Norway’s train system has been plagued by problems for years, much of it caused by inadequate maintenance of railroad infrastructure and the challenges that poses for various train operators. Passengers suffered through another summer of delays and cancellations, and then locomotive engineers and conductors went on strike at the state-run train line now known as Vy.
The strike began September 18, when mediation failed between Vy and the labour federations representing engineers and conductors, Norsk Lokomotivføreførbund and Jernbaneforbundet. Dozens of locomotive engineers and conductors were called off the job because of disputes over work scheduling and pay issues, and that’s resulted in scores of hundreds of cancellations ever since.
They continued into the weekend, just when thousands of Norwegians are taking off on the country’s annual autumn school holidays known as høstferie. Commuters had already faced myriad disruptions, especially on the line between Drammen west of Oslo and Lillehammer.
A total of 10 lines were affected again on Friday, including not only Drammen-Lillehammer (where nearly half of all departures were cancelled) but also local lines from Spikkestad to Lillestrom, Stabekk to Ski and other service both south- and northeast of Oslo. Almost as many were affected on Saturday and six on Sunday, with Vy listing lines targeted for trouble (external link, in Norwegian) on its website.
Some distruptions were also predicted for the line running between Bergen and Oslo but not until Tuesday. That’s a popular line with tourists and some have been affected since the strike began, but not as many as everyday commuters.
There’s also been labour and passenger unrest over the pending takeover of the popular Airport Express Train (Flytoget) by Vy. The line runs between Drammen and Norway’s gateway airport OSL at Gardermoen, and has been among the most reliable in the entire system. Its engineers on the high-speed trains, however, have earned more while under Flytoget’s private ownership than those on Vy, Vy’s union wants that to end.
“We demand that people who do the same job get the same pay,” claimed Rolf Ringdal, leader of the locomotive engineers’ union, when the strike began. Other unions involved in the negotiations also want to preserve scheduled time off for their members: “Our members have been clear: Free time must be protected,” stated Bianca Fedje of the labour federation Jernbaneforbundet. Passengers almost dread what Vy’s takeover of Flytoget will do its service.
Meanwhile, other train delays and cancellations continue because of ongoing problems with everything from tracks to signal errors. Responsibility for Norway’s train system has long been divided, with the state-run railroad Bane Nor in charge of infrastructure and the various operators including state-run Vy in charge of the train service.
Newspaper Aftenposten recently reported that only 68.4 percent of trains in the Oslo area were on time in August, far from the goal of 85 percent. Bane Nor admitted in a press release that August was “demanding” for passenger train service because of ongoing problems and planned shutdowns for maintenance on key lines and tunnels.
Jon-Ivar Nygård, who was recently replaced as transport minister in the Labour Party government, held several “crisis meetings” with Bane Nor but things didn’t improve. September got off to a bad start, but Bane Nor claims it’s now carrying out an “historically” high maintenance and renovation program. “This is necessary to make up for some of the need for considerable renewal that’s built up over a very long time,” Bane Nor spokesman Olav Nordli told Aftenposten earlier this month. “This work will continue at full force within the framework we have.”
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
