Norway’s network rail operator has set itself the goal of nine out of ten trains arriving on time. Punctuality in Norway has gradually worsened over the past couple of years, and only 85.6 percent of passenger trains keep to their original schedule.

The issue has particularly affected services in eastern Norway. In May, the national audit office delivered a critical assessment of Bane Nor.

“They have received more money, but they have not done what is needed,” the National Audit Office said.

The government’s plans to improve rail travel

Norway’s government has announced recent plans to improve train travel in Norway.

“Unfortunately, it takes time to fix,” Jon-Ivar Nygård recently told public broadcaster NRK.

“But the long-term goal is for us to get more trains on the route,” he said.

In its state budget for 2025, the government will spend more than 12 billion kroner on improving rail travel.

This spending is intended to clear a maintenance backlog.

“It is because we have seen that Norwegian railways’ major challenge is that there is a backlog on the maintenance side. We have too many challenges with delays and settings,” Nygård has said.

Those who regularly take trains in and out of Oslo will be familiar with delays caused by track issues and signal faults.

Therefore, it looks as if the government’s spending will address one of the largest problems.

Norway’s National Transport Plan will also aim to reduce delays and cancellations by 30 percent by 2036, showing a long-term commitment to ensuring more trains run on time.

In addition, to the extra investment the government will also merge two state-owned rail firms. Over the next three years, Flytoget and Vy will be merged.

This change will eventually allow passengers to use the same ticket across both services, whereas currently, you can only travel on a Vy train with a Vy ticket and vice versa on Flytoget.

The hope is that this change will increase capacity in eastern Norway without investing in new tracks and tunnels.

Will these measures actually work?

When it comes to the extra money on maintenance, only time will tell whether the government has invested enough money to clear the backlog and get the country’s infrastructure up to scratch.

Commuters hoping for instant change are likely to be disappointed, but the situation should improve in the long term.

When it comes to the merger of Vy and Flytoget, the government is taking a bigger risk. Flytoget enjoys a much better reputation than the rail firm it will eventually become a subsidiary of.

While many are critical of train travel in eastern Norway, the airport express train is seen as one of the best-run services.

The government risks making both services worse by merging the two companies and allowing commuters to use the airport express service.

Capacity has been an issue in eastern Norway, and forcing commuters onto the airport express could make the service much less useful for those travelling to and from the airport.

Packed airport trains could be even more frustrating for those who enjoy the service in its current iteration if they don’t relieve the issues facing Vys services in eastern Norway but rather spread the problem.

Both union officials representing Flytoget and opposition parties have been critical of the merger.

Other issues remain unaddressed

Packed trains have been an issue, and rail lines in and out of Oslo are currently at capacity. According to the Norwegian Railway Directorate and Bane Nor, it could take 20-30 years for a new train tunnel in and out of Oslo to come to fruition.

This means the problem of capacity in and out of Oslo will not be fixed any time soon.

Furthermore, while the government is investing in the rail network, the huge maintenance bill required to solve the problems means that new projects, such as Ringeriksbanen and a new section on the Arna—Stanghelle stretch of the Bergen Railway, have been scrapped.

Some parts of Norway still don’t have a rail connection to speak of. This doesn’t appear set to change either, as an inquiry advised against a railway in northern Norway last year.

It said the project would cost too much and have negative effects on the environment, reindeer and the rights of Sami people.