5 Services and Charges

5.1 Introduction

See Chapters 4 and 6 of the Railway Regulations.

This part describes the services which Bane NOR offers its customers and at which prices. The information is structured in the same manner as the overview of services in the Railway Regulations, Chapter 4, with the exception of services in service facilities, which are addressed in Network Statement, Part 7. The services are divided into the following categories:

• Minimum access package
• Access to service facilities and services at these
• Additional services
• Ancillary services

The railway undertakings' use of the services is regulated by Bane NOR’s standard terms and conditions applicable at any time. These standard terms and conditions are set down in ATS, Annex 1 Standard Terms and Conditions. 

Bane NOR supplies a range of other services to the railway undertakings in addition to these services. Further information can be found in Chapter 5.5.6, but the information does not constitute a legally binding obligation on the part of Bane NOR. Bane NOR will decide which of the other services to offer at any time. There must be a special agreement in place between Bane NOR and the railway undertakings for the latter to be entitled to use such other services. Bane NOR is in the process of revising parts of the charging scheme, including charges based on direct costs, which are scheduled to be implemented from 2024.

The consultation annexes about direct costs, mark-ups, the revised performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. and Oslo Economics' report may be dowloaded from the Network Statement 2025 consultation page. 

5.2 Charging Principles 

See Chapter 6 of the Railway Regulations and the Regulations of 7 August 2021 no. 2361 on the implementing of Regulation (EU) 2015/909 on the modalities for the calculation of the cost that is directly incurred as a result of operating the train service (Implementing Regulation for Regulation (EU) 2015/909).

5.2.1 Introduction

Bane NOR determines what to charge for its services based on Chapter 6 of the Railway Regulations and the Commission Implementing Regulation for Regulation (EU) 2015/909.

5.2.2 Minimum access package

Bane NOR has determined the charge for the minimum access package on the basis of:

a. charges that are based on direct costs – see Section 6-2(1) of the Railway Regulations and the Commission Implementing Regulation for Regulation (EU) 2015/909.
b. mark-up on infrastructure fees – see Section 6-3 of the Railway Regulations.
c. discounts – see Section 6-4 of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR establishes all of the above charging elements pursuant to Section 6-1(1) of the Railway Regulations.

Access to and from Bane NOR’s main track and to and from service facilities is subject to marginal cost charging in the same way as the minimum access package. This applies regardless of who operates the service facility.

In addition, Bane NOR also has the following schemes linked to the minimum access package:

a. performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. in accordance with Section 6-6 of the Railway Regulations.
b. path cancellation charges in accordance with Section 6-7 of the Railway Regulations.

5.2.3 Access to services in service facilities and supply of services

Access to services in service facilities and supply of services are charged for on the basis of Section 6-9(3) of the Railway Regulations. See part 7 Service Facilties for more information.

5.2.4 Additional services

Additional services are charged for on the basis of Section 6-9(4) of the Railway Regulations. See Chapters 5.4 and 5.5 for more information.

5.2.5 List of market segments

A list of market segments shall be included in the Network Statement and reviewed at least every five years, in accordance with the Railway Regulations § 6-3 (4). The division into market segments is shown in the figure and lists below.

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Market segments within freight traffic:

• Combined and wagonload trains
• Iron ore and similar transports A
• Iron ore and similar transports B
• Other ore and minerals
• Timber/chipwood
• Dangerous goods
• Other system trains

Market segments within passenger traffic:

• Traffic with agreements where fees are adjusted according to changes in charges
• Feeder transport to the main airport
• Experience routes with exclusive rights
• Other passenger trains with traffic agreements
• Other passenger trains

Below is a description of how the division into segments has been made and how it is determined which segment a transport belongs to.

The division into market segments must comply with the requirements set out in EU Directive 2012/34 and the Railway Regulations. Particularly relevant here is § 6–3 (3) of the regulation, which states:

"Before surcharges on infrastructure charges are determined, the infrastructure manager shall analyse which market segments they are relevant for. This analysis must at least cover freight transport, passenger transport subject to public service obligations, and other passenger transport, but the market segments can be further subdivided based on the goods or passengers being transported."

The preamble to EU Directive 2012/34 also allows for consideration of whether there are significant differences in cost structure, market prices, and quality. To ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements for non-discrimination and the competitiveness of railway segments, Bane NOR believes it is also relevant to consider whether there are significant differences in how transports can handle and adapt to surcharges. This means that price elasticity within a segment should be comparable. Factors such as types of goods and passengers, cost structure, market prices, and quality are closely related to price elasticity. Therefore, a market segmentation based on these factors will largely group transports with comparable price elasticity.

In summary, Bane NOR divides market segments based on the following criteria: A distinction is made between freight transport, passenger transport subject to public service obligations, and other passenger transport. Bane NOR further subdivides these based on the types of goods or passengers being transported. Comparable transports are grouped together unless there are significant differences in cost structure, market prices, and quality, or significant differences in price elasticity (how demand for rail transport reacts to a change in transport prices). Once this division based on these principles is completed, further subdivision is considered impractical. It would have no practical significance and could make the charging system unnecessarily complex and resource-intensive for all parties to manage.

The three main categories that must be distinguished under the regulations will, with today's traffic on the Norwegian railway network, have the following content:

• Freight transport: All types of freight transport.
• Passenger transport subject to a public service obligation: There are various types of traffic agreements between passenger train companies and the state (Railway Directorate). Common to these agreements is the requirement for a certain number of train departures within a time period. There may be differences regarding whether the agreement only grants the operator certain rights or if there is also public compensation to the operator. Bane NOR interprets it as all passenger train traffic that operates under agreements where the state imposes requirements for the number of departures, in exchange for certain rights for the operator, falls under passenger transport subject to a public service obligation. 
• Other passenger transport: Passenger trains without a traffic agreement as mentioned in the previous point.

There are quite different transport services within some of these main categories. Therefore, further subdivisions have been made in line with the criteria mentioned above.

Bane NOR's approach has been to start with a mapping of all types of transport on the Norwegian railway network, see Oslo Economics' report from 2022 on segments in Norwegian railways. The report contains a systematic review of all passenger and freight transports on the railway and their competitive interfaces, as well as an analysis of actors, value chains, organization, and market conditions. This provides a good basis for grouping comparable transports into the same segment as described above.

Freight transport

Several types of goods, including fish and other groceries, building materials, agricultural products, etc., can be grouped together because they are suitable for combined/wagonload trains. Therefore, it makes sense to distinguish between combined/wagonload trains and industrial system trains. An important feature of combined trains is that they can use standardized load carriers and are often transported by truck to and from a railway terminal, or by ship. The fact that the goods are suitable for transport by multiple modes makes rail transport more exposed to competition. This, along with the small economic margins for operators, means that the transports are comparable in terms of demand adjustment in response to changes in transport prices (price elasticity).

