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TRANSPORT

Norway’s famous Trollstigen road to be closed for the rest of 2024

The Trollstigen road was closed for the rest of the year by officials in west Norway on Thursday, less than two weeks after it opened for the summer.

Published: 20 June 2024 14:45 CEST
Updated: 22 June 2024 09:16 CEST
Pictured is the Trollstigen road in west Norway.
Norway's Trollstigen road was closed on Thursday. Pictured is the Trollstigen road in west Norway. Photo by Freysteinn G. Jonsson on Unsplash

Norway’s iconic Trollstigen road was closed by Møre and Romsdal county council on Thursday after six rockfalls in ten days.

The closure comes after the road was only opened for summer on June 7th. When the road opened this year, several measures were implemented to try to reduce congestion and the risk of rockfalls.

“Now it is the case that we have tried with all possible means to keep this road open. But now it’s the case that now we just have to stop before someone gets seriously injured or loses their life,” county road manager Ole Jan Tønnesen told public broadcaster NRK.

Geologists examined the road before the final decision to close it for summer. After a car was hit by a rock on Monday, geologists, the council, and a private contractor carried out a risk assessment.

The road, a mountain pass famous for its 11 hairpin turns, is on county road 63 between the municipalities of Rauma and Fjord. Around a million people use the road every year.

The Trollstigen plateau would remain open from the Valldall side. The plateau has a car park and several viewing platforms for visitors to take in a view of the famous hairpin bends on the mountain road.

READ ALSO: Which parts of Norway are likely to be overcrowded with tourists this summer?

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OSLO

What commuters need to know about travel in and out of Oslo

Living outside Oslo is considerably cheaper and has other perks, too, such as a more relaxed pace of life. As a result, commuting into the capital has become increasingly popular.

Published: 20 June 2024 11:36 CEST
What commuters need to know about travel in and out of Oslo

Rent and house prices have seen more people decide to live outside Oslo and commute in for work.

There are several other reasons, besides money, that people would want to commute into the capital. They may have flexible working hours and prefer to live in a quieter location.

They may also want to live closer to nature or, if they have children, be closer to their children’s extended family.

Still, there are quite a few things you should know about commuting in and out of Oslo.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Norway’s commuter tax deductions

What are the pros?

In other cities, London is an example, and it’s not uncommon to hear stories of workers who commute two hours into the city each day.

Even some people living in large cities like Tokyo, London, and New York will spend an hour each way just getting across the city to work.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case in Oslo. Given how small the city is and the different transport options available, long commutes really don’t need to be the case when living outside of Oslo.  

Trains from towns like Ski and Lillestrøm can reach Oslo in 10 minutes. Even if you head a bit further out to Asker, the train only takes 20 minutes, while from Drammen, the commute is about 30 minutes.

A bit further out, the commute from Drobåk can be done in around 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the train from Kongsberg takes just over an hour.

There are also plenty of options, there is a pretty robust network of busses ferrying workers into Oslo Bus Terminal everyday, there are regional trains, many choose to drive, and there are even ferries across the Oslofjord you can choose to take. 

The other pros, as we’ve mentioned, are being able to live in a calmer environment, being closer to nature, and saving money on rent or mortgage payments.

What are the costs?

For most, public transport may well end up being the way they get to work, as in some cases it can be quicker than driving.

Given how common toll roads are, the cost of running a car, when you also take into account fuel and insurance, can add up.

It’s also hard to put an estimate on the cost of running a car as it will depend on the fuel economy, route you take, distance your drive and whether the car needs regular repairs.  

The commuting cost for public transport will be easy to calculate if you live in the Akershus region. This is because public transport firm Ruter is responsible for the Akershus, which surrounds Oslo.

Essentially, the cost of a ticket (when using Ruter’s yearly travel ticket) ranges between 15,894 for two zones, 22,845 kroner for three zones, and the same for travel across all zones.

When using the train with Vy, the cost of a season pass in areas where Ruter operates is the same as that of Ruter.

Given that Oslo is the most expensive area to rent, the money you save on rent is unlikely to be eaten up by the cost of a rail ticket.

Are there any downsides?

Yes. The main issue for those commuting in and out of Oslo via train is punctuality. In recent years, train traffic has become much less punctual, and services have been heavily affected by signal failure.

More than 700 signal failures have occurred over the past five years, according to figures from network rail operator Bane Nor.

Such failures are most common when traffic from Oslo Central Station is at its peak, such as rush hour.

During the first six months of 2024, around 76 percent of rush hour trains have been on schedule, which is well below the target of 85 percent.

Capacity has also been an issue. Despite how frequently the trains run, they can still be overcrowded during peak hours.

There are plans to address this, as double-decker trains will be introduced in the coming years on regional trains in eastern Norway (these are trains that carry the R designation). However, these plans don’t provide an immediate solution to the issue, as they may not be in place for another 5-6 years.

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