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WEATHER

Weather warning issued for spring snow in southern Norway

Southern Norway could be hit with 25 centimetres of snow on Thursday, and meteorologists have issued a yellow weather warning and said travel might be disrupted.

Published: 3 April 2024 14:56 CEST
Pictured is a snow flurry in Drøbak.
Southern Norway is set for a spring snow flurry on Thursday. Pictured is a snow flurry in Drøbak. Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

The weather warning takes effect from Thursday morning and covers most of southern Norway, including Oslo.

The warning will be in place until late Thursday evening. A yellow weather warning is the mildest of Norway’s three weather warnings.

During a yellow weather warning, the public is asked to “be aware” of “challenging situations”.

“(The snow) probably comes mostly in the south, where they get the biggest amounts of snow. It can be up to 27 centimetres in some places. In Oslo, it will probably be around 5-10 centimetres,” state meteorologist Julie Solsvik Vågane told Norwegian newswire NTB.

“There will definitely be enough snow to cause quite a few problems. After all, it is April, and people don’t expect snow to the same extent. It will be a wintry day tomorrow,” she added.

Below you can see a post on X (formerly Twitter) of the weather warning. 

Public transport provider Ruter said that the weather was likely to pose problems for public transport and that it had taken preparatory measures ahead of the snow.

“We expect that this could affect public transport, and especially the buses,” Øystein Dahl Johansen from Ruter said.

Network rail operator Bane Nor said it would have extra staff on standby if the weather affects rail travel.

Difficult drivers are expected in western Norway, where the precipitation will arrive in the form of sleet.

From the beginning of next week, the weather in eastern Norway is expected to improve, and temperatures of up to 18 degrees have been forecast.

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OSLO

Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

The strained finances of bus provider Unibuss could cause chaos for Oslo’s bus network if the company folds. 

Published: 24 April 2024 12:08 CEST
Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo 

Unibuss, which is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality, is in danger of going bust due to large losses, unpaid bills, and fines from public transport firm Ruter for issues with its electric bus fleet this winter. 

Oslo City Council will hold an emergency meeting headed up by transport councilor Marit Vea on Wednesday, where she will be grilled on how the council will avert a collapse in the city’s public transport network should Unibuss go bankrupt. 

Unibuss is comprised of four smaller companies that operate bus routes in Oslo on behalf of Ruter. The company has just over 370 buses in operation and covers around 60 to 70 percent of the routes in Oslo and the neighboring municipality of Bærum. 

Oslo’s fleet of electric busses struggled especially with snow and cold temperatures this winter, which caused frequent chaos across the capital’s public transport network. 

Snow, ice, range and charging issues for the busses lead to vehicle shortages which caused mass delays and cancellations several times over the winter. 

Ruter, which is also part owned by Oslo municipality, believes that the financial problems facing Unibuss mean the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy or undergo a major restructuring, according to a memo obtained by publication Teknisk Ukeblad.  

It has previously told public broadcaster that it was working on a plan in case Unibuss goes bankrupt. 

“There is no doubt that the first days of such a scenario will be very demanding for the residents of Oslo and parts of Akershus,” Ruter’s communications director Elisabeth Skarsbø Moen told public broadcaster NRK.  

“First and foremost, we are working to find a solution together with Unibuss that does not affect Ruter’s customers,” she said. 

“But as those responsible for public transport, we have both a plan and an emergency organization ready to also handle a bankruptcy,” Skarsbø Moen added. 

Should Unibuss go bankrupt, its buses would become part of the bankruptcy estate and if such an event were to occur while passengers were in transit, all passengers would need to disembark at the next stop so the buses can be transported to the depot. 

Ruter said it had an eye on the market to try and see what could be available in terms of extra buses and equipment. 

It said that its priority would be to ensure that school transport, and that healthcare workers could get to work, in the event of a sudden lack of buses. 

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