System trains, on the other hand, are tailored to the specific needs of the goods being transported, carrying one type of goods per train. The needs may relate to volume, weight, and other factors requiring customized load carriers. Therefore, flexibility is usually lower when it comes to switching to other modes of transport. Within system train freight transport, there are different qualities, cost structures, and market prices that make it appropriate to differentiate between types of goods in the market segmentation, as described below.

Goods types such as ore and minerals include iron ore and similar products from mining operations. Among these, there are goods of varying quality with very different market prices. When looking at market price per train, the differences become even more pronounced, due to both the market price per tonne and how many tonnes can be transported per train. Volumes per train also affect the cost structure and the competition against road transport. According to the regulations, comparable transports can be placed in the same segment unless there are significant differences in cost structure, market prices, and quality. Since such differences exist within iron ore and similar transports, we will divide this group into two segments. Loaded train weight classes are an indicator of which segment a transport belongs to. See also the section below on segment allocation.

Other ore and minerals differ from iron ore and similar transports in terms of market conditions such as prices and the effect of changes in transport prices (price elasticity).

For dangerous goods transported by rail, the choice of transport mode may be driven by special safety considerations. Due to this particular quality requirement, dangerous goods form a separate segment.

Timber and chipwood/mass timber are low-value, high-weight goods that require a specific type of infrastructure, such as timber wagons, timber terminals, and timber trucks. This makes the transports comparable within the segment and different from other segments in terms of goods type, cost structure, market prices, and price elasticity.

Transport with system trains beyond what is already mentioned is grouped in the segment for other system trains.

Passenger transport subject to a public service obligation

Passenger transport subject to a public service obligation has first been examined at a detailed level and then comparable transports have been grouped into segments. Traffic with agreements where compensation is adjusted according to changes in charges is grouped into one segment. This includes both local and regional trains as well as long-distance trains, but they share a key characteristic regarding the effect of surcharges. Since compensation is adjusted, there will be no change in demand due to surcharges. This argues that the transports do not need to be divided into different segments, as it would have no practical significance, and that they cannot be grouped with transports that do not have compensation adjustment, as such segmentation could lead to surcharges with a distorting effect on competition.

For passenger traffic with traffic agreements that include certain obligations and rights but without compensation from the state, there are reasons not to group all in one segment. Feeder services to the main airport differ both from other services with traffic agreements and from other trains stopping at Oslo Airport. Unlike other trains stopping at Oslo Airport, the feeder service does not receive compensation from the state, so ticket revenue is important for financing operations. Other characteristics of the segment are that trains have some exclusive rights on the infrastructure and may not need to open for alighting before Oslo Airport and boarding after departure from Oslo Airport. These factors, along with others, mean that the train service has better punctuality and seat availability than other trains on the same route. The train service is targeted at passengers willing to pay more for these qualities.

Experience routes with exclusive rights also have traffic agreements with obligations and rights, but without compensation. The type of passengers and the train product itself differ from the others because tourists are the target group, and the train journey itself is the attraction.

In summary, Bane NOR has divided passenger transport subject to a public service obligation into four segments as shown in the list above.

Other passenger transport

The last main category from the regulatory minimum requirements for segmentation is other passenger transport. This includes tourism-based traffic without exclusive rights, as well as other commercial passenger traffic, including to/from Sweden. Within the segment, there are similarities regarding operating conditions. Bane NOR has not found it necessary to further subdivide other passenger transport at this time.

Assignment of transports to market segments:

To assign a train product to the relevant segment, the following steps can be followed. Any new types of transport or currently inactive transport should be placed in the segment that most closely resembles the new transport.

1. Freight train? If NO, go to point 8. If YES, continue to point 2.
2. Combined/wagonload train? If YES, the segment is "Combined/wagonload." If NO, continue to point 3.
3. Iron ore and similar transports where the train weight in the loaded direction is normally over 6,500 gross tonnes? If YES, the segment is "Iron ore and similar transport A." If NO, continue to point 4.
4. Iron ore and similar transports where the train weight in the loaded direction is normally between 1,500 and 6,500 gross tonnes? If YES, the segment is "Iron ore and similar transport B." If NO, continue to point 5.
5. Other types of ore and minerals? If YES, the segment is "Other ore and minerals." If NO, continue to point 6.
6. Timber train, chipwood train, or timber and chipwood train? If YES, the segment is "Timber/chipwood." If NO, continue to point 7.
7. Dangerous goods? If YES, the segment is "Dangerous goods." If NO, the segment is "Other system trains."
8. Passenger train subject to a public service obligation? If NO, the segment is "Other passenger trains." If YES, continue to point 9.
9. Compensation adjusted with changes in charges? If YES, the segment is "Traffic with agreements where compensation is adjusted with changes in charges." If NO, continue to point 10.
10. Feeder transport to the main airport? If YES, the segment is "Feeder transport to the main airport." If NO, continue to point 11.
11. Experience routes with exclusive rights? If YES, the segment is "Experience routes with exclusive rights." If NO, the segment is "Other with traffic agreements."

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5.3 Minimum Access Package and Charges

5.3.1 Content of the minimum access package

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-1.

Railway undertakings are given access to the minimum access package by concluding an ATS with Bane NOR.

The Minimum access package includes the following:

a. Processing infrastructure capacity applications.
b. The right to use allocated capacity.
c. Use of railway infrastructure, including points and crossings.
d. Traffic control, including signalling, regulation, processing and communication and gathering of information about rail services.
e. Use of power supply equipment for traction current, where available.
f. All other information that is necessary to implement or operate the service for which capacity is allocated – this includes electronic announcements, route diagrams and traffic rules issued by Bane NOR, but limited to the lines on which the railway undertaking in question is permitted to operate.

Traffic control as referred to in letter d also includes data communication for ERTMS onboard equipment and communication via a permanently installed GSM-R telephone between the train (driver) and the traffic control centre/traffic controller at stations on lines without centralised control. Other use of GSM-R telephones comes under ancillary services. Any costs associated with traffic management or staffing at stations on lines without line block systems (lines without centralised control) in connection with the operation of both regular trains and extra trains are covered by the minimum access package. As regards the use of power supply equipment as specified in letter e (here, access to the catenary system at pantographs), railway undertakings are given the right to use this, where available, by concluding ATSs with Bane NOR. See Annex 2.3.9 Elecrified Lines for information on which sections of the rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network. have contact lines.

Bane NOR is working on the basis of NOI TSI to assess both an incentive scheme and the use of charging in order to make a rapid transition to low-noise composite brakes when relevant technology is approved for Northern Europe. A proposal for a scheme will be submitted for consultation prior to implementation. The implementation of such an incentive scheme will only take place when a technical solution approved in the Nordic countries has been identified.

