Update on Norway’s national railway reform
Historisk arkiv
Publisert under: Regjeringen Solberg
Utgiver: Samferdselsdepartementet
Artikkel | Sist oppdatert: 22.01.2020
- The Ministry of Transport and Communications is publishing two competitive tenders for passenger rail services as part of the Norwegian rail reform. - In accordance with the white paper issued last year, tenders will commence for the Sørlandet Line, Dovre Line, Røros Line, Nordland Line, Rauma Line and Meråker line. The goal of introducing competition for passenger rail services in Norway is to improve customer experience and stimulate competition in an effort to provide the best service possible for travelers on Norwegian railways. The new operators are expected to take over the routes in December 2018, said Minister of Transport and Communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen.
The public announcement of these tenders is a sign that the Ministry is on track to make Norwegian railways more competitive, as was intended in White Paper No. 27. (2014-2015) On the Right Track.
Tender execution
The tender competitions are published in Doffin (Norway’s national notification database for public procurement) and internationally in the Supplement of the Official Journal of the EU. A joint prequalification process will be launched for the first phase of the programme to introduce competition for passenger rail services later this year, while the invitations to tender are expected early 2017. The Ministry intends to sign an agreement on the first tender by August 2017 and an agreement on the second tender in December 2017. Both tenders will have new operators running these routes by December 2018.
New direct awards
The current passenger service contracts with NSB Gjøvikbanen AS and NSB AS expire in December 2017. To allow for the gradual introduction of competition on Norwegian rail network, the Ministry has announced that it will directly award contracts to NSB and NSB Gjøvikbanen. - This will ensure further development of all passenger rail services throughout this period until all the routes have been competitively tendered, said Solvik-Olsen.
Facts about the competitive tenders
Tender number 1 consists of the railway routes that serves the southern coast of Norway (Sørlandet Line, Jær Line and Arendal Line). Tender number 2 consists of the Trondheim-Bodø Line Bodø - Rognan, Lundamo/Melhus - Stjørdal/Steinkjer, Dombås - Åndalsnes, Hamar - Røros, Røros - Trondheim, Trondheim - Storlien and Oslo – Trondheim.