NORWEGIAN infrastructure manager has signed a letter of intent to work with its British counterpart Network Rail (NR) and share best practice in areas including maintenance, digitalisation and the development of new technology.
The cooperation agreement was signed in London by Mr Sverre Kjenne, executive-vice president of digitalisation and technology at Bane Nor, and Mr Robert Ampomah, chief technology officer (CTO) at NR. The signing was hosted by the Norwegian ambassador to Britain, Mr Tore Hattrem.
Bane Nor says that NR has a long tradition of working with international partners, which has included an NR delegation visiting Bane Nor’s ERTMS test laboratory at Campus Nyland near Oslo.
Cooperating with NR is expected to help Bane Nor meet the major challenges facing infrastructure managers across Europe, including the switch to predictive maintenance and how climate change will affect maintenance, renewals and new construction.
“We have to play as a team and learn from those who have come the furthest,” Bane Nor says. It also believes that using best practice from elsewhere will help improve train punctuality and increase the attractiveness of rail for both passengers and freight shippers.
“Collaboration will give us renewed strength in improving the Norwegian railway network,” Kjenne says.
“NR has over several years reaped great gains in smart maintenance, and we want to get closer to the experience they have gained. We are now mapping areas where Bane Nor and NR can create value through our respective development and innovation activities.”
"Bane Nor's forward-looking priorities in digitalisation and maintenance, and their strong focus on cost efficiency and collaboration on innovation, inspire us at NR,” says Ampoah.
“This partnership helps to demonstrate our commitment to working closely with European infrastructure managers so that together we can meet common challenges and develop the railway for the future."