GSM-R equipment for vehicles

Railway undertaking are responsible for acquiring GSM-R equipment and ensuring that it is installed properly on board their vehicles. The GSM-R equipment must be compliant with the guidelines specified in Annex 2.3.12 Communication Systems. The train driver’s terminal must be an 8W cab radio with an external aerial and external power supply, as required by UIC EIRENE.

Bane NOR’s electronic distribution system

Railway undertakings are responsible for linking to Bane NOR’s distribution system for announcements (FIDO FIDOBane NOR's electronic system for distribution of routes and other announcements) and acquiring equipment designed to receive announcements from Bane NOR (PC or tablet). The link must be able to receive announcements prior to departure from the rail-head station and en route at points where it is possible to receive signals from the Internet or a mobile network.

See Traffic Rules for the Rail Network (TJN), Chapters 1 and 2(opens in a new tab).

Timetables

Timetables can be downloaded free of charge from banenor.no.

Access to condition monitoring systems for rolling stock 

The system is available via a web interface for FleetONE. 

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5.3.2. Method for calculating charges for the minimum access package

See Chapter 6 of the Railway Regulations and the Commission Implementing Regulation for Regulation (EU) 2015/909.

5.3.2.1. Charges based on direct costs—basic charge

The charges for access to the basic service package (see the Sections 4-1 and 6-2 of the Railway Regulations) and access to service facilities must be set at the cost arising “as a direct consequence of the rail service in question”, see Section 6-2(1) of the Railway Regulations on the basis of EU Regulation 2015/909, Bane NOR is of the opinion that the term “direct consequence” can be replaced by a marginal cost principle on the basis of an economic analysis. Furthermore, the Railway Regulations use a “mandatory clause”, and this is understood as a minimum payment, unless the exceptions in the Regulations apply.

Bane NOR has performed an econometric analysis on the basis of costs linked with corrective and preventive maintenance of the infrastructure and traffic load. The method is based on determining how costs vary depending on different traffic volumes, based on mathematical and statistical methods. Both costs and traffic load were measured for each line section for the years 2017-2021. The model is in logarithmic form (double log) and traffic load is measured based on the number of train kilometres. This means that we calculate cost elasticity – i.e. how many per cent costs increase by in the event of a 1% change to traffic volume.

The fact that the lines have different technical designs in the form of the number of points, tunnels, speeds, etc, has been indirectly taken into account by differentiating between regions. The estimation of the cost elasticities is carried out using the ordinary least squares method, often referred to as OLS in literature. Marginal costs can be determined by multiplying the cost elasticity by the average costs.

Division by region

The marginal costs are not constant throughout the entire network, which is confirmed by the marginal cost calculations. Grouping line sections into regions allows us to take into account the fact that there are different cost levels and allows us to indirectly adjust for differences in technical variables without including these directly in the model.

Table 1: Division of tracks in Norway

Differentiation of the charge based on axle load

From 2025, there will be a differentiation of the basic charge based on axle load. The calculations have been documented in the consultation annex “Direct costs - methodology and calculations of direct costs for the pricing of the minimum access package“ dated 1 Sep 2023 and forms the basis for the rates in Chapter 5.3.3.

5.3.2.2 Capacity charge

The Railway Regulations, Section 6-2 (2), provide a basis for a supplement to the charge so that it reflects the lack of capacity in an identifiable part of the rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network.. Bane NOR will not collect any capacity charges in 2025.

5.3.2.3 Mark-ups on infrastructure charges

Pursuant to Section 6-3 of the Railway Regulations, the infrastructure manager has the opportunity to cover more of its costs in addition to the basic charge through mark-ups, if this can be tolerated by the market. The consultation annex  “Mark-ups” describes the methods used to calculate mark-ups.

A review of market segmentation and an analysis of the tolerances of the segments have been carried out. See Chapter 5.2.5 for an overview of market segments. The following segments are considered relevant in relation to mark-ups:

• Passenger services with service obligations (PSO, public service obligation) for which it is possible to cover charge increases.
• Iron ore and similar transport A.
• Iron ore and similar transport B.
• Other ore and minerals.
• Transport to main airport.

The distribution of mark-ups by segment is done based on the principle of minimising impact from adjustments. This means that segments with low price elasticity and good financial strength will pay proportionally more than segments with higher price elasticity and less strength (the Ramsey principle). Since the PSO segment can pass on changes in charges to the government, the mark-ups in this segment are set so that the proportion of total mark-ups is equal to the proportion of train kilometres (traffic in the years 2019, 2021 and 2022 form the basis for this). Other mark-ups are distributed among the other mark-up elements using the Ramsey principle. The rates per train kilometre have been determined by dividing the total segment mark-up by the number of train kilometres in the segment.

The new mark-ups constitute a further development of the pricing model for the 2024 timetable.

Note: 

SJT has sent a notice of decision to Bane NOR regarding surcharges for 2024 and 2025; as a consequence, there may be changes in the surcharges for 2025 as a result of a potential final decision from the SJT in the case.

5.3.2.4 Discounts

On the basis of the principles of competition neutrality in each individual case, Bane NOR wishes to agree possible discounts in accordance with the Railway Regulations, Section 6-4, in order to promote new services. These agreements will specify the period and scope of the discount.

Section 6-4 of the Regulations also provides the opportunity to give a time-limited discount in order to encourage traffic on significantly underused lines. The Regulations specifies that it is not enough for it to be underused; it has to be significantly underused. It is understood that “significantly” should mean that the track capacity is below 50% throughout the day. There has been an increase in services in recent years and there are no longer any sections that meet the criteria for being defined as significantly underused.

Bane NOR has provided freight services with incentives to increase the use of the following track sections/stretches of track by issuing a discount on track charges linked with the smallest package on the track sections of track in question. In order to ensure that the discount provides the correct stimulus to the market, Bane NOR was of the view that it should be significant and apply for a sufficiently long period to ensure predictability. The level of the discount is determined on the basis of Bane NOR’s knowledge of the market and contact with operators in it. In 2017, this discount was set at 75% and would remain in force up to and including 2025 on the following sections that satisfied the above definition of “significantly underused”:

• All non-electrified sections
  • Kongsvinger–Elverum
  • Hamar–Elverum–Røros–Støren
  • Dombås–Åndalsnes
  • Trondheim–Hell–Storlien/Bodø
• The Sørland Line, on the Kongsberg–Kristiansand–Orstad (Ganddal) section
• The Dovre Line, on the Eidsvoll–Dombås–Åndalsnes/Heimdal/Brattøra sections
• The Roa–Hønefoss and Hønefoss–Hokksund lines

Since the sections are no longer significantly underused, Bane NOR wishes to gradually phase out the discount from and including 2024, as shown in the table below:

