The new Follobanen between Oslo and Ski was opened to traffic on 11 December after 13 years of construction. The project cost NOK 36.8 billion. The track had to close again on 19 December after major problems with the electrical system. The reopening has been postponed several times, before Bane Nor said they would reopen by 1 February. Now the reopening has been postponed once again, until 12 February. According to a press release from Bane Nor, the reason is that the error correction and testing of joints and end terminations is more extensive and time-consuming than expected. – We must be sure of the reopening when it happens and that we can actually run full traffic, says Gorm Frimannslund, CEO of Bane Nor, at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. CEO of Bane Nor, Gorm Frimannslund, regrets that they have to postpone the reopening of the Folloban again. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB – The Directorate of Railways said on Tuesday that the cause of the power problems has not yet been found. How can you then set the reopening to 12 February? – We feel very confident that we now know the underlying causes, but we will do the last of this work these days, says Frimannslund. – We are not ready to present this today, but it will not be long before we have it completely clear to us. The postponement of the reopening means that the test run with trains on the track will also be postponed. Yesterday it was pushed from Friday to Saturday. Now the CEO says that the test drive will only take place at the end of next week. – It is because we are testing our power system. We must be sure that the entire electrical system is working properly. Now the train travelers have to cross their fingers that Bane Nor’s plans work. – We cannot give any guarantees, but there is a high probability that the course will open on 12 February. I know we also said that about 1 February, but now we have a good schedule and have put in good margins, so we count that as likely. Long working days Development director Stine Undrum says one of the challenges with the work is that the burden on those trying to fix the errors is high. – We have to hurry slowly. It is important that the workers are allowed to follow the regulations that apply to rest time, says Undrum. – It is not that we have slowed down the work, but we must ensure safety and be sure that the quality is what we expect. It’s long days for the workers who work to fix the faults on the Follobanen. Photo: Bane Nor / Bane Nor Expect opening according to plan The Norwegian Railway Directorate has now called Bane Nor and Vy to a meeting on Monday, and will have frequent meetings with the companies until the opening. – The most important thing is that Bane Nor’s plan is realistic and that we do not end up with a situation where we have to reduce the offer due to an unforeseen delay, says railway director Knut Sletta. – I assume that Bane Nor has carried out thorough risk assessments ahead of the decision on a new opening date. He also points out that Vy needs time to plan the route offer. Bane Nor has been working on fixing the faults on the Folloban ever since it was closed on 19 December. Photo: Aleksander Haugland / Bane Nor Wants predictability The postponement means that train travelers in Follo and Østfold will have to wait even longer for the train service they have been promised. Mayor of Nordre Follo municipality, Hanne Opdan (Ap), says the main focus now is that they must get a train service they can trust. Hanne Opdan, mayor of Nordre Follo (Ap) Photo: Anders Fehn / news – It is regrettable that Follobanen does not open as planned. Fortunately, Vy has a plan B for this. The most important thing now is that the plan is implemented so that the train travelers have a predictable everyday life. Opdan says she trusts Bane Nor when they say more testing is needed. – If this is what is needed for it to be safe and predictable when the Follobanen opens, then it must be done, says the mayor. Bane Nor believed that errors that led to a complete stop were not reportable Power failure The fault in the prestigious NOK 37 billion project lies in the system that handles so-called return current. Trains do not use up all the electricity that comes from the catenary in the tunnel roof. Therefore, the “rest” is sent back into the system through the rails. But on Follobanen, this is done in a different way than is usual in Norway. That system was unable to handle the amount of power sent back. This led, among other things, to overheating and the development of smoke in several cables. Before the opening, Bane Nor asked Norconsult for an independent assessment of the unusual solution. It pointed out several weaknesses and listed nine recommendations. This is one of the cables that was overheated by the current on the Follobanen. Photo: Bane NOR Facts about the Follobanen The new Follobanen has had a difficult start. For now, the course is closed until January. The trains on the Folloban line between Oslo and Ski began running on the new section on 11 December, while it was officially opened the following day. With a top speed of 250 kilometers per hour, the journey time was to be halved on the 22 kilometer stretch, from 22 to 11 minutes. Already on the same day that the first trains ran, the trains had to run at a reduced speed on the route due to a signal error. On 19 December, Follobanen was closed due to power problems following a fire in a technical room connected to the Ski station. Then there had been adjustments and delays for several days. The plan was for the Follobanen to be closed until 27 December, but on Christmas Eve there was heat and smoke in the same facility. The underlying cause was not found and thus the reopening was postponed until 1 January. On 29 December, the cause of the failure had still not been found and the opening was again postponed. It is still uncertain when the Follobanen can open to traffic. Until then, it will be closed until January. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) has called Bane Nor, the Norwegian Railway Directorate and the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate to a meeting on Tuesday 3 January. Here, the Minister will receive a preliminary explanation of the closure of the Follobanen. He has previously asked for a written explanation, with a deadline of 16 January. While the Follobanen is closed, train traffic between Oslo and Ski runs on the Østfoldbanen’s old line. The prestigious project has a price tag of NOK 36.8 billion. Source: NTB To be investigated Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) is said to have received information about the uncertainty surrounding the power plant only at a meeting at the beginning of January. Nor should the management of Bane Nor have received this information. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap). Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news After the meeting, Nygård said that he wants an external investigation of the entire project. The Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness will also have a report on what has gone wrong. Bane Nor has also initiated two investigations of the Follobanen, one internal and one external. On Tuesday, the Directorate of Railways also asked for updated risk assessments before the track is to reopen. This cable helped to close the Follobanen The Follobanen runs between Oslo and Ski. The line will cut the journey time from 22 to 11 minutes, compared to the old Østfold line.
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Bane Nor postpones the reopening of Follobanen again – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
