The Follobanen opens to traffic on 1 January at the earliest. It became clear on Saturday evening. – It’s a very boring Christmas present, says train commuter Ronny Aukrust. He commutes weekly from Askim to Skøyen to get to work. Ronny Aukrust is head of the commuter association in Indre Østfold. He is not surprised that the reopening of the Folloban has been further postponed. Photo: Ronny Aukrust / Privat Aukrust is also head of the commuter association in Indre Østfold. In recent weeks, commuters have had to use a good dose of patience. – There have been derailments, signal problems, track switching errors and fires in systems. So it has been a mildly boring pre-Christmas on the Eastern line, says Aukrust. The commuter association in Indre Østfold sees the light at the end of the record-expensive Blixtunnel, despite a slow start. Increased travel time The Blix tunnel between Oslo S and Ski is the longest in the Nordic region, and halves the travel time between the two cities. When the trains run as scheduled. Since the ceremonial opening of the Follobanen in mid-December, little has gone smoothly. Delays and cancellations have characterized daily train life south of Oslo. King Harald attended the opening of the Folloban 13 days ago. Photo: Lise Åserud – Instead of having reduced time to and from work, we have now experienced a strong increase, says Aukrust. The plan to offer a reduced train service on the Folloban during the Christmas season is being cancelled. It is the latest in a long line of bad news that has come since Follobanen’s opening just over two weeks ago. The reason is that the track worth NOK 36 billion is experiencing power problems. More than 360 trains delayed On Friday evening, Ski station on the train line had to close after smoke developed in a junction house. The switch house is the same one that caught fire on Monday, and which first led to Follobanen being closed until then on 27 December. Bane Nor tells news that they must extend the closure of the Folloban to get a better overview of the situation. One of two tunnel runs in the Blix tunnel on the Folloban between Oslo and Ski. Photo: Banenor After the first week in operation, 361 trains were delayed, which corresponds to 56.2 hours, writes TV 2. Vy does not want to point fingers for the noise, but tells news that the situation is a shame for their customers. Several travelers have called in with questions and inquiries about the route. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) has asked for an explanation from Bane Nor after all the errors that have occurred. – Will be fine in the end The closure of the Folloban means that there are no direct trains between Indre Østfold and the capital. Travelers on the route must therefore change trains at Ski station. – It is of course very cumbersome and very unnecessary. There must be an opportunity to be able to run the Eastern line all the way to Oslo S. Especially now during Christmas, when there is far less train traffic than usual, says Ronny Aukrust. He is optimistic, even though the opening of that stretch has been anything but optimal. – It will be good in the end. There is no doubt about that, says Aukrust.
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