Table 2: Phasing out the discount

5.3.2.5 The following forms of operation are exempt from infrastructure charges

The following forms of operation are exempt from infrastructure charges:

• Operation of rescue trains, firefighting trains, assistance trains assistance trainsTrains for retrieving other trains that have become stranded on the line., service trains and other trains used for inspection or maintenance of the railway infrastructure, as well as trains for the purpose of transporting equipment or materials to be used in connection with work on or near the infrastructure manager’s own infrastructure.
• The necessary operation for “running in” new infrastructure, test runs for type approval of new rolling stock and necessary operation linked with familiar operation of new infrastructure.
• Operation of museum trains under the museum’s own auspices. Such operations must not inconvenience other traffic. If the museum train is charted by a third party, the charge will be paid as for other trains.
• Shunting of railway vehicles (rolling stock).
• Transport of converter units to and from workshops and between converter stations.
• Operation on behalf of Bane NOR in connection with maintenance and development.
• Operation for a non-profit purpose.

5.3.3 Minimum access package charges

All charges are specified exclusive of value-added tax and Bane NOR invoices include value-added tax.

The charges will be adjusted annually in accordance with Statistics Norway’s price index for the operation and maintenance of road systems – see Chapter 5.8.

Based on the documentation of the basic charge and mark-ups, the 2025 charges are, based on 2024 charges, set to:

Table 3: Charges (2025 charges) – Paragraph references relate to the Railway Regulations

PSO* = Public Service Obligation

The tables below provide examples of what will happen to the invoiced amount for a passenger train and a freight train:

Table 4: Example – RE11: Eidsvoll–Larvik; double-set and morning rush (one train) (2025 charges)

Table 5: Example – Combined transport train Alnabru-Brattøra – 44 TEU (one train) (2025 charges)

5.4 Additional Services and Charges

If Bane NOR provides any of the additional services described in Section 4-4 of the Railway Regulations, Bane NOR must provide these to railway undertakings if they apply for them.

The railway undertakings must consult the party providing the service in order to obtain additional services provided by any party other than Bane NOR. Bane NOR determines the charges for use of additional services based on Section 6-9(4) of the Railway Regulations. Insofar as these services are only offered by Bane NOR, these services can at most be priced at the cost charged for performing the service, including a reasonable profit.

Additional services offered by Bane NOR include the following:

5.4.1 Traction current (power supply for train operation)

See Section 4-4(1) a) of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR will provide a power supply for train operation, including the purchase of energy for train operation and the sale of this energy on to railway undertakings. Energy is provided to all railway undertakings that request it. Bane NOR supplies converted electricity for train operation via its unit, Energi. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has granted Bane NOR a licence for the sale of electricity to the national Norwegian rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network..

Calculation of electricity consumption for train operation can be carried out either using energy meters in the traction units, or by using gross kilometre tonnages and key indicators for conversion from gross kilometre tonnage to energy consumption. The key indicators vary according to several factors, such as type of traction unit, line and service pattern. The principles and requirements linked with settlement and calculation of charges for electricity for train operation are specified in “Bane NOR’s standard terms and conditions for settlement of 16 2/3 Hz energy”. This provides a complete overview of how energy supplied is to be charged and how the energy costs are to be distributed. The document also specifies requirements for the reporting of consumption data and invoicing terms.

Charges for traction current (power supply for train operation)

The price of electricity consists of the following main elements:

• electric power
• grid hire in order to send the power from the production site to Bane NOR’s converter stations
• conversion and transfer losses at Bane NOR facilities
• Bane NOR’s administrative costs
• public fees

Provision of electricity/traction current is a supplementary service. The other costs referred to in the bullet points here are included in the minimum access package.

When services are requested by or offered to several parties, Bane NOR will set charges and publish these on banenor.no.

5.4.2 Preheating of passenger trains

See Section 4-4(1b) of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR’s strategy for power supply for stabled railway vehicles is that

• vehicles with their own pantographs will generally be supplied from the catenary via the pantographs.
• vehicles without their own pantographs and others who require it are supplied from the train heating posts, where available.

This service is also offered to train categories other than passenger trains.

5.4.2.1 Pantographs

Bane NOR offers railway undertakings power supply to pantographs for stabled vehicles subject to the following conditions:

• Stabling sidings are electrified and there is adequate capacity in the track power supply.
• Stabling under live catenary lines meets the minimum requirements concerning electrical safety, see Chapter 7.3.5.2 and TJN TJNBane NOR's Traffic Rules for the Rail Network. 3.20.
• Adequate technical compatibility between track power supply and railway vehicles receiving the power supply. Experience shows that diode-equalisation of the vehicle’s mains power converter during stabling results in adequate technical compatibility in accordance with EN 50388.
• Short-term interruptions in supply, that is interruptions with a duration of less than 15 minutes, must be expected and deemed necessary and do not need to be reported. Efforts are made to reduce the scope and duration of short-term interruptions through planning, particularly during the seasons when there is a critical need for power supply to the vehicles (cold).
• Long-term interruptions in supply, that is interruptions with a duration exceeding 15 minutes, must be expected and may be necessary.
• Scheduled interruptions will be announced at least one day in advance. In the event that further coordination requirements are identified, interruptions are announced two weeks in advance so that the railway undertaking has the opportunity to manage the vehicles (such as rigging down, stabling elsewhere or connecting to any train heating posts). Efforts are made to schedule planned interruptions for seasons during which the need for power supply for vehicles is not critical (cold). Efforts are made to reduce unplanned interruptions through switching and will be announced as soon as possible so that the railway undertaking can manage the vehicles as necessary.
• Railway undertakings pay the costs associated with energy supply in accordance with the charges and terms set down in Chapter 5.4.1 Traction current (power supply for train operations).

Any need for this additional service must be reported in connection with the capacity allocation capacity allocationA collective term teferring to the infrastructure manager's planning and allocation of infrastructure capacity as well as access to serice facilities and the services in these. process – see Chapter 4.2.1.2.

In the event of long-term interruption, railway undertakings may, following clarification with Bane NOR, use any available existing train heating posts if the vehicle is technically compatible with these. Costs associated with energy supply are incurred in accordance with the same principles as for Chapter 5.4.2.2 Train heating posts (with the exception of fixed annual rent). Energy consumption must be reported by the railway undertaking.

5.4.2.2 Train heating posts

The railway undertaking pay the costs associated with energy supply:

• 16 2/3 Hz at the same prices and terms as for 5.4.1 Traction current (power supply for train operation).
• 50 Hz corresponding to the cost incurred by Bane NOR to provide the service. This refers to costs associated with the acquisition and supply of electrical power, including an administrative mark-up of 5%.

