Not only for tanks
Norway’s and Sweden’s armed forces will mandate Bane Nor to procure up to 120 railway transport wagons for army vehicles, which could also benefit civilian freight haulage. The sticking point is elsewhere, however.
The Norwegian infrastructure manager Bane Nor has entered into a partnership with the Norwegian and Swedish armed forces to purchase up to 120 wagons for army vehicles.
The formal invitation to tender will be issued later this year, with an initial delivery of ten wagons for tests. Where possible the new equipment will also be made available for civil freight transport operations.
The number of military transports carried out by rail has increased significantly as a result of the recent accession to Nato of Sweden (2024) and Finland (2023). Norway has been a member of the military alliance since it was established in 1949.
This applies in particular to tanks and other military vehicles crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the United States of America and arriving at the northern Norwegian port of Narvik. From there they are transported on to Sweden and Finland via the single-track Ofotbanen and Malmbanan.
Neglected infrastructure
Military strategists are less pleased with the overall state of the infrastructure on Sweden’s Malmbanan, which has been neglected for decades, and the subsequent derailments and long-lasting line disruptions on this strategic route.
The call to extend this west–east axis, which is used by numerous ore as well as container trains, to double lanes is being made ever more vehemently by various parties that use the line.