By Ashley Karen
The Follobanen (Follo Line) railway tunnel project has been finished, and now commuters can enjoy 11-minute-long trips from Oslo to Ski via the Nordic region’s longest railway tunnel.
Bane Nor chief Gorm Frimannslund stated: “Today is a historic day, and we are proud to open the Follobanen to traffic so that travelers can feel the positive effects of one of our largest modernization projects in the last ten years.”
On Sunday, the first trains left the new section between Oslo and Ski through what’s the Nordic region’s longest railway tunnel.
The official commencement was held on Monday morning at Oslo Central Station. King Harald, Crown Prince Haakon, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård were present at the commencement.
With a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour, the trains will assure that the travel time between Oslo and Ski is reduced from 22 to 11 minutes.
Potential benefits
As reported, ambitions are high in Ski Municipality, which has several building projects in progress. The municipality has scheduled to construct more than 4,000 new homes in the city center over the next two decades.
Frimannslund pointed out: “Railway construction is community building. Historically, the railway has set the lines where cities and towns were established.”
He continued: “With the Follobanen, we are now making arrangements for Oslo and the areas south-east of Oslo to become a shared living and working area. It will be easier to have a greater distance between home and work, and everyday commuting will improve in the entire region.”
Delays
Already, the demand for raised capacity on the railway line between Oslo and Ski was present at the end of the 1980s. Nevertheless, after many years and multiple reports, initial work on the Follobanen began in 2010 before the major works started in 2015.
The vast project has undergone many delays and budget breaches, with a final price tag amounting to 36.8 billion kroner.
