On Friday, the government published the quality assurance reports for the concept selection investigation for both the Nord-Norgebanen and transport solutions in Northern Norway. These are now ready and conclude, among other things, that a railway should not be built from Fauske to Tromsø. The investigation points out, among other things, that there will be major negative consequences for nature, the environment and reindeer husbandry in all concepts for the new Nord-Norgebanen, but positive effects for defense capability and social security and preparedness. – An extensive investigation has been carried out. We will now carefully consider the professional assessments and recommendations given in each of the reports. The Ministry of Transport will come back to how the KVUs, KS1 reports and consultation input will be followed up further, says Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård. High costs and limited benefit According to the reports, which were carried out by Marstrand AS and the University of Molde on behalf of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance, all the considered concepts for a new Northern Norway railway are assessed as unprofitable. – Due to the major changes in society that a railway will bring about, and that the benefits will come far in the future, the benefits must be considered very uncertain. Despite the uncertainty in benefit, the distance between cost and benefit is so significant that this cannot affect the ranking, the report states. A new cost calculation of the most expensive alternatives to the railway shows that the costs are estimated at between NOK 259 and 309 billion in 2024 kroner. Instead, it is recommended to focus on improving the existing railway infrastructure in Northern Norway. – I would like to emphasize that a concept selection investigation is not an investment decision, or a sufficient basis for an investment decision. With the two studies, we have received professional recommendations on which overall concepts may be relevant for further planning, says Nygård. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård has received quality assurance for the impact assessment of the Nord-Norgebanen. Photo: Heiko Junge / Heiko Junge / NTB Recommends upgraded railway in Nordland The report believes that there are unmet transport needs on the Nordlandsbanen and Ofotbanen. These lines have limited capacity, and Bane NOR is unable to meet the growing demand from freight carriers. The report recommends that the Ministry of Transport focus on strengthening existing infrastructure rather than investing in new railways. – Nordlandsbanen has been declared overloaded in terms of capacity and Bane NOR is currently unable to offer route rentals to all freight carriers who want to run there. Nordlandsbanen also has restrictions on train weight and length due to few and short crossing tracks, gradients and diesel operation. Ofotbanen has very low regularity and there is a wish from the ore traffic owners for more departures and heavier trains Published 18.10.2024, at 10.35 Updated 18.10.2024, at 10.59
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New report on Nord-Norgebanen does not recommend expansion – news Troms and Finnmark
