The project will upgrade a 13.6-kilometre section of a rail line between the towns of Nykirke and Barkaker south of Oslo. 

Webuild, which heads a joint-venture with Impresa Pizzarotti & C with a 51% stake, won the contract from Bane NOR, the state-owned company responsible for Norway’s railway infrastructure.

Under the terms of the contract, Webuild and its joint-venture partner will design and build a double-track line, including two bridges, three tunnels and a station near the town of Skoppum.

The project concerns a section of the so-called Vestfold Line, which is being modernised to reduce travel times and increase railway passenger capacity. The Norwegian National Transport Plan has as one of its priorities the establishment of a continuous double-track rail line between Oslo and Tønsberg by 2024. The line between Nykirke and Barkaker to be upgraded by Webuild is one of the two remaining single-track sections required to meet this goal.

Once they are both upgraded, travel time between Oslo and Tønsberg will be about an hour, with a frequency of up to four trains an hour in either direction. The completion of the double-track rail line will result in a fast, modern and more sustainable service between Oslo and Tønsberg, favouring economic development beyond the Norwegian capital.