About the Inspectorate

The Norwegian Railway Inspectorate was established on 1 October 1996. It is an independent agency under the authority of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The activities of the Railway Inspectorate are financed by the ordinary national budget. As of 15 October 2007, the Inspectorate has a 22-strong workforce who have varied background experience from both the public and private sectors.

Why does Norway need a railway inspectorate?

The trend in the rail sector in the Nordic region, as in the rest of Europe, has moved towards the separation of rail infrastructure management from that of rail operations and related activities. This provides the conditions for more operating companies, both public and private, to use the rail network.

The Norwegian Railway Inspectorate was established to meet the need for an independent state-owned body that had responsibility for the supervision of both rail and tramway operators, independent of whether the company is in state or private hands.