Reasons why the trains are sometimes delayed or more crowded than you had hoped

Why is the train delayed?

Delays are most often caused by infrastructure faults – signalling systems, tracks, electricity or points – or technical faults in the train itself.

The railway is an integrated system. We run so many trains on the same routes today that even a minor incident can cause major chain reactions because there are no passing opportunities on most routes.

Bane NOR is currently upgrading the signalling system in the Norwegian railway network. In the long run, this will result in fewer faults and more reliable train services.

Why do you not provide information about alternative solutions more quickly?

To be honest: we don’t always have the answer immediately at Vy either.

When unexpected incidents occur in the railway, we encourage passengers to look in the Vy app for information, to keep an eye on the screens at the station and listen to the messages on the PA system.

When something comes to a halt, there is a lot that has to be sorted out at the same time. We have predefined plans in place together with Bane NOR, but, before these can be put into place, we need to know more: what the fault consists of, where the fault is located, where trains can turn, where we can arrange buses from and how long it will take to arrange bus transport, etc.

The information is received gradually because the situation unfolds gradually. This can be frustrating, but it would be worse to give you the wrong information quickly than provide the right information a bit later.

We are working actively to identify quicker and better solutions so that you, as a passenger, get the best information as quickly as possible.

Even though the information sometimes arrives later than desired, there are a few things that make it easier to follow the situation as it progresses:

• Check the Vy app before you set off. You can see if your train is running as planned and whether it is a single or double train.
• Turn on push notifications for your route. This will ensure you are notified immediately if anything changes.
• Stand in the correct place on the platform. The information screens on the platform show you where the train will stop.

Why is the train often full?

During rush hour, we transport more than 200,000 passengers in Eastern Norway alone and there is simply no room for additional departures. The railways have physical limitations: tracks and tunnels have maximum capacities and we are already approaching this limit during rush hour.

Part of the solution is to get more train sets up and running so that we can run more double sets/long trains. The deployment of new train sets will start in 2027 and will provide more space for additional passengers. At the same time, we are working to increase workshop capacity so that we can maintain the trains according to schedule and therefore run the trains we intend to run.

Why don’t the trains have more carriages?

Many people ask why we cannot simply add more carriages when the trains are full. The simple answer is that we do not have any more stock to take from. All of the available train sets are running during rush hour. Many people think that the challenges primarily relate to the oldest trains. But the Flirt trains, the green trains that run in Eastern Norway, are also crucial to capacity during rush hour. When multiple trains are out of service at the same time, there are not enough trains to run all departures with as long trains as we would like.

There can be several reasons why a train is taken out of service. Some need to be retrofitted in order to use the new signalling system that is being introduced. Others are destined for the workshop due to technical faults, wear and tear or maintenance. In addition, there are also incidents such as collisions with animals, cars or tractors that mean that trains need to be repaired before they can be used again. Workshop capacity is also limited, which means that trains end up being queued up for maintenance.

When we don’t have enough trains, we need to choose between fewer departures or running as many departures as possible with shorter trains. We generally choose the latter option so that as many people as possible can make it to work, to school or get home, even if it might get a bit cramped on board.

The first of 36 new local trains will arrive in 2027. This will result in improved capacity and more predictable day-to-day train services for commuters over time. At the same time, we are also working to increase workshop capacity so that we can maintain existing trains effectively.

When will it get better?

Making major improvements to the railway takes time. This is not a situation unique to Norway, but generally applies to most countries. It takes a long time to lay new tracks, build new workshops or order and take delivery of new trains.

However, from 2027, things will start happening: the new local trains will start to roll in and the new signalling systems will result in fewer faults and more reliable train services. We know that the new infrastructure works and we will have more departures and improved punctuality, leading to more people choosing the train. The Follo Line is a great example of this. In the coming years, there will also be more new regional trains.

A new route model will be introduced for Eastern Norway in December 2027. The Airport Express Train departures will be replaced by regional trains. On the route from Drammen to Oslo, the number of departures will double from five to ten trains per hour.

We cannot promise that everything will become perfect overnight, but we will do everything we can to ensure that commuters will notice both small and big changes.

What does ‘technical fault’ actually mean?

It means that something has stopped working as intended. This could be anything from fuse faults, ventilation system faults or electronics faults. The trains operate under extremely challenging conditions – steep slopes, sharp corners and temperature fluctuations ranging from -20 degrees to warm weather. Wear and tear is inevitable. In the oldest trains, which have been operational for 40-50 years, technical faults occur more frequently, but it can also happen in newer trains.

Faults can be safety-critical and that means that the train needs to be taken out of service immediately. For safety reasons, trains are not put back into service until the fault has been completely rectified and the necessary checks have been carried out. In other cases, the train can complete its route before it is taken to the workshop. Technical faults can therefore lead to unplanned downtime and reduced train set availability.