Rail strike led to negligible growth

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The train has been an increasingly popular mode of transport since 2012, but the strong passenger growth stopped in 2016 due to a one-month strike by train drivers.

Figure 1. Public transport. Number of passengers

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Boat 8.2 8.0 8.0 8.7 8.8 8.5 8.7 9.1 9.1 10.0 10.0 10.9 11.1
Railway 50.6 52.8 52.2 56.5 58.6 57.5 57.8 58.9 62.7 67.3 70.3 73.8 74.3
Tram, underground and light rail 90.5 96.7 101.7 104.3 114.5 117.8 124.7 136.5 138.7 144.0 148.8 160.3 170.8
Bus 279.1 285.1 290.0 284.6 292.0 299.9 313.7 322.0 332.1 339.6 343.7 356.2 368.6

Train passengers totalled 74.3 million, which corresponds to a slight growth of 0.6 per cent compared to 2015. Even though the strike mainly affected the Oslo area, and especially the Østfold railway, this was enough to prevent the normal growth of recent years. The other modes of transport continued the recent trend of passenger growth from 3.5 per cent (bus) to 6.5 per cent (tram/subway).

More than NOK 13 billion in ticket revenues

Although public authorities spend considerable funds on public transport, passengers also contributed by buying tickets. This share of the cost increased by just over NOK 1.3 billion, or 11.3 per cent, from 2015 to 2016. Bus passengers contributed the most, with an increase of 15.0 per cent. In spite of weak passenger growth for rail, ticket revenues grew by 8.1 per cent. 

Increased VAT for ticket revenue

Ticket revenue is including VAT. In 2016, this rate was 10 per cent, compared to 8 per cent in 2015.

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