Omega on board for Norway’s biggest public transportation project:
“Best in terms of experience, competence, and price”
A happy Department Manager, Arvid Grønvoll (left), thanks Procurement Manager of Follobane, Jan Vormeland, for the vote of confidence, having just signed a framework agreement for the provision of personnel within Project Completion Management
Facts about Follobanen project
- Norway’s biggest public transportation project in recent years
- 22km-long, new double track from Oslo S to the public transportation junction, Ski
- Entails building the new train station in Ski, significant upgrades to Oslo S, and the necessary relocation of tracks from Østfolbanen toward Oslo S and between the tunnel and the new train station in Ski
- Includes the construction of 65km of new railroad tracks
- Creates Norway’s longest railroad tunnel (20 km) to date
- Represents the first Norwegian railroad tunnel with two separate tunnel openings
- Will be built with four tunnel drilling machines (TRM) as the main method of construction
- Parts of the tunnel’s construction work will be performed through conventional blast detonation methods
- Designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h
- Will offer for reduced travel time between Oslo –Ski (from 22min to 11min)
- Will provide increased capacity to and from Oslo
- Initial work on the project started in 2013 and continues through 2014
- Main construction work to be completed from 2015 to 2021
- Follobanen will be completed by the end of 2021
Omega has entered into a frame agreement with Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian government’s agency for railway services, regarding the delivery of personnel within Project Completion Management to the Follobanen project. The project is one of Norway’s largest public transportation projects in recent years; building of the main construction will commence in 2015, with project completion expected by 2021.
“We are thrilled and honored to be chosen as a contractor by Jernbaneverket,” says a pleased Department Manager, Arvid Grønvoll, from Omega’s offices in Oslo.
“The consultants’ experience and skills, combined with rates, were the elements that were considered when evaluating the offers we received,” says Follobanen’s Procurement Manager, Jan Vormeland, in his statement regarding the frame agreement.
“Based on these criteria, the offer from Omega proved to be the most economically beneficial for Jernbaneverket,” explains Vormeland in the statement.
Utilizing Pims CMS
Jernbaneverket has utilized Pims CMS since the spring of 2013, and Omega already has two employees working on assignment under this agreement.
“The new agreement may lead to opportunities for an additional four to six people in the project period; this agreement is exclusive to Omega,” explains Arvid Grønvoll.
“It was certainly an advantage to us that Jernbaneverket had already chosen to employ Pims CMS as their project completion tool; several of the consultants we offered for this agreement have solid background experience in Pims, in addition to substantial experience in leading positions within project completion. Ripple effects “Jernbaneverkets choice to employ Pims CMS, and decision to turn to Omega for project completion personnel for the Follobanen project, may bring about a ripple effect for us,” says Manager for Project Systems, Svein Tore Haraldseid.
“The various contractors that will eventually receive frame agreements with the Follobanen project will also utilize Pims CMS, and initial contact with potential contractors is then already established. Several of the potential contractors are leaders in the global market, and it will be both interesting and challenging to meet them as potential clients in the future.”
Largest public transportation project in Norway
“The Follobanen project is the biggest transportation project in Norway and will see the construction of the country’s longest railway tunnel to date. A new double track between Oslo S and the public transportation junction, Ski, along with Østfoldbanen, will offer new possibilities for train passengers,” states Jernbaneverket on their website.
In addition to the tunnel, the Follobanen project includes building the new train station in Ski, significant upgrades to Oslo S, and the necessary relocation of train tracks to Østfoldbanen toward Oslo S.
Copied from Jernbaneverket's web pages.