The case in summary: One person died in a collision between a car and a train at an unsafe level crossing in Elverum. Bane Nor will accelerate the removal of unsafe level crossings after several fatal accidents. There are still 1,250 unsafe level crossings in Norway. Bane Nor must reach an agreement with the landowners in order to be able to remove each individual unsafe level crossing. The sheep farmer on Åmot is reluctant to remove the transition on his property, as the alternative could lead to loss of property or isolation. The head of Innlandet Bondelag, Elisabeth Gjems, encourages Bane Nor to do more systematic work to find solutions that are viable for the landowners. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – We have had some unpleasant experiences, we have. That’s what Thomas Søgaard Nilsen tells when news visits his farm in Åmot, where he runs a sheep farm. Before, there was only a steep hill on each side of the train tracks. It created several uncomfortable situations. – A couple of times I have been a little closer than is comfortable. Fresh snow and blowing snow around the train makes it difficult to notice at speed, says Søgaard Nilsen. Søgaard Nilsen looks around several times before crossing the train tracks on his farm. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Two years ago, he and Bane Nor went together to jam down the hill. But he still has his heart in his throat when his son visits. – He has learned to live with it, but when he has friends there is a little more heart in his throat. Life and death Although the crossing at the train tracks has become safer at Søgaard Nilsen’s home, things often go wrong at unsafe level crossings. In Elverum, a driver died on Saturday morning, when the car collided with a train on the Røros railway. On Wednesday, one person died after an accident between a train and a car in Sarpsborg. In the last ten years, there have been 30 fatal accidents at level crossings in Norway. Four of these are along the Røros Railway. On Saturday morning, a driver died after a collision with a train in Elverum. Photo: Stein Eide / news – It’s life and death, literally. Bane Nor’s press officer, Harry Korslund, tells news. Last year, 120 level crossings were closed, according to Bane Nor. Usually between 25 and 30 unsafe level crossings are closed every year. Harry Korslund, press officer at Bane Nor, says they will close down as many unsafe level crossings as possible, as soon as possible. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Today there are still 1,250 unsafe level crossings. – Initially, we would have liked to have said that tomorrow all unsafe level crossings will be gone. If we manage to remove more than the average we are at, then there is nothing that pleases us more than that. – Difficult without losing the farm But even if Bane Nor are impatient, it is easier said than done. Bane Nor must agree with the landowners of each individual property that has an unsafe level crossing. For some, it is difficult to find other ways to get to their property. Sheep farmer Thomas Søgaard Nilsen sees few choices on his own property other than the level crossing. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – A bridge here will require a lot of space and take up a lot of the garden. A tunnel will end up below the flood level for Glomma, which could mean that we could become isolated, argues the sheep farmer in Åmot. – It will be difficult to achieve without us losing the farm. Due to the rights of the landowners, closing down the transitions therefore takes time. – Naturally, we must both relate to and respect that, explains Korslund in Bane Nor. Thomas Søgaard Nilsen follows when the train rails are to be crossed on the property. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Wants more systematic work Søgaard Nilsen thinks the choice must be to build a new road to the farm, in that case. But Elisabeth Gjems, leader of Innlandet Bondelag, does not see it as a good solution for farmers to lose their most important route to their properties. – For us, it is important to get access to our land in a decent way, and not have to drive for miles around to get down to the land, says Gjems. Elisabeth Gjems of the Innlandet bondelag believes that farmers must have the easiest and safest possible access to their properties. Photo: Frode Meskau / news She believes that Bane Nor must do more. – Now they have to start a more systematic work. It is largely about money and getting solutions in place that are viable. The press guard in Bane Nor says that the money is not an obstacle in the closure. – When it comes to measures to increase the safety of Norwegian railways, money is more or less of secondary importance. We get the money we need to take measures that are absolutely necessary, confirms Korslund in Bane Nor. In Åmot, the sheep farmer and Bane Nor have not talked about closure. Verbally, they have barely talked about signal systems and barriers, but Søgaard Nilsen thinks it takes away from the experience of living on the farm. With a sign and the honking of the train, Søgaard Nilsen can live with the unsafe level crossing. Photo: Frode Meskau / news – As long as the locomotive drivers are good at announcing that they are coming and we have visibility in both directions, we can live with what we have here now, rather than getting a huge facility that pings and moves. Published 27/07/2024, at 12.45 p.m
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Impatient over uncertain transitions: – About life and death
