Should the EU or Norway decide more on Norwegian railways? Now the battle begins.

The government is ready to win the battle for the new EU rail grip. In that case, the Vys monopoly will never return. There will be full competition for all Norwegian railway lines.

The Storting will soon say yes or no to the new EU rail package. If Norway accepts EU rail control, it will offer full competition as to who will run the trains in Norway.

In return, the EU will guarantee the free movement of trains across national borders in Europe. So that crowds of people can change from plane and car to rail.

Here’s what the EU rail package 4 says:

• All must accept the common technology for railway and signaling systems.
• The EU must manage the safety certificates (licenses) of railway companies, regardless of where they operate.
• At the forefront, the EU can withdraw Vys’ “license” to operate trains in Norway.
• The state will continue to own the rails and signaling systems.

Norway has been bidding for railway lines for several years. They have been won by British Go-Ahead, Swedish SJ and Norwegian Vy. With the new EU package, all sections will be tendered, even when the country’s authorities do not see the need for competition.

In Norway, there is a lot of political disagreement over competition on the railways in Norway. The government stands for. Parties such as the Labor Party, the Socialist People’s Party, the Socialist People’s Party and the Red Party are opposed. They have announced a rematch if they win the election in 2021.

Saying yes to the EU package means Norway is giving up control of its own railway. And that there is hardly any turning back from the competition.

So should Norway say yes or no?

The commander will say yes, but not now

The Jernbaneforbundet and Lokomotivmannsforbundet unions oppose Jernbanepakke 4. They fear losing jobs.

Philipp Engedal is the director of Flytoget. It is in favor of competition and the forces of the free market. But he thinks the timing of saying yes to Rail Package 4 is wrong. You have asked the Storting to take a better time.

With the rail package, Norway’s freedom to decide for itself when and how competitions will take place disappears.

Norwegian companies such as Vy and Flytoget will have trouble adapting fast enough, believes Philipp Engedal.

He notes that countries like Germany and France have not rushed in with a new rail package. They have allowed their own companies to “practice” competition abroad. Therefore, they are better equipped to compete at home.

Trains will be easier to use

Engedal believes that an important argument of the rail package is that it is an environmental measure.

– The goal is to make railways easier to use. Trains must replace car travel. The tool is to introduce competition. With free access so everyone can participate, Engedal says.

– So, in general, this is going in the right direction. But it is not clear how big the effect will be for Norway now. Less than one in a thousand of our train trips today cross a national border. It is more important to implement this in Central Europe, she says.

– Can you dream of the time when Norwegians booked train trips from Oslo to Rome?

– Probably someone can. But in the meantime, aviation has developed enormously. The railroad can no longer compete on price, travel time, or frequent departures.

According to Engedal, there is a big benefit in countries that say yes having to comply with a common rail system and a common set of rules. For many years, national companies have created their own systems with their own physical and digital solutions. This has made it difficult to cross national borders.

More bureaucracy, fewer jobs

But Philipp Engedal is also skeptical about some aspects of the EU package.

When public authorities and train companies become dependent on people who understand the new regulations, there is more bureaucracy.

Engedal also believes in fewer employees in the railway companies. He believes the union’s fear of job loss is real.

– In the future, camera and sensor technology will be responsible for much of the ongoing monitoring of trains and train operations. There will be security systems and technology, which will be approved by a European supervisory authority. These can be easily used by train companies, Engedal says.

But you think there is a limit.

– Today, it is mainly the machines that control the aircraft, not the pilot. However, the pilot has not been eliminated. And the conductor will hardly be removed from the train. There should probably still be personnel on board who can handle an evacuation, he says.

– Are you claiming that security will be better with rail package 4, not worse?

– The EU is no less strict than we are. That Norway should sit on the best solutions in Europe, I doubt, says Engedal.

You may lose the right to drive a train.

If a company like Vy does not comply with the new regulations in the future, it may lose the right to operate trains. The EU Railway Agency can then revoke the “license”. Philipp Engedal sees it as highly unlikely to happen. Companies will have enough time to correct any breach of the regulations.

Lawyer Morten Harper, a profiled EU opponent, also doesn’t think the EU will stop Vy’s trafficking. He has written a long report on the railway package for the Norwegian Railways Association.

He fears the loss of Norwegian control. And it foresees greater conflicts between European and national authorities when common rules are to be introduced than in aviation. Railroads are complicated.

Union representatives and Bane Nor bosses strongly disagree

Rolf Ringdal is the leader of Lokomotivmannsforbundet. He believes that it is unnecessary to adopt the Railway Package.

– Rail reform and competition have already been introduced in Norway. Adoption of the EU package will block Norwegian elected representatives from this way of organizing the railway forever, he says.

Gorm Frimannslund is the director of Bane Nor. On the other hand, he believes that the Railway Package will renew and modernize the railway infrastructure. That will give the trains more passengers.

The package also provides a safer and cheaper railway, says Frimannslund in Aftenposten.

The same argument is used by Transport Minister Knut Arild Hareide, and Aftenposten at the helm. Hareide claims, unlike other sources, that the demand for competition is not set in stone.

FRP seems to ensure a majority

At the Storting, SV and especially Arne Nævra are fighting a fierce battle against the railway package.

– Infrastructures such as railways are so important that they must be managed by the Norwegian authorities, not from Brussels. We are against the tender railway hysteria becoming mandatory, says Nævra.

He also believes that the constitutional relationship means that the Storting should not consider the matter at all.

In any case, the FRP appears to be securing a majority for the government.

– We are sure of the package. But we don’t want Norway to lose all control. We are still looking at different drafts, says Bård Hoksrud.

On October 20, the Storting will say yes or no to the EU rail package.