(Ostlandets Blad): SKI/OSLO: After the rail problems of the last few days on the Østfold line, with a fire completely blocking the use of the Blixtunnel, commuters have really felt what it means to run the railway in Norway. The vast majority are angry about canceled trains and long delays.
Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård is primarily responsible for rail operations.
He is adamant that Bane Nor must fix the problem as soon as possible. More money to overcome the “kneika” is not an argument from that side.
He may not be aware of the current situation
– The Blixtunnel is a gigantic investment that I assume will work. Bane Nor has a great responsibility to ensure that the project is completed smoothly, Nygård tells Østlandets Blad.
also read
Sp-top gets a strong recoil after riking’s comment: – It’s time to look in the mirror
– What do you think about the problems that commuters from Follo and further down Østfold experienced after the Blixtunnelen opened, but then suddenly closed again?
– I fully understand that this is not something we can be familiar with, he says further.
ØB has written countless articles, both before and during and after the official opening of Follobanen on Monday 12 December. Following a fire outside the new tunnel, which had a direct impact on the operation of the tunnel itself, all rail traffic on this section was interrupted. The tunnel will open on 27 December at the earliest.
Lots of very frustrated commuters
There are now many very frustrated commuters in our region. Some are now so fed up that they can no longer bear to fight back. They just feel empty and powerless.
The former mayor of Ski, now Storting’s representative for the Conservative Party in the Storting, Anne Kristine Linnestad, was so angry earlier this week that she took the floor in the Storting room and gave her heart’s opinion on the state some things.
– I think it’s just embarrassing, and I think it’s very difficult to explain to people that we spent NOK 37.5 billion on this, and then we don’t have the infrastructure to stand on the other side. It’s completely hopeless. But the biggest disappointment I received was the Transport Minister’s response today, Linnestad says, referring to the debate in the Storting.
also read
The snow is causing delays for thousands of people in Gardermoen
Don’t think that more money is the answer to problems
– I asked what he thought and the only answer was that the ball was sent back to the right. It doesn’t help anything, Linnestad said, clearly disappointed.
also read
After 21 Years and 8 Billion NOK, Norway Is Left With One Helicopter That Doesn’t Fly: – Disaster Expected
– Contrary to the Conservative Party, this government is betting on the railways. In the proposal put forward by the Conservative Party, half a billion is cut. Then it gets a little weird when Linnestad gave the speech that he did. No one is happy about the Follobanen being launched, and the government is obviously worried about it too. We are so concerned about this that a few months ago we took an initiative for the railways in general which serves to improve operational stability and punctuality on the railway, but we see that there is still more to be done, was one of the responses from the Minister of Transport .
Nygård tells ØB that he accepts the challenges that have arisen in the past few days, but at the same time believes that more money is not the solution.
– We know the challenges, but I don’t think the answer is more money, we just need to make all the new stuff work.
