OnRail and CargoNet add Oslo–Bergen capacity ahead of Lærdal tunnel closures

OnRail launched a third daily train pair between Oslo and Bergen on 2 November, lifting the two cities' weekday rail freight offer to seven train pairs as road operators brace for 18 months of overnight closures in the Lærdal tunnel from 16 November 2026.

The 24.5 km tunnel carries the E16 corridor linking eastern and western Norway. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration will close it from 18:00 to 06:00 every night except Saturday night, starting 16 November 2026, and expects the 12-hour closures to run for roughly 18 months before shorter restrictions take over. Full completion of the tunnel upgrade is scheduled for autumn 2029.

For road hauliers, that timing bites hardest in winter, when alternative mountain crossings between Norway's two largest metropolitan areas can be disrupted by severe weather.

What changes on the rails?

OnRail now runs three departures in each direction on the Bergen Line instead of two — two evening services and one daytime connection — serving the Alnabru terminal in Oslo and Nygårdstangen terminal in Bergen.

CargoNet takes a different route to more capacity. From 16 November it will operate longer trains on its existing departures when demand requires, adding capacity without touching established departure times — a practical advantage for shippers who plan around fixed slots.

A second CargoNet adjustment lands on 14 December, when unloading at Alnabru will open at 06:30 for train 5512, which departs Bergen the previous evening. Earlier access to arriving freight matters directly for distribution networks built on morning deliveries; consignees can get goods onto trucks and into stores hours sooner.

The combined weekday offer comes to seven train pairs: four from CargoNet, three from OnRail.

How strong is the corridor already?

The Oslo–Bergen route already carries one of Norway's highest rail freight market shares. In March 2026, the Norwegian Railway Directorate reported that more than 60% of freight between the two cities travelled by rail. CargoNet's volumes on the route grew 20% year-on-year over the first two months of 2026 — measured growth that predates the tunnel closures entirely.

That trajectory suggests the operators are chasing structural demand, not just a temporary transfer from road. If the closures push even a fraction of overnight truck traffic onto rail, the new train pairs and longer consists give the corridor room to absorb it without new infrastructure.

What do truckers face meanwhile?

Road hauliers will contend with longer detours and less predictable journey times for a year and a half. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has flagged the Rv. 7 crossing over Hardangervidda as the key alternative to the closed tunnel, but that route sits exposed to winter weather.

The road authority has therefore built in a safety valve: the Lærdal tunnel stays open whenever the Hardangervidda crossing is closed by severe weather. That reciprocal arrangement keeps at least one overnight path between east and west available at all times — though drivers should expect variable schedules rather than the reliability the tunnel normally provides.

With the tunnel upgrade running to autumn 2029, rail operators on the Bergen Line have a multi-year window to convert road freight's uncertainty into booked capacity.