Title: Railway Gridlock: Onrail’s Struggle for Access to Vognverksted Alnabru
In a unexpected turn of events, Onrail AS, a private railway company, has found itself locked out of the main vognverksted (railway maintenance facility) at Alnabru in Oslo. This has led to a backlog of dozens of train carriages, left idle along a kilometer-long track, awaiting necessary repairs. Henning Aandal, Onrail’s daily manager, voices his concern, "This has cost us millions in extra expenses and lost revenue. We replace around 100,000 freight train journeys a year, so this disruption affects everyone."
Onrail’s Rise and Fall
Onrail began operating in 2022, transporting goods between Oslo and Åndalsnes on the Raumabanen route, a line previously abandoned by other carriers. They also took over routes to Stavanger, Bergen, and Trondheim from Green Cargo last year. However, their expansion came with unforeseen consequences. Aandal laments, "Suddenly, we couldn’t access the workshop at Alnabru anymore."
The Web of Responsibility
The situation has become a political and regulatory hot potato, with Statens jernbanetilsyn (The Norwegian National Rail Authority) stepping in. After investigating, they declared that Onrail has the right to access the workshop non-discriminately. However, the web of responsibility is complex:
- Bane Nor owns the workshop.
- Bane Nor leases it to CargoNet, a state-owned freight railway company.
- CargoNet, in turn, has tasked the state-owned Mantena AS with running the workshop.
Currently, only CargoNet’s carriages are being repaired at the workshop, leaving Onrail and its fleet stranded.
Seek and Ye Shall Find
All parties involved point fingers at each other. CargoNet insists it’s Bane Nor’s responsibility, while Bane Nor argues that CargoNet, as the de facto operator, should handle the access requests. Mantena, meanwhile, expresses willingness to maintain Onrail’s carriages, if only given the chance.
As the situation stands, Onrail is exploring commercial solutions to secure access to the workshop, while CargoNet maintains that they haven’t excluded any company. However, the private railway company remains blocked from the workshop, highlighting the intricate interplay of public and private interests in Norway’s railway landscape.
