The case in summary: • Researcher and train commuter, Anders Langeland, believes that Sørlandsbanen will be closed within 10 years due to better roads.• Sørlandsbanen has lost a third of its passengers in the last ten years, with only 350,000 passengers in 2021.• Langeland believes that the train company needs 1.5 million passengers annually to operate profitably, but the figure has now halved.• “The Genistreken”, a connection with the Vestfold Line, could have saved the train section, but the plans have not been followed through.• Senior advisor at NHO Agder, Trond Madsen believes that the battle for better roads has not prevented investment in the train.• The British company Go Ahead, which has operated Sørtoget since 2019, does not want to comment on the decline in traffic figures. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. news meets Langeland at Kristiansand station where the train to Stavanger has just slipped into the area. He knows that view well. – I have been commuting by train from here for years. But there are unfortunately bleak future prospects for Sørlandsbanen. Langeland has researched transport and railways at the University of Stavanger for over 20 years. The train has been his commute to and from work throughout the period. He is now retired, but follows developments very closely. – The cry from this part of the country has for all these years been way, way, way. We see the result of that now. There will soon be an end to passenger trains in the south, he believes. He has been commuting by train for 20 years. Now the transport expert believes it is coming to an end for Sørlandsbanen. Photo: Tom Nicolai Kolstad / news Losing to new routes For the past ten years, the Sørlandsbanen from Stavanger to Oslo, via Kristiansand, has lost a third of its passengers. In 2019, over a million passengers traveled by train here. Last year, the figure was 680,000 travelers. This is shown by figures from Statistics Norway. At its worst, in 2021, only 350,000 used the train here. Langeland says the track is in poor condition with an average speed of around 70 km/h. Modern trains usually go three times as fast. – With ever-improving roads and no investment in the train, this railway line will die within 10 years, says Langeland. Head of department Silvia Johann Olsen at the Institute of Transport Economics agrees that the train line has major challenges to cope with. – The journey time by car has become very much shorter with increasingly connected motorways along the Sørland coast. For many, it will then be tempting to choose a car or bus over the train. Head of department Silvia Johann Olsen at the Institute of Transport Economics says that ever-improving roads along the southern coast make it difficult to get enough train passengers. Photo: Nils Kare Nesvold She says that some of those who choose to use Sørlandsbanen today may want to continue with this anyway. They can be train enthusiasts, have green attitudes or simply don’t have a car. But the question is whether there are enough of them to keep the railway line alive? Langeland does not think so. – The train company’s calculation meant that they must have 1.5 million passengers annually to operate profitably. The number is now down to less than half. Sørlandsbanen has its loyal users, but fewer and fewer people use the train route. – The train is important news recently reported on new cuts in train departures at several locations on the Sørlandsbanen. Head of the interest organisation, Jernbaneforum Sør, Rune Hagestrand believes this could be the beginning of the end for the section. – The train loses the competition against the road. The easiest way for the authorities to cut travel time is to cut stations, he says. Passenger Kristin Maaseide from Kristiansand is ready for another train trip to Oslo. She thinks it is regrettable if the train service is weakened or disappears. The train is easier and actually cheaper than driving to Oslo, says passenger Kristin Maaseide from Kristiansand. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news – This train is important to me, and it’s easy. You can get from the city center to the city center without additional transport. She also says it’s cheaper than a car if you count parking in Oslo. Vegar Strømø is another frequent user of Sørlandsbanen. He has just got off the train after a trip from Stavanger. – It is sad if this disappears. I like the way of travel. Sitting and experiencing great nature, preferably with a podcast in your ear. Strømø fears poorer travel offers for those who do not have a car. And emphasizes that flights are often more expensive than trains. Vegar Strømø prefers train travel, and thinks it is sad if Sørlandsbanen is winding down. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news – Only shouted on the way There is only one thing that could have saved the train section from certain death, the experts believe. The solution costs 22 billion. It is often referred to as the “Genistreken”, a connection with the Vestfold Railway. The benefit is one hour shorter travel time. The plans have been discussed back and forth for over 30 years. Large areas in Agder and Telemark have been cordoned off to make room for a connection. In autumn, the coup d’état came, many believe. For the first time, no money was set aside for this in the proposal for the state budget. – Politicians and especially NHO in the south have shouted unilaterally about way, way, way. When it comes to betting on rail, it’s just been pretty tame. Then it’s no use, says Anders Langeland. Sørlandsbanen Photo: Go-Ahead Sørlandsbanen is 549 kilometers long and stretches from Drammen to Stavanger. There are 45 stations and stops along the route. Sørlandsbanen is operated by Go-Ahead Nordic. The train company took over operations from Vy (formerly NSB) on 15 December 2019. Sørlandsbanen follows an internal route over Kongsberg, Bø in Telemark and through Indre Agder to Kristiansand. Further west, the track runs across the many valleys in Agder before it comes out to the coast in Egersund and crosses the Jæren north to Stavanger. Source: Bane Nor Silvia Johann Olsen at the Institute of Transport Economics agrees that the focus on better roads has probably affected the train. But she still believes that the “Strike of Genius” comes too late. – 20 years ago this would have made the train more attractive. But in the meantime, the roads have become even faster, and the road development just continues, she says. – Roads do not hinder railways Senior adviser in NHO Agder, Trond Madsen, does not understand the criticism from Langeland. He does not believe that the fight for better roads has prevented investment in the train. – If we had been less involved in road development, we would not have had more railways. We just had less road, says Madsen. Madsen believes that the region has been united about the connection, without the central authorities having followed up. Trond Madsen in NHO, Agder rejects the criticism of too much road focus. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – Betting on Sørlandsbanen The British company Go Ahead, which has operated Sørtoget since 2019, does not want to comment on falling traffic numbers. And when asked about fears of a shutdown, news receives this response from the managing director, Emil Eike. – We at Go-Ahead Norway work hard every single day to deliver the best possible offer to our customers, under the current framework conditions. Those who work in the operational operations do a fabulous job. State Secretary Cecilie Knibe Kroglund in the Ministry of Transport (Ap) does not agree that Sørlandsbanen has a bleak outlook. State Secretary Cecilie Knibe Kroglund in the Ministry of Transport (Ap) believes that the focus is on the Sørlandsbanen. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news – We have seen a positive development in passenger numbers so far this year. An extensive renewal of the catenary on the stretch is underway. Track renewal, work with flood protection, drainage and renewal of tunnels are also planned. – In other words – the focus is actually on Sørlandsbanen, says Kroglund. The train on its way out of Kristiansand station. Now many fear that there will soon be an end to train operations here.
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Don’t think Sørlandsbanen will survive – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
