Commuters crammed into packed trains in the Oslo area also faced more delays and cancellations this week, but can’t expect much relief any time soon. An acquisition of the popular Airport Express Train (Flytoget) by state-owned railway Vy, aimed at adding to commuter capacity, won’t become operative for another three years.
Competition authorities ended up giving a green light last week to the controversial acquisiton, on the grounds that state railroad regulation of departures, route plans and stops along the way wouldn’t further hinder competition from other lines. Vy and Flytoget are already the only two lines carrying passengers between Drammen, southwest of Oslo, and Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen, north of the Norwegian capital.
Flytoget’s current license on the line doesn’t expire until January 2028. There’s also concern that the doors on Flytoget’s high-speed trains are too narrow to handle all the commuters going on or off them, so some of Flytoget’s departures are likely to be replaced by Vy trains.
Meanwhile, commuters on the Vestfold- and Østfold lines were facing more delays and cancellations because of problems with tracks and signals again. Trains running between Holmestrand and Skoppum on the Vestfold line weren’t expected to be running on schedule again until Thursday, causing problems for the entire line from Skien to Eidsvoll. Signal problems between Råde and Fredrikstad on the Østfold line also raised frustration among passengers, not least when all trains were cancelled between Moss and Vestby Wednesday morning.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
