On Wednesday, there were major problems related to getting from A to B in Eastern Norway. Heavy snowfall has caused buses to get stuck, and the traffic
– It is a regular occurrence throughout the city. We work as fast as we can, and ask all those who cannot drive to leave their cars. Get your feet together, says operations manager Vidar Pedersen to TV 2.
– As it appears now, there is not much of a slope on the road before it is stopped. All plow crews are out. It takes the time it takes, he says.
– All trains are cancelled
Also for Bane Nor, there is hardly anything that goes on track at all on Wednesday afternoon:
– All trains are canceled between Drammen and Gulskogen, reports Vy in a notification on its app at 17.14.
On the Drammensbanen, Askerbanen, Bergensbanen and Sørlandsbanen there are delays between Drammen and Gulskogen. This is due to a fault on the switch.
– We are working to correct the error, but we do not know how long it will take, writes Bane Nor.
DEPARTURES: There were major delays on Oslo S on Wednesday. Photo: Ingvill Drægni / TV 2
On the Gjøvik Line, the snow is also to blame:
– There are delays and cancellations due to snow and ice in the switches on the Gjøvik line. Work is being done to clear snow on the stretch, they write.
Delays of up to an hour and a half
Ruter states that more or less all their bus and tram lines are delayed or cancelled.
– Delays of up to 60-90 minutes must be expected, some settings may also occur, writes Ruter in a traffic report.
– Allow extra time if you have to travel this afternoon and evening, says Ruter’s press officer Øystein Dahl Johansen in a press release.
Gardermoen: Most flights delayed
– We get all the planes off, but most departures get later times. We are talking about delays from a quarter of an hour up to an hour at worst, says Harald Kvam, who is head of communications at Oslo Airport, to TV 2.
The reason why the planes are delayed is that the runways have to be regularly closed for plowing. In addition, all planes must be de-iced before they can take off.
MUST BE PLOWED: The runways at Gardermoen must be regularly plowed for snow on Wednesday. It helps to create delays. Photo: Simen Olafsen / TV 2
– Considering the circumstances, it is OK. This is typical Norwegian winter weather where it snows heavily and blows, and then everything takes longer. Travelers must expect that there will be delays throughout the evening as well, says Kvam.
He encourages all travelers to allow plenty of time to get to the airport, as the snowfall has also created chaos on the roads.
– All of the available crew are out working, and they will be throughout the evening and night as well, says Kvam.
Ring 2 blocked by scheduled bus
Ring 2 in Oslo is blocked by a passenger bus in Finnmarksgate just east of Carl Berners plass.
– A scheduled bus has got stuck. Tow truck is on its way. There are of course major traffic problems at the site, says Pedersen.
TV 2’s reporter on the scene reported earlier on Wednesday that three or four buses are queuing in Oslo’s Old Town, where the buses are struggling to continue on the challenging route. Video footage from the scene shows that at least one of the buses appears to have become stuck.
Police on the scene inform to NRK at 17.32 that the bus should have blocked the road for around 20 minutes.
Snow and slippery, difficult roads have led to delays and traffic chaos in Oslo and large parts of Eastern Norway on Wednesday.
Messages in a row
There have been many traffic reports from the police’s operation centers in Eastern Norway on Wednesday:
- At Tyristrand, a bus has run off the road. The police reported that there was a danger that it could overturn, but that everyone was out of the bus and that there was no danger to human life.
- At Hamar in Innlandet, according to the police, a pedestrian has been hit and is being treated by health personnel at the scene, with an unknown degree of injury. The driver of the car is questioned.
- A lorry was stopped on the E16 between Sollihøgda and Skuitunnelen in Bærum. It blocked both fields for a time.
- A number of mountain crossings are closed due to bad weather, reports the road traffic centre.
- A car has driven into the guardrail in Moss, and been hit by another car. The person’s neck hurt after the accident, and traffic was allowed to pass slowly in only one lane at the site.
