Majority for railway in northern Norway

Railway Røros Northern NorwayA train on the Rørosvidda. Similar images may well be available from further north as well. Photo: NSB (Vy)/ Tore Bjørback Amblie

Six out of ten in favour of railway in northern Norway

A majority of Norwegians across the country are positive towards developing the railway in Northern Norway, according to VG. This despite an estimated negative cost/benefit ratio.


60 per cent of those surveyed state that they are positive towards railway development in Northern Norway, 20 per cent are negative and 20 per cent are uncertain, according to a survey. The survey is done by Respons Analysis, on behalf of VG.

People from Nordland and Trøndelag are, not surprisingly, the most positive towards the Northern Norway Railroad. There is, however, also a clear majority of respondents in the southern parts of the country who are in favour of developing it.

Wish to build the country

“There is a majority of positive voters in all parties, even if you break down the figures in the survey according to political affiliation,” Idar Eidset of Respons Analyse tells VG.

Deputy leader of the Socialists (SV), Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes, believes that the survey shows that there is a strong desire throughout Norway to build the country, Northern Norway included.

“The enormous renewable resources in the north are crucial to the future of Norway. It is a nation-building project; the key to the green shift,” Fylkesnes writes in a comment to NTB.

The railway to Northern Norway has been planned for more than one hundred years. It regards a 375 kilometre stretch from Fauske in Nordland via Narvik to Troms and Tromsø

Donate in EUR Donate in NOK
Donate in GBP Donate in USD

Price tag: More than NOK 100 billion

A cost study on possible railway development from Fauske to Tromsø was presented by the Railway Directorate  July 1st, 2019. The study is a continuation of previous assesements from 1992 and 2011.

According to the cost estimate, the railway line will cost between NOK 113 and 120 billion.

The line will not be socially economically profitable. A net loss of between NOK 46 and 109 billion is predicted.

Several are critical to the report, which has a hearing deadline of October 1st, 2019.

Related articles

Mayor of Tromsø wants railway from Narvik
The longest railway tunnel in the Nordic countries has been drilled
Finland wants to build a railway in northern Norway
Ofotbanen – The Ofoten Railway
Scenic Railway Journeys in Norway


© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
RSS Feed