A German consulting group, Verkehrswissenschaftliches Institut Stuttgart GmbH (VWI), has completed a feasibility study concerning high-speed rail lines in Norway. The study’s conclusion is that further steps should be taken to bring the scheme to fruition. Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, will now study the findings and propose appropriate further action to the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
In Phase 1 of the feasibility study, the consultants suggested focusing on two routes:
- Oslo – Trondheim 464 km
- Oslo – Gøteborg 313 km
These two corridors were chosen as reference corridors because it was anticipated that they would have the best benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR), owing to the relatively low capital costs but similar levels of potential demand compared with the other corridors.
The Oslo–Gøteborg corridor shows a slightly better result than the Oslo–Trondheim corridor (BCR 1.85 > 1.81). Macroeconomic cost-benefit analysis based on the evaluation procedure shows a positive result for both corridors, indicating that both lines would be economically beneficial and worth pursuing.
In Phase 3, options for the high-speed rail network in southwest Norway were investigated.
A definitive ranking of the various corridors and lines cannot be derived from the results of the feasibility study, since the results are fairly close together. Nevertheless, some first priorities can be established .
The Oslo–Trondheim and Oslo–Bergen routes are definitely the most important connections in Norway. High-speed lines on both routes seem to be worth pursuing. The Oslo–Kristiansand–Stavanger route is also of premier importance, but without the extension to Stavanger the Oslo–Kristiansand line would only rank as a second-priority route. .
Presuppositions for the positive outcome of the feasibility study were:
- concentrating on the main markets between the major points of demand, with only a small number of intermediate stops in larger communities with adequate traffic demand
- strictly demand-based offerings
- cost-effective infrastructure planning, with single-track lines wherever sufficient
- additional regional services as feeder systems for the high-speed services
High-speed traffic reduces travel times, greenhouse gases and exhaust emissions, as well as increasing traffic safety and contributing to environmental benefits. .
High-speed traffic would improve accessibility between the major cities in Norway and between the regions. High-speed traffic would reduce domestic air traffic significantly, offering a solution to future capacity problems at airports.
The feasibility study showed a positive benefit-to-cost ratio in a detailed evaluation of the two reference routes, Oslo–Trondheim and Oslo–Gøteborg. Comparable results were obtained in a simplified evaluation of the Oslo–Bergen and Oslo–Kristiansand–Stavanger routes.