– The capacity is blown, states Carl Fredrik Karlsen, director of Norway’s largest freight company, CargoNet. All mainline sections have been declared congested by Bane Nor, with the exception of Ofotbanen. This applies between Oslo and Trondheim, Nordlandbanen, Bergensbanen and Sørlandsbanen. Measures will now be taken on the railway, which will make it possible to run freight trains that are up to 740 metres, and not 480 meters as today. That work will not be completed until 2033, says Bane Nor. It is too long to wait, says CargoNet. Acting freight director at Bane Nor; Elin Bustnes Amundsen. Photo: Bane NOR Must say no to freight trains The freight companies must apply to Bane Nor to be allowed to run freight on the railway. – We would have liked to have better capacity on the track, so that we didn’t have to turn anyone away, says acting freight director Elin Bustnes Amundsen. – How many have been refused permission to run freight trains next year? – There are around ten trains that we cannot fit in, she says. Bane Nor has received applications to transport more goods on all sections next year, except Nordlandsbanen and Ofotbanen. New and longer crossing tracks will be built in many places in the country in the coming years, such as here on the Gjøvik railway. It is used when trains meet. Asking for longer freight trains Every year, CargoNet transports goods equivalent to 175,000 trailers on the road. Longer trains will make it possible to transport more goods. – We may be able to increase our capacity by 40 per cent by running these long trains, says Carl Fredrik Karlsen. They are ready to acquire new locomotives, which are needed to pull heavier and longer trains. – We want to run these longer trains, but that is not possible today, says Karlsen. Freight traffic by train The freight train companies have applied to run more routes next year than they do this year, so there is a lot of interest. In recent years, there has been a reduction of 17% in the amount of goods from 2022 to 2024. There is an 8% decrease from 2023 to 2024. The Randklev bridge was closed after damage during the extreme weather “Hans” and the Ofot railway has also been closed for periods. This has contributed to the decline in freight traffic. This affects the figures in both 2023 and 2024. Source: Bane Nor Carl Fredrik Karlsen, commercial director at CargoNet Photo: CargoNet Can take time Bane Nor states that it will take time to be able to use longer freight trains. There is a lot of single track, and new and longer crossing tracks must be built where trains can meet. The work is underway. When they are finished, it will be possible to run 740-metre-long freight trains on the Kongsvingerbanen and Ofotbanen, and 650-metre-long freight trains between Oslo and Trondheim. – Those packages should be finished in 2033. It is clear that it sounds very long, but it takes time to build crossing tracks, says Elin Bustnes Amundsen. You can read more here: More money is spent on railway maintenance. Exploded capacity for freight trains also here at the terminal in Trondheim. Many of the freight trains run at night. Photo: Morten Andersen Believes that work must be done faster In CargoNet, they believe that it will be too long to wait until 2033. – We need to realize some longer freight trains much earlier than 2033. Together with Bane Nor, we want to find solutions for that. It is important that we work quickly, says Carl Fredrik Karlsen in CargoNet. He says that one possibility is to give freight trains somewhat more priority on the track. For now, plans to buy locomotives for longer trains have been put on hold. – We are completely dependent on predictability when investing. There are large costs to be invested for a long time to come, he says. State Secretary Cecilie Knibe Kroglund. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news Prioritizing longer trains State Secretary Cecilie Knibe Kroglund (Ap) in the Ministry of Transport says the government has set aside money in the National Transport Plan for the next eight years, to build new crossing tracks. It requires that the Storting allocates money for this from year to year. She says that longer freight trains are something the government prioritizes. It will then be possible to transport 37 per cent more goods on the Dovrebanen between Trondheim and Oslo. – It is highly desirable. We plan to get more goods on the railway, where we see that the track has an advantage. – Can this be resolved sooner than 2033? – You are impatient, but unfortunately it takes time to build new infrastructure. So the measures we are planning will only be completed in a few years, says Cecilie Knibe Kroglund. Published 26.10.2024, at 17.03
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Longer trains can carry 40 percent more goods on the railways – must wait until 2033 – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
