– While the Norwegian Railway Directorate carries out the necessary assessments, there is a need to secure the train service for Sørlandsbanen, Arendalsbanen and Jærbanen, says transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) in a press release.
The contract is awarded to Vy for a period of up to five years.
– We are looking forward to the reunion with many skilled employees and train routes we know well, and hope that both new and old train travelers will be satisfied with us when we take over responsibility again, says executive director for trains Erik Røhne in Vy.
The Directorate of Railways will assess agreements
Today, the British Go-Ahead operates the route, but this agreement expires in December 2027.
The Directorate of Railways wants to carry out an assessment of the current traffic agreements, where SJ operates the offer in the north, Vy in the west and Go-Ahead in the south. The agreements with SJ and Vy expire in 2028 and 2029 respectively.
The Government therefore wishes to postpone the conclusion of new long-term traffic agreements until 2029 at the earliest, so that the Norwegian Railways Directorate can assess the agreements together.
– Pending the Railway Directorate’s traffic agreement review, it is desirable that our state-owned passenger train company Vy be awarded the traffic agreement in this interim period, says the Minister of Transport.
Opposition from the Right, support from the SV
The Conservative Party is not satisfied with the government’s decision.
– The Støre government’s ideological machinery rolls on, they continue the work of monopolizing Norwegian railways and getting state operations back. It is against the Conservative Party, says Storting politician Trond Helleland in the Conservative Party to NTB.
However, it is SV.
– Under Erna Solberg, the railways were divided, privatized and put out to competition. But that does not make the train operation better and more efficient. So this is a wise decision which SV supports, says transport policy spokesperson Mona Fagerås in a comment to NTB.
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