Bane Nor has launched two different investigations to get to the bottom of the problems on the Folloban. It came to light at a meeting between Bane Nor and local politicians in Follo on Tuesday. Bane Nor’s investigations are in addition to the investigation the government has initiated. Independent investigation also ordered Development director Stine Undrum in Bane Nor explained the investigations at the meeting: – Investigation ordered and implemented internally in Bane Nor. It is done at our own UA unit. It is the same unit that investigates all possible incidents that occur on the railway. She further stated that the board of Bane Nor has, in collaboration with the CEO, ordered an independent investigation from an independent supplier. – They come in and look at this with fresh eyes, and go through with the intention of learning as much as possible, and uncovering relationships as much as possible. What happened and what should have been done differently. They will also give some advice on how we should proceed to learn from this, she said. Development director Stine Undrum at Bane Nor says they have ordered their own investigations to learn as much as possible. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Undrum said that the mandate from the board was clear, and that it expired on Tuesday. – Progress is quite tight to get the investigation started. The UA unit is already underway, they have started their work. The government has announced an investigation In addition to Bane Nor’s own investigations, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård announced on Tuesday that the government is launching an external review of the project. – We look forward to thorough work and answers to why and how this could happen, Nygård said. For the time being, nothing is clear about the mandate or progress in this investigation, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications to news in an e-mail. – The more detailed scope and framework for such a review has not yet been clarified. The ministry will soon come back with more information about this, writes Edvard Andersen, senior adviser in the ministry. He adds that the Ministry of Transport will soon return with more information about the investigation. EBA: – Must learn from scrutiny Heikki Holmås, managing director of the Entrepreneurs’ Association – Bygg og Anlegg (EBA), tells news that they believe it is very important that the scrutiny of the Follobane project be broad enough so that “both politicians and civil servants learn what is to learn” before the next major railway project, such as the Ringeriksbanen. EBA has requested a meeting with the Ministry of Transport to justify this. – On several important points, the authorities in the project’s various phases have chosen not to listen to the experiences and advice of a collective contracting industry. There is no doubt that the project has become more expensive at several points for that reason, says Holmås. He mentions, among other things, the bankruptcy of Condotte and Bane NOR’s legal dispute with a failed contractor, as costly cases that could have been avoided. – There are also other conditions that a broad investigation will be able to bring clarity to and society can learn from, such as how it is possible that the projected costs for Norway’s largest infrastructure project have ended up being as insanely high as they have, says Holmås.
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