– As it stands today, perhaps Norway’s best-liked offer among customers is a story, says managing director of Flytoget, Nicolai Bryde to news. He also says that the company is very disappointed by the decision. – It is a big disappointment. It is both on behalf of the customers and on behalf of what the state is missing out on, he says to news. The Directorate of Railways proposed last year that Flytoget should be allowed to run many of the regional trains in Austlandet in the package which will be called “Austlandet 2”. The rest of the regional trains and local trains in the Oslo area were to be driven by Vy. Austlandet 2 stretches from Larvik in the south up to Notodden, and to Lillehammer in the north and Kongsvinger in the east. Today, it is Vy that is responsible for all this traffic, if one disregards Flytoget’s departures to and from Gardermoen. Today it was decided that Vy will be allowed to continue driving the sections in Austlandet for the next 10 years. May be the end of the flight train within five years When asked by news whether this is the beginning of the end for the flight train, Bryde replies that they have a license until 2028, and that after that it is unclear. – What we know is that this means that the Flytog offer will continue as it is today for the next five years, but that it is planned that the offer will then be discontinued, Flytoget wrote in a press release. The train on its way to Oslo S. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news The railway director: – Collective allocation was the best – We chose to enter into negotiations with both Vy and the train. Then in December, Vy came up with an input that was about looking at the economies of scale and then we got an offer from them and came to the conclusion that a joint allocation was the best, railway director Knut Sletta told news. Director of the Norwegian Railway Directorate Knut Sletta. Photo: Jon P Petrusson / news / Jon Petrusson In the press release, Flytoget wrote that the Ministry of Transport and Communications changed the allocation process at New Year’s, so that Vy had the opportunity to make an offer for the traffic in the whole of Austlandet. Flytoget asked to make a similar offer, but they were not allowed to do so. – What is stupid is that the flight train has not had the same opportunity to deliver a total package in the whole of Austlandet. Where we could also come up with an offer that was at least as good in terms of finances, but also that we have the opportunity to utilize the capacity that the train represents, Bryde told news. Price was decisive The Norwegian Railways Directorate writes that both companies scored highly on quality, reliability and customer satisfaction. The reason why Vy was chosen is that the agreement was cheaper. They also write that Vy was assessed as the best alternative in terms of good implementation. – Vy’s offer for the whole of Austlandet was around one billion kroner lower than the sum of the offers from Vy and Flytoget for Austlandet 1 and Austlandet 2. Flytoget came out better on some parameters, but price was decisive, says Sletta. Will follow it up in the Storting – It is shocking that Flytoget tells that the Ministry of Transport surprisingly changes the allocation process at New Year’s, says Andre Skjelstad, spokesperson for transport policy for the Liberal Party. Spokesperson for transport policy in the Liberal Party. Photo: Stortinget / Stortinget – Vy is given an offer to continue with traffic throughout Austlandet. Flytoget asked to make an offer for the same, but the company has not been given the opportunity to do so. We will follow this up at the Storting, he adds.
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