- A large proportion of the trains in Norway run through the Oslo tunnel between Oslo S and Skøyen. As of 2007, this section is considered crowded. If the growth in the number of train journeys goes in the direction we want, the possibilities of using more capacity in the current tunnel are very limited. Therefore, it is important to plan a new tunnel on schedule. We need to know when it could be essential for it to be completed, says Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications commissioned the Norwegian Railway Directorate to examine the basis of the decision for a new national tunnel on the railway line.
– In addition to local and regional trains in eastern Norway, with Oslo Tunnel long-distance and freight trains to the rest of the country also use it. Operational delays and disruptions in the Oslo Tunnel therefore often have consequences for traffic flows in other parts of the rail network. The new national tunnel will double capacity through the city of Oslo. As a result, it will have a positive impact on train traffic across much of our national rail network, says Nygård.
The management assesses the needs and ambitions of demand for rail services
In 2021, further planning for the new Oslo S-to-Lysaker double-track tunnel was halted. The reason for this situation was insufficient financial resources.
The Norwegian Railway Directorate will assess the demand and long-term ambitions for the development of rail services in the new decision-making basis. All this so that the new national tunnel can be completed in good time. The study will also assess whether new bidding concepts, better use of the current tunnel and the use of new technology can ensure an even better use of existing capacity than what is underpinning existing plans.
As part of the task, the Norwegian Railway Directorate is requested to conclude a contract with Bane NOR for the further planning of the national tunnel in accordance with the Planning and Construction Act in order to reduce the uncertainty of costs and implementation.
Further progress. Deadline for submitting the grounds for the decision
The Ministry of Transport and Communications set March 31, 2023 as the deadline for submitting the basis for the decision from the Norwegian Railway Directorate. At a later date, the Ministry will establish the planning framework for work on the next National Transport Plan, part of which will be the decision-making basis. The timing of the national tunnel must take this framework into account.
Source: regjeringen
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