital’s National Theater station, through which run all main commuter lines along with long-distance trains.
It was the latest disruption in a system known for chronic breakdowns and unreliability. Railroad BaneNor could finally reopen the tunnel early Tuesday morning, but delays were expected throughout the day.
Even though BaneNor is responsible for maintenance and repairs of the rail system, the train operators end up bearing the brunt of anger from frustrated passengers. Nearly a dozen lines were affected by the tunnel closure, including Bergensbanen, Sørlandsbanen, Dovrebanen and the Airport Express Train to OSL Gardermoen plus all the commuter lines around Oslo.
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård apologized for all the trouble and promised once again, as his predecessors have over the past three decades, that “we will get things in order.” The cause of the fire remained unclear and was under investigation.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
