NORWAY: Enhanced services are to be rolled out in eastern Norway following the signing of contracts for state-owned operator Vy to run the Østlandet network for 10 years from December 2023.
Responding to a government directive, Jernbanedirektoratet announced earlier this year that Vy Group would be directly awarded the contracts to run all local and regional trains, as well as regional express services throughout the Oslo area and the southeast of the country.
Noting that around 80% of all rail traffic takes place in eastern Norway, Jernbanedirektoratet said the package awarded to Vy was the country’s largest operating contract. The agreements signed by Railway Director Knut Sletta and Vy Group CEO Gro Bakstad on June 29 have a total value of NKr21bn over 10 years, whereas the state will pay NKr3·4bn for one year of operation in 2023.
‘Although it is not directly comparable, through demanding negotiations we have succeeded in obtaining agreements that give society more train traffic for the money’, explained Sletta. This would deliver improvements in the offer over the coming years, while the state’s costs would be significantly reduced, he added.
‘We are confident that these agreements will provide the best solution for train passengers and for society’, he added. ‘Consideration will be given to all groups of passengers, while people will get a considerable improvement in the train service, partly because the infrastructure in and through the Oslo area will be better utilised.’
The 10-year agreements envisage higher revenues through increased passenger growth, and also provide an opportunity for Vy to take over the services to and from Gardermoen Airport after Flytoget’s current access rights expire in 2028.
Among the improvements anticipated under the new agreement are increased frequencies from December 2023 on the Oslo – Ski – Stabekk route L2, which also get new trains from 2025. More weekend services on the Drammen – Dal, Drammen – Lillehammer, Asker – Kongsvinger and Skien – Eidsvoll routes are also to be introduced from 2025.
Services on Oslo – Gjøvik route RE30 are to be improved to an hourly frequency in 2024, once the line’s ETCS signalling has been commissioned.
From December 2025 there will be four trains/h between Oslo and Tønsberg, and a regular 10 min interval service between Oslo and Drammen. The Oslo – Hamar route will be increased to two trains/h from December 2027, while from 2028 there will be nine trains/h between Oslo S and Gardermoen Airport, for use by ‘all travellers’.
