The joint project of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Bane Nor will secure a new European road and double track for the railway between Arna in Bergen and Stanghelle in Vaksdal. The regulatory plan has been approved, start-up is planned for 2024 and the project group needs NOK 200 million for next year to keep up the pace. PARALLEL: The road and railway will mostly run side by side in the mountains through Vaksdal. Illustration: Red Ant / Statens vegvesen – Vondt Many therefore reacted with disbelief when the government cut the funds for the project in the proposal for the national budget last week. “A betrayal”, “incomprehensible” and “incomprehensible” were words that echoed in the strong reactions. Now the Labor Party and the Center Party are also getting a kick out of their own. – We are simply sad and angry that it is out of the state budget and that we have not come further, says Tonje Såkvitne in the Youth Center in Hordaland. She also sits on the district board in Voss for the Center Party. Såkvitne is particularly unhappy that it is the mother party that has put the whole project on hold. – It hurts. I would like to stand here and talk about the nice things in the budget, but I can’t. For us who live with this railway and road, this cut overshadows everything else. SLIDE: A lorry train driver escaped with horror in this huge slide that crossed the E16 near Bolstad in 2016. This slide point will not be improved by the planned development, and will only be secured in part 2 of the development between Bergen and Voss. Photo: Drone Race- and accident-prone New E16 and Vossebanen between Arna and Stanghelle have a price tag of NOK 26 billion. Later, it is planned that the development will continue all the way to Voss. In addition to drastically cutting travel time on both road and rail, the main aim is to protect motorists and train passengers against landslides and landslides. The stretch is the most landslide-prone European road in Norway. There have been several hundred races since the 90s. Since 1992, 34 people have been killed and over 100 seriously injured in traffic jams between Arna and Voss. – It is not to be believed that we are forced to discuss what should be prioritized. In Vestland we are the same, why are we not heard, Såkvitne growls. – Do they perceive the cut from the government as a breach of promise? – I feel it is a misprioritisation. We don’t understand why other transport projects are prioritized over this one, replies Såkvitne, adding that it “is about life and health”. It is an echo of her party leader, now finance minister, Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) from the election campaign in 2017. He told Bergens Tidende that “life and health are most important” when he proclaimed that the party prioritized development over other projects, and wanted construction to start in 2021. AUF: – We do not deliver And in January 2021, Bergen mayor Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap), now Minister of Labor in the government, used the same words about why the development between Bergen and Voss is so important. Therefore, AUF in Vestland is also very dissatisfied with the fact that the government “does not deliver” on its first proper state budget. – It is an incredible shame and frustrating. We knew the budget would be tight, but we are still very disappointed. Now we hope it will be included in the negotiations in the Storting. If not, we have not prioritized life and health, as we promised, says county manager June Trengereid Gruer. Understands the disappointment news has asked the Minister of Finance to comment on the criticism from the youth party, but the Ministry of Finance refers the Ministry of Transport and Communications for comments. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård was on a ferry in Indre Sogn when the many transport cuts in the state budget were presented last week. – To those who are disappointed, I say that it is understandable. But I am sure that the vast majority of people understand that it is important that we take care of our finances. There is war in Europe and an energy crisis. The most important thing now is to keep interest rates down and deliver a budget that helps to curb price growth, Nygård told news.
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– I’m pissed off – news Vestland
