Many coastal communities struggle with depopulation and poor boating services around Norway. In Trøndelag, four out of five seats on board the fast boats are empty. Now they are testing whether smaller boats, so-called metro boats, can be the solution in the future. – Metro at sea refers to the interaction between today’s fast boat and the smaller boats that are now being tested, says Torhild Aarbergsbotten in Trøndelag County Municipality. The crew on MS Råsa runs daily between Leka and Rørvik during the test period in October. Photo: Espen Sandmo / news – More departures and calls – We hope to make better use of the capacity, have more departures and calls in more places than today. The goal is for people to be able to live and work throughout Trøndelag. In October, the boat will be tested between Leka and Rørvik on the Namdal coast, and this may eventually become the solution in several places in the country. – We have several other island communities along the Trøndelag coast where such solutions may be relevant. It must be assessed after this pilot is finished, and when new tenders for passenger transport at sea are to be drawn up, emphasizes Aarbergsbotten. It is Trøndelag County Council that finances the pilot project to the tune of NOK 2 million, where the aim is to find better solutions for passenger transport along the coast. In Norway, there are currently 80 speedboats in county municipal operation, and six of these in Trøndelag. These six scheduled boats have a total CO₂ emission equivalent to 1,000 scheduled buses. Torhild Aarbergsbotten in Trøndelag County Municipality believes that new boating solutions will be important for several island and coastal communities in the future. Photo: news Commuters Rasmus Husby Larsen of the company Metro-Opus is responsible for the test run between Leka and Rørvik in October. The goal is faster, cheaper and a more environmentally friendly journey. Especially with regard to work commuters. – We can reduce the travel time by several hours for commuters with this boat. In addition, we are thinking of using it for tourism, emergency services and freight transport, says Larsen. He believes this is something many coastal communities in Norway will look at in the future. – Yes, we notice increased interest in more flexible solutions than today. So we think this is the future in several places along the coast, he believes. Lars Fredrik Mørch (from left), Rasmus Husby Larsen and Amund Hellesø believe the new metro solution will mean a lot for people along the coast in the future. Photo: Espen Sandmo / news 12 seats During the test period, the route is run with a hired boat with 40 seats. The new boat has only 12 seats, and is specially adapted to the commuter route. – We don’t think there is a need for a bigger boat, but the test period will certainly show that. So far, in any case, the interest has been great, he says. Lars Fredrik Mørch is general manager of the Namdalskysten business association, and is certain that this solution is here to stay. – We will be using the boat, and it opens up access to a more regional labor market. You become less dependent on living near land-based public transport services this way, he believes. This is the new speedboat that is now under construction. It has 12 seats. Photo: Espen Sandmo / news – Cheaper and more climate-friendly Nærøysund mayor Amund Hellesø agrees. – This is something we have wanted for a long time. I think this is just the start of something new, where you will use the smaller boats to transport people into the larger hubs. It is both cheaper and more climate-friendly than the current solution with the big boats, says the mayor. – If everything goes very well, we hope to have the new boat in normal operation within the next year. But the test period will show whether it is possible. And then it is others than us who will decide this in the end, says Rasmus Husby Larsen of the company Metro-Opus. The speedboat passes Rørvik on its way to Leka on the Namdal coast. Photo: Espen Sandmo / news
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Testing metro solution at sea between Rørvik and Leka – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
