GETTI NG THE NORWE GI AN RAI LWAY B AC K ON T RAC K
ALL ABOAR D FOR NEW SOLUTIONS NS B
The elections to the Norwegian parliament in 2013 resulted in majority support for significant changes to the railway industry, including improved competition and a thorough restructuring of the sector.
For a long time, the Norwegian railway sector has struggled with a bad reputation, especially with regard to punctuality and the perceived quality of service. To complicate matters further, Statistics Norway expects the Norwegian population to have grown by one million by 2040. In other words, the Norwegian railway sector will face major challenges in the coming years. The election of the new parliament in 2013 meant majority support for significant changes to the railway industry, including improved competition and a thorough restructuring of the sector. This, together with the EU’s highly ambitious, game-changing railway agenda, has created the perfect breeding ground for new initiatives to get the Norwegian railway sector back on track.
In 2013, NSB presented their best financial results ever
Growth in the number of travels was at 7.3%, or about 4.1 million additional travels
Increase in the number of travels has saved the environment about 5,500 tonnes of CO2
NSB acknowledged that major changes lay ahead and decided to make a bold move. In November 2013, Geir Isaksen, CEO of NSB, held a press conference where he stated that new solutions were necessary to solve the problems of the Norwegian railway, and presented NSB’s view on how the railway sector should be redesigned, including both NSB’s and Jernbaneverket’s Instead of waiting for responsibilities. A new politicians to act, NSB took sector organisation was the initiative and came proposed, forming two with a groundbreaking new companies. The suggestion that has never first company is a pubbefore been seen in the lic administration comrailway industry. pany responsible for the customer offerings and all infrastructure, i.e. rail tracks, stations, rolling stock, etc., as well as long-term route planning. The other company will perform the operative tasks, i.e. train operations, in competition with other companies. The new structure will clarify the roles and responsibilities in the sector, separating the public administration part from the part exposed to competition (train operations). It will also enable long-term development of the train sector in Norway to meet tomorrow’s demand for reliable train services. Instead of waiting for politicians to act, NSB took the initiative and came with a groundbreaking suggestion that has never before been seen in the railway industry. “This structure will reallocate responsibility and authority, providing a needed “clean-up” of the railway sector. In 15 years, we want to be able to say that the Norwegian railway is among the best in Europe”, says Geir Isaksen.
“We think that it creates an opportunity for the railway to become better. We believe it’s important to go to further lengths to ensure that customers receive a better offering in the future. Large investments in the sector have been made. The future solution should ensure that we get the most out of these investments” —GEIR ISAKSEN, CEO AT NSB
Public sector under pressure
Photos Š NSB. All Rights Reserved.
EXTRAS opposition.quartzco.com /nsb
Learn more about the future challenges of railways and the new sector organisation.
Public sector under pressure