Annual rent:

• 1000 V (16 2/3 Hz or 50 Hz) – NOK 13 554
• 1×230 V (50 Hz) – NOK 9 488
• 3×230 V (50 Hz) – NOK 13 554
• 3×400 V (50 Hz) – NOK 20 331

Tariffs

Overview of the current tariffs at any given time. All prices are excluding VAT.

Elkraftportalen External link

Information you need when working on or by Bane NOR's electrical facilities.

Applications may be submitted to Bane NOR if there is any need to construct new preheating facilities. When such applications are received, Bane NOR will assess whether such facilities should be established, and, if so, how they will be funded. Railway undertakings that initiate construction of new preheating facilities must make advance payment on rent for the use of these facilities for three years.

For an overview of train heating post locations, see Annex 7.3.5 Stabling Facilities.

5.4.3 Services for specialised transport and dangerous goods

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-4 (1), letter c).

5.4.3.1 Services relating to specialised transport

To verify whether a specialised transport is feasible, Bane NOR offers the railway undertaking the opportunity to simulate the transport in a computer program.

5.4.3.2 Services relating to the transport of dangerous goods

Bane NOR does not offer any particular services related to the transport of dangerous goods.

The ADR/RID regulations provide further guidelines for the transport of dangerous goods and can be viewed on DSB's website.

5.5 Ancillary Services and Charges

See Section 6-9(4) of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR sets charges for the use of ancillary services. Insofar as these services are only offered by Bane NOR, these services can at most be priced at the cost charged for performing the service, including a reasonable profit. Otherwise, these services will be priced at market rates.

If Bane NOR provides any of the ancillary services described in Section 4-5 of the Railway Regulations, Bane NOR must provide these to railway undertakings if they apply for them.

The railway undertaking must consult the party providing the service in order to obtain ancillary services provided by any party other than Bane NOR.

Ancillary services as described in Section 4-5 of the Railway Regulations include the following:

5.5.1 Access to telecommunications network

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-5 (1), letter a).

Bane NOR does not provide access to telecommunications networks other than those required in connection with train operation, see Chapter 5.2.

5.5.2 Provision of supplementary information

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-5 (1), letter b).

Railway undertakings requiring information in addition to that provided in the Network Statement and other available sources should contact the OSS OSSA one stop shop is a single point of contact where multiple services or solutions can be obtained.. 

5.5.3 Technical inspection of rolling stock

See Section 4-5(1c) of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR does not normally offer technical inspection of rolling stock, but it may do so in exceptional cases, e.g. when starting traffic after an incident or similar when restoring traffic. 

5.5.4 Ticketing services at passenger stations

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-5 (1), letter d).

Bane NOR does not offer ticket sales to passengers at stations, but it offers the option of hiring space for ticket sales and/or ticket machines.

5.5.5 Specialised heavy maintenance services

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-5 (1), letter e).

Bane NOR does not offer specialised heavy maintenance services supplied at maintenance facilities designed for high-speed trains or other types of rolling stock requiring special facilities.

5.5.6 Other services

This chapter provides a summary of the other services which Bane NOR provides to railway undertakings which are not covered by the Railway Regulations, Chapter 4. There must be a special agreement between Bane NOR and railway undertakings for the latter to be entitled to use such other services.

Using other services requires a separate agreement with Bane NOR or whoever provides the service, and the charge will be set out in the relevant agreement. As a rule, other services provided by Bane NOR to railway undertakings will be priced at market rates.

5.5.6.1 Rescue and recovery

Bane NOR’s rescue and recovery unit has established additional emergency capacity in connection with special fire objects in Eastern Norway and the Bergen Line.

Bane NOR has stationed a fire and rescue train at Oslo Central Station. This train can transport the necessary emergency response crews from the emergency response services and their personal equipment to incident/accident sites and can be used as an additional resource as required in connection with fire extinguishing and/or evacuation at or in close proximity to rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network. infrastructure. The primary purpose of the train is as a supplementary response measure in connection with special fire objects in Eastern Norway and should otherwise be considered the rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network.’s first response in the event of fires being reported. The train has a response time of 15 minutes. Bane NOR has stationed a rescue and recovery locomotive at Bergen station. The rescue and recovery locomotive has a response time of a minimum of one hour and is primarily used in connection with incidents in the high mountains.

Deployment of rescue and recovery trains is determined by the rescue and recovery unit in collaboration with the train controller and is initiated by Bane NOR’s operational train controllers notifying the rescue and recovery unit.

Contracts:

• An agreement has been entered into with Geilo Red Cross concerning equipment, crew and GPS trails in winter.
• Finse 1222 – Agreement concerning accommodation and catering in crisis and emergency situations.
• Vatnahalsen Hotell – Agreement concerning accommodation and catering in crisis and emergency situations.
• Agreement with the local fire services along the track concerning training and equipment for the earthing of the catenary system.

5.3.6.2 Rescue and recovery

Bane NOR’s rescue and recovery unit has established nationwide emergency response services consisting of crews and equipment to ensure rescue and recovery services on Bane NOR infrastructure.

The rescue and recovery assignments are led by the Rescue Manager on duty and requested by the train controller.

The main task of the rescue and recovery service is to clear incident sites (accident/derailment) of rolling stock and freight, as well as providing transport from the incident site to the nearest appropriate stabling collection so that infrastructure can be repaired and normal train services resume.

The rescue and recovery service has access to diesel locomotives equipped with special couplings that can be used when vehicles experience technical issues leading to traffic being blocked in Eastern Norway.

In the event of recovery jobs, the party causing the damage or triggering the assignment will be billed in the form of a claim of recourse from Bane NOR in each individual case.

The railway undertakings are responsible for ensuring that the necessary technical information for the recovery of rolling stock, such as description of lifting points, brake systems and electrical installations, and so forth are communicated to Bane NOR’s rescue and recovery unit.

The rescue and recovery unit has established emergency preparedness arrangements with people and equipment on standby at the following locations:

Lodalen

• Rescue and recovery manager, rescue crew and locomotive drivers
• Diesel locomotive, diesel motor vehicle with rescue and recovery equipment, lorry with rescue and recovery equipment, rescue and recovery vehicle with rotating crane, miscellaneous vehicles and heavier rescue and recovery equipment.

Bryne

• Rescue and recovery crew
• Trailer with rescue and recovery equipment

Bergen

• Rescue and recovery crew and locomotive drivers
• Diesel locomotive, equipment carriage with rescue and recovery equipment and crew carriage

Trondheim

• Rescue and recovery crew
• Equipment carriage with rescue and recovery equipment and crew carriage

Mo i Rana

• Rescue and recovery crew
• Combined rescue and crew carriage with rescue and recovery equipment

Narvik

• Rescue and recovery crew
• Rescue and recovery equipment in containers on flat carriage.

