Invensys Rail Achieves Major Project Milestone in Norway
21 January 2011
Building on the success of earlier infrastructure projects in Norway, Invensys Rail has completed a number of commissionings on the Oslo Metro system.
On Monday, 6 December 2010, the King of Norway formally opened the remodelled Holmenkollen station, with the company's WESTRACE interlocking solution controlling the new six car trains that will run between the station and Oslo.
This has been a high-profile commissioning, with tight timescales leading to the Nordic World Ski Championships, which are being hosted by Oslo in March 2011. With a dramatic new ski jump forming the centre point of a new national arena at Holmenkollen, it is estimated that over 300,000 spectators and competitors will use the metro system during the championships.
Invensys Rail has installed two WESTRACE interlockings, which were commissioned at Jar station as part of the Kolsäsbanen Line project, which is being commissioned in several phases. This section of the line was brought into passenger service on 1 December and will support both the city's metros and trams.
Commenting on the programme, Invensys Rail's senior project manager, Chris Daniels, said: "We have been heavily involved with the project to resignal Oslo's T-bane for some 15 years, and so are delighted to have also successfully completed these two commissionings.
"In 2011, we move on to the next phase of the programme which will see a 5km extension to the line to Bekkestua, including installing the signalling for an extension to the tram line that currently terminates at Jar. This will also be a WESTRACE-based solution, but with three aspect signals for the tram rather than four for the metro," he concluded.
Installation is due to start in February. August 2011 will see the centre of attention move to the next station down at Gjønnes.
