When the former NSB was to be rebranded, only a few people were aware of the plans. One of them was project manager Per Henning Torgersen at Mantena.
After 126 years, NSB became history in the spring of 2019 when the company changed its name to Vy. Prior to the launch, Mantena was contacted with a request to rebrand one of the Flirt trainsets for the press conference on March 12, where the new name and profile would be announced.
The challenge, however, was that it was easier said than done to transport a 120-meter trainset without the big secret being revealed.
Extensive Security Measures
After the top-secret painting job was completed at Sundland in Drammen, the freshly painted and wrapped Vy trainset was covered and transported from Drammen to Lodalen the night before the press conference. The following morning, March 12, the trainset was to run from Lodalen to Oslo Central Station where an eager press corps was waiting for the news.
"We knew this would be a prime target for the media. Imagine if a random person had picked up their mobile phone and posted a photo somewhere. That would have ruined everything," says project manager Torgersen.
He recalls extensive security to prevent tagging as the trainset was transported from Lodalen to Oslo S. That morning, guards walked alongside the train to prevent unauthorized persons from jumping out and spraying graffiti.
"It would have been quite the sight if a random graffiti tag had been on the front of the trainset as it rolled into Oslo S that morning with the entire Norwegian press waiting on the platform," Torgersen laughs. The rest of the story is well known. Things went according to plan, except perhaps for the commotion following the name change…
A Flexible Partner
Mantena is a partner from design sketch to finished product in profiling/rebranding of trainsets. In addition to projects for Vy, the company has also collaborated with Go-Ahead in connection with their entry into the Norwegian railway sector. As part of the work for VY, a unique color has been created, named Vy Green.