Rescue and recovery equipment = standard portable tools, hydraulic lifting devices, transition coupling and transport trailer.

Bane NOR’s rescue and recovery unit can offer the following services to the railway undertakings:

• Transport of rolling stock that cannot run as ordinary trains to workshops or another agreed location.
• Temporary improvements to prepare rolling stock for transport to a workshop.
• Rescue and recovery services at the incident site after the basic services have been completed and infrastructure reopened.
• Technical and other interim assistance to railway undertakings. This could include: reviewing CCTV, charging errors, issues connected to coupling, and others. This assumes that railway undertakings provide the rescue and recovery unit with operational access to rolling stock, as well as permission for the technical operation of rolling stock.

Additional services are available upon request.

For more information about rescue and recovery services, please contact Bane NOR.

5.5.6.3 Firefighting train

Bane NOR can decide to run firefighting trains behind trains that have a greater than normal risk of combustion. A request for a firefighting train firefighting trainA train set equipped with extingguishing equipment. is made at the same time as the infrastructure capacity application and should be sent to the same address – see Chapter 4.2.1.1.2.

Flatbed wagons for transporting rescue vehicles on the railway line are based in Bergen and Voss.

5.5.6.4 Tank wagons containing water for extinguishing fires along the railway line

Bane NOR can choose to park water wagons at stations near line sections where it is known from experience that there is a greater than normal risk of ignition and access to water may be difficult.

Water wagons/containers are located in Alnabru, Sarpsborg, Hønefoss, Ål, Myrdal, Voss, Hamar, Dombås and Støren. There are also water wagons on the Ofoten Line, and these are stationed in Narvik.

Water wagons have been ordered and are being constructed for emergency response in Dunderland.

5.5.6.5 Snow clearance locomotive

In winter, Bane NOR stations a diesel locomotive at Myrdal Station on the Bergen Line, primarily for the purposes of snow clearance. A snow coordinator is stationed in Finse during the winter season.

No snow clearance locomotive is stationed on the Nordland Line. This can be ordered from Hamar at short notice. There is a Beilhack snowblower at Dunderland.

5.5.6.6 Filling up trains with water

Filling up trains with water (drinking and washing water for passengers)

For a list of service facilities for filling up water, see Annexes 7.3.2 Stations, 7.3.5 Stabling Facilities and 7.3.6 Maintenance Facilities

The need for access to water pumps is reported in connection with the capacity allocation capacity allocationA collective term teferring to the infrastructure manager's planning and allocation of infrastructure capacity as well as access to serice facilities and the services in these. process – see Chapter 4.2.1.1.2.

Filling trains with water (large volumes in a short time)

For a list of service facilities for rapid filling of large volumes of water, see Annexes 7.3.2 Stations, 7.3.5 Stabling Facilities and 7.3.6 Maintenance Facilities

The need for access to water cranes during train operation is reported in connection with the capacity allocation capacity allocationA collective term teferring to the infrastructure manager's planning and allocation of infrastructure capacity as well as access to serice facilities and the services in these. process– see Chapter 4.2.1.1.2.

5.5.6.7 Disposal of waste from toilets

For further information about disposing of waste from toilets, see Annexes 7.3.2 Stations, 7.3.5 Stabling Facilities and 7.3.6 Maintenance Facilities.

5.5.6.9 Training services

The Norwegian Train Driver Academy 

The Norwegian Train Driver Academy (Norsk Fagskole for lokomotivførerutdanning) is established in Grorud, on the same site as the Norwegian Railway Academy. This college is a public facility approved by the government and trains locomotive drivers for all of Norway. It is part of the Norwegian Railway Directorate.

Norwgian Railway Academy

The Norwegian Railway Academy (Bane NOR) is located at Grorud and offers modern teaching facilities and a range of technical practice facilities. We also have training facilities for electrical power, lines and traffic safety at Hauerseter. The Academy provides training services to the entire railway sector:

• The Norwegian Railway Academy provides basic training for train dispatcher and basic and further training for Bane NOR train controllers.
• Apprenticeships for public railway-related trades are coordinated from a separate training office. This training office is independent of the Norwegian Railway Academy, but it hires office space on the Academy’s premises. It works with platelayers, lampmen, electricians, power installers, etc. Basic training (VG 1 and VG 2) is offered in the state school system (in upper secondary schools). Practical apprenticeships take place in private companies, while practical/theoretical training linked with apprenticeships takes place at the Norwegian Railway Academy. Supplementary catenary installer training is also offered.
• The Academy provides basic education and training on traffic safety in all railway subjects.
• The Academy offers 3-month training programmes on signalling for engineers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Academy works in partnership with Järnvägskolan in Sweden and other stakeholders on the railway-related further and higher education.
• The Academy coordinates and records a number of training pathways on behalf of Bane NOR.
• The Academy offers an introductory course for administrative railway employees, which provides a basic introduction to how the Norwegian railways work and which stakeholders are involved.
• The Norwegian Railway Academy offers “Chief Safety Officer” training and catenary fitter expertise.
• The Academy also offers a range of short further training courses for the various electrical specialisms in the railway sector, including signalling, high voltage, low voltage, railway work and train controller training. Interdisciplinary and safety-related courses are also on offer.
• The Norwegian Railway Academy also bears academic responsibility for education and digital learning.

5.5.6.10 Transportation of freight to locations with no roads

In accordance with established practice, Bane NOR is able to carry out sporadic freight transport to locations with no roads along the Bergen Line and the Flåm Line, provided that there are no railway undertakings wishing to carry out such transport on a commercial basis.

5.5.6.11 Rental of premises, buildings and areas

Bane NOR owns a large number of buildings that are not used for or linked to railway purposes, e.g. service buildings, service kiosks, storage buildings, office buildings, commercial buildings and holiday homes/decommissioned stations, as well as surrounding areas. A list of buildings and areas can be obtained by contacting Bane NOR Eiendom.

The buildings and areas can be rented out if Bane NOR is not using them itself.

5.5.6.12 Baggage trolleys at stations

On lines where railway undertakings pay a special price for priority station services, the cost of purchasing and operating baggage trolleys is included in this. At other stations, undertakings requiring baggage trolleys have to pay for the purchase and operation of these themselves.

5.5.6.13 Rental of vehicles

Bane NOR possesses a number of vehicles, including light rail motor tractors and locomotives. If it has spare capacity, Bane NOR can rent out these units for long or short periods.

5.6 Financial Penalties and Incentives

5.6.1 Penalties for path modification

There are currently no charges imposed for timetable changes.

5.6.2 Penalties for path alteration

There are currently no charges imposed for timetable changes.

5.6.3 Charges for non-usage

The full basic charge will be charged for trains that do not operate and that have not been cancelled prior to the planned departure time. No path cancellation charges will be levied in the event of acute incidents occurring. These will come under the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. – see Chapter 5.7.1.

