Regional Focus NORTHERN LIGHTS SNC-Lavalins Norwegian Rail & Transit Engineering team has grown steadily, and is well-placed to take advantage of opportunities created by the countrys ongoing rail reform. Regional Director Karin Johansson told Viewpoint why Norway is an interesting country for many players in the railway sector Words Andrew Bennett Photo Mats Alderberg R ail usage is growing in Norway. All modes rail, metro and tram have increased the number of passengers by 11-13% from 2013 to 2015, and the growth continues. The focus for this increase is on the area around the capital, Oslo called the Intercity triangle and making commuting more efficient; a new rail era is dawning. The Norwegian governments ongoing reform of the rail sector will include a new organisation to manage the planning and coordination of the railways, and to start franchising railway lines to the private sector. International operators and suppliers now have the opportunity to enter the countrys market. Feeling proud SNC-Lavalins Norwegian team, based in Oslo since 2006, has grown to 24 staff today. Karin Johansson, who hasled the team from the beginning, says: We are proud of supporting the Ministry of Transport with the ongoing railway reform. In the future, there might be several new operators and other suppliers in the railway sector. The operators are in the prequalification phase to supply rail operations, and the plan for the ministry is to enter the first franchising contract during 2017. The team is also advising on the procurement of eight new airport express trains for operator Flytoget. Manufactured in Spain by CAF, the trains will be Norways first with a maximum speed of 245kmph and will be added to the It is a very interesting phase for rail existing 16 train sets in 2018. Karin continues: We are also supporting Sporveien Oslo now; we are looking forward to it with the procurement of a new signalling system called the Karin Johansson communications-based train control (CBTC) for Oslos Regional Director, Norway Metro. The expert team from SNC-Lavalin includes senior signalling engineers from Norway and CBTC experts from the London office. In this project, we support our client with local expertise, combined with international experience from other CBTC projects worldwide. The team also supports Jernbaneverket [Norways government agency for railway services] with implementation of the new European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) signalling system. All Norwegian railway lines will have rolled out the ERTMS by 2030. Suppliers are pre-qualified and the tender process is ongoing for the management, onboard and trackside systems. As well as their high competency levels and high-quality results on projects, Karin is proud of the teams strong engagement record; Norway has always ranked top in internal staff-engagement surveys, scoring close to 100% in certain areas. Interesting times for railways Norway is a country with lots of oil production, but tough times for that industry have driven the government to focus more on the railway sector when it comes to investment and creating new jobs. Karin says: This exciting time for Norwegian railways means many interesting projects that require our expert support, and the Norwegian team is involved in a number of schemes to improve our railways in Norway. Railways are a good, green method of transport; we believe the rail sector will grow and there will be many new players in the market. Our target is to double our staff to 50 people in five to 10 years. It is a very interesting phase for rail now; we are looking forward to it. viewpoint@snclavalin.com snclavalin.com