Bane Nor writes in a press release that it is uncertain when the Follobanen between Oslo and Ski can reopen. Until then, it will therefore be closed until January. – Closing the Folloban only a few days after opening is one of the worst things that could happen, and incredibly boring for everyone who uses the railway to get to and from work and other activities, says Stine Undrum, Executive Vice President for Development at Bane Nor . Stine Undrum, Executive Vice President for Development in Bane NOR Photo: Anne Mette Storvik / Bane Nor Since the Folloban was closed on 19 December, Bane Nor together with several of its suppliers has tried to solve the problems with the technical facilities on the line. The experts say that the problems in the plant are due to conditions related to return current and grounding. – It is natural that we now carry out a thorough review of the entire system and facility. All connections must be analysed, both to open Follobanen as quickly as possible, and to prevent something like this from happening again, says Undrum. Commuters criticize Bane Nor Many train travelers have strongly criticized Bane Nor for the troubled opening of the Follobanen. Dag Refshal was one of many who had looked forward to shorter travel times to and from work. He commutes from Fredrikstad to Oslo every day. – I am surprised that you spend so much money on a tunnel that turns out to last one week, and that you have not stress tested and tested the systems better. Refshal does not understand that Bane Nor was not better prepared. – I would like to believe that Bane Nor, through all the problems they have had on the Østfold Line, had learned a bit and not gone with a bang in the first and second weeks they are in operation. Major starting difficulties Follobanen, the new line between Oslo S and Ski station in Follo, was ceremoniously opened by King Harald on 11 December. The railway through the Blix Tunnel was supposed to halve the journey time between Oslo and Ski from 22 to 11 minutes, to the delight of all travelers on the Østfold Railway. But then the problems started. King Harald cut the cord when Follobanen was opened on 11 December. Photo: Lise Åserud In the first week, there were several signal errors and earth faults which led to major delays and many adjustments on the Follobanen. 361 trains were delayed for a total of 56.2 hours, TV2 wrote. On 19 December, the situation went from bad to worse. A fire broke out in a switch house at Ski station after overheating in a technical facility. All train traffic on the Folloban was stopped. First, the track was to be closed for one week. Bane Nor then reported that the work was taking longer, and the reopening was postponed until 27 December. It was then pushed back to 2 January, before the reopening is now completely out of the blue. There were long queues and a lot of waiting for the travelers when the Folloban had to close on 19 December. Here from Ski station. Photo: ZHILWAN MANBARI / news New timetables on the Østfold Line Passengers on the Østfold Line will receive a new temporary offer from 9 January. Until then, the trains run with the same timetables as today. – Together we have gone through all route plans and established a changed scheme for the train service so that travelers will get the most predictable service possible, says Undrum. Bane Nor is trying to get a route offer almost on par with what was originally planned with the new Folloban. But since all the trains have to run via the old Østfold line, space is tight, and the company warns that there may be capacity challenges during rush hour. – At the same time, we want to apologize extra to the customers on Østfoldbanen’s eastern line, as they unfortunately get a somewhat limited offer during the same period, says Undrum. Travelers can find more information about the new route offer on Vy’s website.
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– One of the worst things that could happen – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
