Light rail between Oslo and Gothenburg in seven years seems unrealistic – NRK Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
Imagine that in a few years you can board a brand new train offer in Oslo.
A few minutes after departure, the train turns onto the new specially built track which starts at Ski.
From the streamlined trains set up in the air, you can look down on green forests and fields that are passed at an incredible speed. The top speed is wild 400 km / h. After a while, the train slows down in Gothenburg. And for those who want to continue south, it should eventually be possible to get to Copenhagen in an hour from Gothenburg.
Of course! This must be possible according to Swedish plans. From 2028, a new double track built on pillars can be completed, ready to receive passengers.
So already in seven years.
It is just a few months since the invitation to participate in the project was dumped in the municipalities of Halden, Sarpsborg, Indre Østfold and Nordre Follo.
These municipalities are located between the Swedish border and Oslo and must be on board it should be something of the lightning fast offer.
They must also quickly agree on where the tracks should go.
For already next year, the high-flying train line must be completed planned and investigated in both Norway and Sweden, says the official schedule for the Skagerrak line (see separate box).
– It can be perceived as very optimistic, and I have respect for that. Absolutely!
Anders Brunberg answers this, when NRK asks if the planning does not go “too fast in the turns”.
He is business manager in Uddevalla, which is one of the initiative municipalities in Bohuslän that is behind the plans. In addition, he is the coordinator for the course.
Train tracks built on pillars offer several advantages compared to ordinary railways built on the ground floor, he believes.
Schedule meets Norwegian skepticism
– Planning is easier. There must be fewer environmental reports. Not as much soil that goes with it. And a municipality that thinks smart can avoid many land conflicts through planning, he says.
But even among positive Norwegian politicians, it is difficult to imagine such a pace.
– It is probably unrealistic that it will be finished so quickly, admits deputy mayor of Nordre Follo, Hans Martin Enger (MDG).
The MDG politician is otherwise one of those who has dreamed of a high-speed rail that can challenge climate-hostile air traffic to the continent.
At the same time, the good aspects of the expansion must be measured against the disadvantages. And they do not have the politicians an overview of now. In its response to the Swedes, the politicians from Nordre Follo demand that it be investigated what negative effects the high-speed train track may have locally. For example:
- noise
- safety and basic conditions
- area and topsoil loss
- consideration for animal and bird life
- visual consequences.
All these considerations must also be taken care of in a good way if the plans are to become something of.
So far, all four Norwegian partner municipalities have responded that they support the plans to get a stop on the stretch.
Which should be a crossroads since travel time will increase with each stop. Yet not all municipalities can be traced, which may be in the collaboration. Rakkestad is one of them.
– It is important to connect if we are to take a stand on the matter. Especially if the process has to go fast, says rapporteur Karoline FjeldstadSp).
– Completely unrealistic
One who has experience with train development in Norway is former technical manager in the development division at Jernbaneverket, Finn Holom. He believes that the Swedish municipalities underestimate how complicated and time-consuming planning will be in Norway. Only the route choice will take several years, he believes.
– This is something that municipalities and residents have many opinions about. And which must be investigated and put up for consultation. It is also the municipal plan, zoning plan and acquisition of land. Soil protection and cultural monuments have also been taken into account, he recalls.
– So my assessment is that this is unrealistic. Absolutely unrealistic! says Holom.
The Swedish business manager answers that he does not have a full overview of the Norwegian way of working, but that it will be possible to cut back on construction time if the planning takes longer. He refers to a report from Skanska which states that such bridge lines are built in to five times faster than a normal railway.
– So it is still opening in 2028 that applies, he insists.
Money no problem
The Skagerrak line has mentioned that the expansion will cost DKK 100 billion and must come from private sources. The invitation to Norwegian municipalities states that they do not have to worry about funding.
The Norwegian experts are critical of the premise of building up in the air to make the project simpler and cheaper.
– You probably get as much foundation costs with it. This is a very bad reason and every single pillar must be well-founded. That’s one reason we do not build on bridges when we must not. Where it has been done on a large scale, in Asia, it is best to avoid costly restructuring of other infrastructure, and not to build a cheap railway, Holom claims.
But according to the Swedes, building up in the air is the future.
– The whole world is based on bridges and Europe is based on bridges outside Norway and Sweden. We are a little behind quite simply, says Anders Brunberg.