The Norwegian Directorate of Railways, Jernbanedirektoratet, has produced a study on reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the railways, with the aim of making Nordlandsbanen the first of the diesel lines to be emission-free. The study, commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, looked at various options for reducing emissions, including switching to non-fossil fuels, using hydrogen as an energy source, using batteries with charging systems and fully electrifying the railway lines. Despite the fact that around 80% of rail transport in Norway is already electrified, parts of the rail network, in particular Nordlandsbanen, Rørosbanen, Solørbanen, and Raumabanen, are not yet electrified. The transport sector is responsible for about 32% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Norway, with the railways' share being small at only 0.2%. Nevertheless, emissions amount to about 50,000 t of CO2 equivalents per year. The study is part of the knowledge base for the work on the new national transport plan.
