Trains in Norway continue to struggle with punctuality
Passengers in Norway have already been faced with more than a year's worth of delays at Norwegian train stations.
Issues with train punctuality in Norway have continued to persist since last autumn, with arrivals below official targets set by state-owned rail network operator Bane Nor.
In June, 83.6 percent of passenger trains were on schedule. So far this year, 87.4 percent of trains have arrived on time. Bane Nor has a punctuality target of 90 percent, which it failed to meet last year.
"It bothers us that we do not deliver better punctuality than we do now. But it (Norway's rail network) is such an old infrastructure that it decays faster than we are able to renew it," Kristina Bolstad Picard, communications manager for digitisation and technology at Bane Nor, told the newspaper Aftenposten.
The capital, Oslo, is one of the worst affected regions. There, only 72.6 percent of trains have been on time so far this year. Bane Nor considers a train on time if it arrives at its final destination within four minutes of the stated arrival.
For long-distance trains, the margin is just under six minutes.
The most common cause of delays are signal faults on the track, issues with contact lines and problems with trains themselves.
By law, passengers can claim a 25 percent refund on the ticket prices if they arrive at their stop more than 60 minutes late or 50 percent when they are at least 120 minutes late.
You will be entitled to a refund even if you have yet to incur any extra expenses due to the issue and if you are rebooked onto another train or taken by a replacement bus service.
Additionally, as long as there isn't a strike or extreme weather event causing the delay (or something deemed beyond the control of Bane Nor, which operates rail infrastructure), you can also request to have any additional expenses covered in relation to the delay.
READ MORE: What are your rights if your train in Norway is delayed or cancelled?
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Issues with train punctuality in Norway have continued to persist since last autumn, with arrivals below official targets set by state-owned rail network operator Bane Nor.
In June, 83.6 percent of passenger trains were on schedule. So far this year, 87.4 percent of trains have arrived on time. Bane Nor has a punctuality target of 90 percent, which it failed to meet last year.
"It bothers us that we do not deliver better punctuality than we do now. But it (Norway's rail network) is such an old infrastructure that it decays faster than we are able to renew it," Kristina Bolstad Picard, communications manager for digitisation and technology at Bane Nor, told the newspaper Aftenposten.
The capital, Oslo, is one of the worst affected regions. There, only 72.6 percent of trains have been on time so far this year. Bane Nor considers a train on time if it arrives at its final destination within four minutes of the stated arrival.
For long-distance trains, the margin is just under six minutes.
The most common cause of delays are signal faults on the track, issues with contact lines and problems with trains themselves.
By law, passengers can claim a 25 percent refund on the ticket prices if they arrive at their stop more than 60 minutes late or 50 percent when they are at least 120 minutes late.
You will be entitled to a refund even if you have yet to incur any extra expenses due to the issue and if you are rebooked onto another train or taken by a replacement bus service.
Additionally, as long as there isn't a strike or extreme weather event causing the delay (or something deemed beyond the control of Bane Nor, which operates rail infrastructure), you can also request to have any additional expenses covered in relation to the delay.
READ MORE: What are your rights if your train in Norway is delayed or cancelled?
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