5.6.4 Penalties for path cancellations

See Section 6-7 of the Railway Regulations.

The purpose of the path cancellation charge is to make it clear that unused track capacity has an alternative use/value, either in the form of use by another railway undertaking or for maintenance of the infrastructure by the infrastructure manager. Path cancellation charges are levied for allocated infrastructure capacity that is cancelled or not used by the applicant. The applicant may be a railway undertaking or another infrastructure capacity applicant pursuant to Section 1-7 p) of the Railway Regulations. The infrastructure capacity applicant is obliged to pay the path cancellation charges levied. Path cancellation charges are not levied on infrastructure managers for their own transport for maintenance of the infrastructure, and so forth – see the Licensing Regulations, Section 23 (1), second sentence.

The path cancellation charge is set on the basis of information on allocated infrastructure capacity and the recorded time of cancellation in BEST or non-usage with code 85 in TIOS. Path cancellation charges are levied for cancelled or unused parts of allocated infrastructure capacity, including capacity allocated as part of the ad hoc process, and only in the event of reasons for which the applicant is directly responsible and which were entered with a code for the applicant or railway undertaking in TIOS. If a railway undertaking disagrees with the cause codes, they may complain in accordance with the dispute resolution procedure set out in the first section of Chapter 5.7.1.

The following path cancellation charges are levied:

Table 6: Path cancellation charges that are levied

The basic charge in the table is calculated based on the planned route and train kilometres.

A train that is not operated and for which there is no cancellation before the scheduled departure time will be charged the full base price. This includes trains that are not operated and not cancelled, and are registered in TIOS with cause code 85 and cause type "Cancelled due to market reasons."

No reservation fees will be applied in the case of sudden, unforeseen events. These will be covered under the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. – see Chapter 5.7.1.

5.6.5 Incentives/discounts

5.6.5.1 ERTMS discounts

See Section 6-2(6) of the Railway Regulations.

At present, Bane NOR does not wish to provide an incentive scheme linked with ETCS equipment beyond what has already been established via the agreement on 50% coverage of railway undertakings’ installation costs(opens in a new tab).

5.6.5.2 Silent brake pads

See Section 6-2(3) of the Railway Regulations.

Bane NOR is working on the basis of NOI TSI to assess both an incentive scheme and the use of charging in order to make a rapid transition to low-noise composite brakes when relevant technology is approved for Northern Europe. A proposal for a scheme will be submitted for consultation prior to implementation. The implementation of such an incentive scheme will only take place when a technical solution approved in the Nordic countries has been identified.

5.7 Performance Scheme

See Section 6-6 of the Railway Regulations.

5.7.1. Performance scheme

A scheme for improving performance, including a dispute resolution scheme, has been incorporated in ATS, Annex 4 and has been in force since 1 January 2017. The scheme is not applicable to driving as stated in Chapter 5.3.1.6, or to trains without routes, including side dump cars. A revised performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. is proposed for the 2025 timetable as described below. The changes have not been incorporated in ATS, but ATS will be updated if the changes are adopted.

Once a year, Bane NOR will publish annual average performance levels achieved by the railway undertakings on the basis of the most important agreed parameters in the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12..

The purpose of the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. is not just to impose penalties when the agreed performance level is not achieved, but also to provide incentives to achieve greater operational stability or a higher performance level. Furthermore, the individual incidents are what affect the parties’ costs, along with passengers’ travel costs and product owners’ transport costs. The scheme must be easy to understand and the parties must perceive the financial consequences of problems more directly, along with improvements in operational stability. The scheme is based on absolute values for hours of delay and cancellations, and where the payment begins as of the first recording of an incident. It is suggested that passenger train cancellations are counted as of the first recorded cancellation. A linear model is applied to calculate the size of the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12.:

1. $$Y_{BN}=y_{BN}\cdot \left[\sum _{t=1}^T[\sum _{k=1}^T(F_{kt})]\right]$$
2. $$Y_{TS}=y_{TS}\cdot \left[\sum _{t=1}^T[\sum _{k=81}^{85}(F_{kt})]\right]$$

YBN = Bane NOR’s payment to the railway undertakings
YTS = The railway undertakings' payment to Bane NOR
yBN = rate per minute/cancellation for Bane NOR
yTS = rate per minute/cancellation for the railway undertakings
k = code in TIOS
t = train number included in the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12.
Fkt = delay minutes/cancellations per train (t) with cause code (k)

The following cause codes are included in the scheme:

• Codes 1-4 and 6-7, plus delays/cancellations with no cause codes (Bane NOR).
• Codes 81-85 for delays and 81-84 for cancellations (railway undertakings),
• Code 5 is excluded from data on cancellations, as these have been included in the “train replacement bus” scheme.
• Codes 6 and 7 represent consequential delays as a result of primary causes (codes 1-4 and 81-85).
  
  • Bane NOR will pay what the railway undertakings have been charged for codes 6 and 7.
  • The railway undertakings will indirectly pay their share of the events under codes 6 and 7 by paying a higher NOK rate on the primary causes (codes 81-85) except on the following lines: The Arendal Line, Brevik Line and Flåm Line.
• Cancellations where action cards are used, are included.

Some clarifications: When the first departure of a train pair is delayed and this results in the first return train also being delayed, the cause code must be transferred to the return train.

Train operators are not charged in the event of partial cancellations or changes to stop patterns that are conducted in order to get back on schedule following a non-conformity. Cancellations by railway undertakings using cause code “Cancelled due to market conditions” are subject to reservation fees as previously – see Chapter 5.6.4. Other cancellations are charged in accordance with the codes and rates for the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12..

A revision of the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. was conducted in 2023. Consultations with railway undertakings and meetings with the Norwegian Railway Directorate and the Norwegian Railway Authority (SJT) took place throughout the process.

Further details can be found in the consultation annex to NS2025 concerning the revised performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12.. The aim was to strengthen the financial incentives in the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12.. The proposal is based on the scheme and level of rates used for the 2018-2023 period and adjustments are made based on the experiences the railway undertakings and Bane NOR have had of the scheme in recent years. The result is a proposal in which certain rates increase more than others in order to make the scheme more accurate. Overall, there has been a moderate increase in rates in order to strengthen the incentives. Unplanned cancellations for freight trains have been added to the scheme so that freight train operators pay for any cancellations they cause in relation to their own departures, while Bane NOR will pay freight train operators when the cause of cancellations is infrastructure, in the same way that the scheme has worked for passenger train operators since 2018.

