Our maintenance services are continuously evolving. Train operations are an essential part of our total maintenance delivery.
In 2020, Mantena was awarded both A and B license and safety certificates for operating trains without passengers and freight on the national railway network in Norway.
Improved overall delivery
Mantena carried out its first independent train operation on the national railway network in Norway in January 2021. This took place following maintenance work on an Itino train set, owned by Transitio in Sweden.
The train set was delivered by Mantena at the border station in Charlottenberg, and from there, a new corresponding train set was transported back to Grorud for scheduled maintenance.
Roy Sannerhaugen is Director of Quality, Health, Environment and Safety at Mantena. He explains that the initiation of train operations represents an important step in the development of the total maintenance delivery.
– The fact that we can operate trains means we can offer a more comprehensive product to our customers, and together with railway companies, we can provide a more integrated feeder service. For railway companies, there is a significant amount of train operations that are not commercial. This may include movements to and from workshops, positioning runs to place trains in the correct location, and test runs after maintenance and repairs are completed. This type of train operation is something Mantena aims to offer customers as part of the maintenance delivery.
Aiming to expand the service
Sannerhaugen states that Mantena is working to expand the train operation service for customers who recognize the benefit of having a maintenance provider perform feeder services.
– As of today, a significant portion of our delivery is focused on upgrades, painting, and damage repairs, meaning that trains are sent to the workshops and remain there for a period. When we work on such projects, we also strive to offer a more comprehensive service that includes the feeder service. Another example is our intention to expand the service so that we deliver trains to the platform after maintenance is completed, and the railway companies then take over, says Sannerhaugen.