The roller coaster remains closed until January
Norway’s most expensive transport project was only able to operate for a little over a week before it had to close. Now the reopening is postponed for the third time.
Bane Nor writes in a press release on the Follobanen between Oslo and Ski will be closed until January.
The Folloban is 22 kilometers long and consists of the longest railway tunnel in the Nordics. The extensive project has been through several postponements and budget gaps, with a final price tag of NOK 36.8 billion.
Trains began running on the new line on 11 December, while it was officially opened the following day. Already on 20 December it had to be closed due to a fire in a switch house at Ski station. On Christmas Eve, another fire broke out in the same house.
According to the plan, the track was to reopen on 27 December, but this was postponed. Now it will be postponed again.
The reason for the connection is power problems for which Bane Nor cannot find the cause. This has led to overheating and smoke generation.
– As the developer, we have had a close follow-up of the work done on the Follobanen. We also had an extensive round of test runs of the tunnel before we opened, without uncovering any problems we are now facing, says Stine Undrum, Executive Vice President for Development at Bane NOR in the press release.
– It is natural that we now carry out a thorough review of the entire system and facility. All connections must be analysed, both to open Follobanen as quickly as possible, and to prevent something like this from happening again, she says.
Train passengers on the Østfold line will receive a temporary train offer until the challenges on the Folloban line are resolved.
– Closing the Folloban just a few days after opening is one of the worst things that could happen, and incredibly boring for everyone who uses the railway to get to and from work and other activities, says Undrum.