The changes for the 2025 timetable constitute a first step. The performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. will be further developed for NS2026. The following NOK rates for 2024 charges are applicable to:

Table 7:  Rates (2025 charges)

Please also refer to Section 6-6 of the Railway Regulations. The Regulations require that “… must not place the financial viability of a service in jeopardy”. Therefore, the following maximum values have been established and are applicable to all parties:

• Delays: 75% for railway undertakings and 100% for Bane NOR of the invoiced amount per month in connection with the minimum access package.
• Cancellations: 75% for railway undertakings and 100% for Bane NOR of the invoiced amount per month in connection with the minimum access package.

The rates in 2025 will be adjusted in accordance with Statistics Norway’s price index for operation and maintenance of road systems – see Chapter 5.8.

Bonus scheme for the freight industry

Section 6-6 of the Railway Regulations allows for the performance scheme performance schemeArrangement intended to enhance performance from infrastructure managers and railway undertakings, in accordance with Railway Regulations § 6-6 and Agreement on Track Access and Use of Services (ATS) point 12. to include “… bonuses that reward performance that exceeds what has been planned.” Bane NOR wishes to introduce a bonus scheme for the freight industry for 2025. The background to this is that the freight industry is accountable for a large proportion of delays and increased quality and precision in traffic patterns for freight trains are expected to have positive ripple effects for passenger train operators and contribute to increased socio-economic benefits.

An estimated proportion of trains running on time has been calculated for each market segment based on historical data. The proportion has been estimated based on the average proportion of trains running on time for each segment in the last 4 years of available data. The threshold for each segment will correspond to the historical average with a mark-up of 0.04, as the criteria for having a bonus scheme under Section 6-6 are that it “rewards performance that exceeds what has been planned”. For 2025, the proportions have been estimated using data from 2019-2022. In this context, trains running on time refers to trains without delays recorded using code 81-85, as these are the delays over which train operators have the greatest influence. The expected proportion of trains running on time has been used as the threshold for triggering a bonus. The market segments and associated thresholds are listed in the following table:

Table 8: Market segments and thresholds 

The train operator will receive a bonus for each additional train that runs on time beyond the expected number each month. Train operators will not receive a bonus if the proportion of departures running on time one month is lower than the threshold.

If the number of departures running on time exceeds the threshold, the bonus will be calculated as follows:

Expand image

b = bonus per departure on time in addition to the expected number
i = segment
j = railway undertaking
k = month

For 2025, it has been proposed that the bonus per train running on time in addition to the expected number should be NOK 10,000.

The maximum bonus that can be paid per month per train operator will be limited to 40% of the basic charge.

The scheme will initially apply to 2025 as a trial scheme. Whether the scheme will be continued after this time will be evaluated as part of the annual processes going forward.

5.7.2. Alternative transport compensation

Alternative transport compensation is a unilateral compensation scheme that aims to cover a share of the passenger train companies’ costs for alternative transport in relation to Bane NOR’s planned maintenance and expansion activities. This scheme is based on Bane NOR covering 80% of costs for buses/taxis in the event of planned cancellations.

The purpose is to incentivise efficient project implementation by Bane NOR and efficient solutions for alternative transport for the railway undertakings. The alternative transport compensation scheme is limited to planned cancellations only. Such cancellations should primarily be included in the planning process for timetabling and determined in connection with this. An overview of planned cancellations is available via Bane NOR’s customer portal – specifically in ARBIS(opens in a new tab).

5.8 Changes to Charges

5.8.1 Annual charge adjustments

There is a need for annual charge adjustments between the updates to the calculated marginal costs approximately every five years and the determination of new charge levels. Bane NOR uses Statistics Norway’s cost index for operation and maintenance of road systems(opens in a new tab).

The charge adjustment itself will be undertaken according to the following principle:

$$P_{t+1}=P_t\cdot \left(\frac{K{I}_t^{Q2}}{K{I}_{t-1}^{Q2}}\right)$$

$$P_{t+1}$$ = next year's charge

$$P_t$$ = current year's charge

$$K{I}^{Q2}$$ = Statistics Norway's index per second quarter for the current (t) and previous (t-) year

Table 9: Percentage change in charges

This means an adjustment to charges in arrears and provides predictability for the railway undertakings, as the price level is known for 4-5 years at a time and adjustment of the following year’s charges will be completed in the third quarter of the previous year. At the same time, it will be possible to monitor the index (opens in a new tab)throughout the year. The adjusted prices for the coming year will be published as an update to the Network Statement no later than 20 August of the current year.

5.8.2 Other changes to charges

The charges for the use of the rail network rail networkThe rail network managed by Bane NOR, which is the entire Norwegian rail network. (the basic service package) are set and levied by Bane NOR within the scope of the Railway Regulations, Sections 6-1 to 6-5 and the Directive 2012/34/EU, with any subsequent amendments and additions. These changes must fall within the framework drawn up in the Railway Regulations, Chapter 6.

Relevant users will be notified in writing of changes to charges for access to and services at service facilities, and changes to charges for additional services and ancillary services at a consultation at which railway undertakings will be given a deadline of at least three months in which to comment.

Any changes to charges as a consequence of requirements stipulated by an enforceable judgement or market supervisory authority will be implemented immediately with no consultation.

5.9 Billing Arrangements

5.9.1 Invoicing of the minimum access package

See the Railway Regulations, Section 4-1.

Invoiced amounts and specifications will be published on the customer portal, Togselskap Min side.

Billing occurs on the 15th of each subsequent month.

Regardless of who is being billed, the railway undertakings are obliged to provide the necessary information for calculating the value of the service. If the railway undertakingss fail to supply the necessary information, Bane NOR may set the value based on its own judgement.

When an invoice is based on reporting from the railway undertakings themselves, Bane NOR may request the data for their own report.

Bane NOR may establish more detailed guidelines on invoicing.

For questions regarding billing, contact marked@banenor.no.

Information that all railway undertakings are required to provide

The gross weight for all trains must be reported regularly. A completed wagon record –see Chapter 4 of TJN TJNBane NOR's Traffic Rules for the Rail Network. and ADR/RID 2023, which is considered to constitute satisfactory reporting.

The wagon record must be submitted in an electronic format as stipulated by Bane NOR – see ATS, Annex 2.

Payment terms (including non-payment)

Payment shall take place within 30 days. Interest on arrears will be charged on overdue payments, see Section 2 of the Act relating to interest on overdue payments.

If a railway undertaking fails to pay, Bane NOR will be entitled to withdraw train paths allocated to that undertaking. Such withdrawal of train paths may only take place in the event of major payment default.

5.9.2 Invoicing of additional services

The invoicing of additional services varies depending on the service type.

The terms and conditions for the invoicing of traction current (power supply for train operation) are described in “Bane NOR’s standard terms and conditions for the invoicing of 16 2/3 Hz energy”. 

Invoicing for the rental of train heating posts is done once per year.