Page 16 - Mantena Annual Report 2021

Innovation and efficient transport
MANTENA A KEY PLAYER
IN NORWAY’S BIGGEST
IT PROJECT
New signalling system means a lot of work for Mantena in the years ahead.
The signalling system in Norway is now being upgraded to provide greater punctuality, increased safety and more
stable operation. The new signalling system is called ERTMS, which stands for European Railway Traffic Management System.
Bane NOR has contracts with three suppliers for the project. These are Siemens, which is supplying new signalling equipment; Alstom, which
is converting the trains; and Thales, which is delivering the new traffic management system. Mantena is a sub- contractor to Alstom and was chosen
Raymond Lysaker fitting a roof antenna as part of the ERTMS project
for its expertise, capacity, competitive price and previous experience from similar projects.
In service at Oslo Central in 2026
When the Nordlandsbanen line from Grong to Bodø starts using ERTMS
in October 2022, followed by the Gjøvikbanen from Roa to Gjøvik a few weeks later, Mantena will have assisted in installing the equipment to be fitted on the trains.
The new signalling system is scheduled to go into service at Oslo Central station sometime in 2026. By then around 400 trains should have had the new digital signalling system installed.
Proof of capability
The ERTMS project is currently Norway’s largest IT project. Mantena’s project manager Bjørn Erik Hattrem enjoys helping to take the railways into a new and modern age.
-There is a lot of prestige and opportunity on such projects. The fact that Mantena is taking part in this project shows
that we have the capability and are
a professional operator in the field of project execution. This is going to be instructive, challenging, exciting and fun, says Hattrem.
He describes it as a complex project for Mantena too. The plan covers almost 200,000 man-hours, and at its busiest the project is likely to involve between 60 and 70 Mantena staff.
It will be busy
After a challenging year in 2021 when the project was hit by the problems affecting the different supply chains worldwide, there will be a lot of activity at the workshops at Marienborg and Grorud in the coming years - something Hattrem is looking forward to.
-It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the future for train services in Norway, with fewer delays and better control. Today, there are more than fifteen different signalling systems, developed over eight decades. Now all of these are being replaced with a new system and, as far as I know, Norway is the only country doing it this way rather than one line at a time. Of course this is exciting to be part of, he says.
AT ITS BUSIEST, THE PROJECT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MANTENA STAFF
16 Annual Report 2021