The restoration of the Otta bridge on Norway’s Dovre Line is going according to plan. In January, winter weather inflicted significant damage on the bridge. Later, in February, it became clear that the rail line would have to remain closed for many weeks. Infrastructure manager Bane NOR has now come out with a timeline.
If Bane NOR manages to stick to the schedule, the line should be reopening for traffic on 7 April. The infrastructure manager is currently working on a reinforcement of the land basin. In the weeks to come, it will finalise the works with repairs to the tracks and sleepers, as well as the overhead lines.
Bane NOR says that it has also taken the opportunity to do additional maintenance work on other out-of-use parts of the Dovre Line. It has worked on overhead lines, signalling and forest clearance.
“This has been a demanding period for both passengers, freight customers, neighbours and train companies”, said Kristine Jessen, a regional director at Bane NOR. “The work to repair the Otta bridge has the highest priority for us, and we are working around the clock. It now appears that Easter traffic can run as normal on the Dovre Line, which is an important goal for us.” Bane NOR will come out with another update on the restoration progress on 3 April.
Fear in the rail freight sector
The bridge over the Ottaelva river moved up to 15 centimetres due to ice formation and high water levels. Whereas the bridge was supposed to be taken back into use on 5 February, it turned out that it would take much longer to reopen the line.
“The assessment of the extent of damage at Otta Bridge shows that it is necessary to reinforce the southern land bridge before we can open it to normal traffic. As it stands now, we will have carried out the necessary measures and be able to open it to traffic in mid-April”, Bane NOR said at the time. A reopening on 7 April would be slightly quicker than initially thought, it seems.
The closure of the Dovre Line is a significant setback for rail freight operators. For example, the Norwegian national rail operator Vy considered diverting its train along the Røros line. However, that is not at all an ideal solution. It is a single-track line, reducing its throughput capacity. Vy expressed an often-heard concern among rail freight companies: transporters could switch to the road, after which they may not come back to the rail.