The Follobanen closed to traffic just over a week after opening in December 2022. The external review of the suspension of operations on the Follobanen has been carried out by the Implement Consulting Group. The report was today handed over to Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) asked for a complete picture of what happened and why. And what measures are necessary to prevent this from happening again. The review was launched after a crisis meeting in January. The closure of the Follobanen The Follobanen opened on 11 December 2022, but had to be closed nine days later, on 19 December. From this date, train traffic between Oslo and Ski ran as before: on the “old” Østfold line. The Follobanen reopened on 5 March 2023. During the closure, troubleshooting and fault rectification took place. Preliminary calculations show that this has cost around NOK 80 million. The fire and the development of smoke had major traffic consequences, but meant little risk to people and nature. The incident did not lead to personal injuries or damage to the environment. Source: Bane Nor Hopes to finish the case Several in the opposition in the Storting have been critical of the handling of the project both by Bane Nor and from the minister’s side. André N. Skjelstad (V) sits on the transport and communications committee at the Storting. He hopes they can finish this matter soon. Photo: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix – I hope they manage to complete this project soon. That it will not be a serial like Romeriksporten, says André Skjelstad (V) to news before the report is published. He hopes that lessons can be learned from this that can stand up over time. – After all, this has cost close to NOK 40 billion, says Skjelstad. Warning before opening Shortly after the opening, the section had to close due to heat build-up and smoke in technical facilities. Part of the problem for the Follobanen was the return current system. This was warned about in October 2022 in a report from Norconsult. On the Folloban line, a solution was used for return current that had not been used before in Norway. 2.4 kilometers of power cables in the Blixtunnel had to be replaced after the opening. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Norconsult believed, among other things, that the calculations for how hot the cables would become were not credible. The report was commissioned by Bane Nor itself because the solutions were new. Open for just nine days King Harald cut the cord on the new section between Oslo and Ski opened on 11 December 2022. King Harald and Mayor of Oslo Marianne Borgen at the official opening of the Follobanen in December 2022 Photo: Lise Åserud But after just nine days, the Blixtunnelen and Follobanen closed. Then there was a lot of back and forth about when it could open. And it did not open again until March 5, 2023. Then there was a lot that had to be tested again and many mistakes were corrected. Bad time for opening Bane Nor took over the Blixtunnel from the contractor AGJV on 2 November. It was only five weeks before opening. Among other things, the opening date was set based on a major route change. The track was test run, but not with full traffic. A large preparedness exercise was also carried out with the emergency services during the month and a half before the opening. More reports on the project This report is one of three reports on the Follobanen. The first was an internal investigation in Bane Nor, and in week 26 there will be an external report from PwC that Bane Nor has requested. The Folloban is Norway’s most expensive transport project. It cost NOK 36.8 billion and took 13 years to build. The map shows the section to Follobanen between Ski and Oslo, which halved the journey time to 11 minutes.
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The Minister of Transport receives an external report on the Folloban – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
