Department for Rail, Planning and Environment

The Department for Rail, Planning and Environment consists of the Rail Transport Section, Governance and Technology Unit and the Environmental Affairs Section. The departement is also responsible for the framework for long-term planning in the transport sector.

The department consists of the following sections

• Governance and Technology Unit

  The Governance and Technology Unit has overall responsibility for the management of the railway sector, including corporate governance of The Norwegian Railway Directorate and The Norwegian Railway Authority, and further development of the management model for the railway. Effective use of new technology is one of the main objectives of the National Transport Plan, and the unit has a responsibility and driving role to achieve this in the transport sector as a whole.

• Environmental Affairs Section

  The section is responsible for co-ordinating the Ministry’s work with matters relating to environmental and climate issues, including amongst other matters the use of viable tools to alleviate environmental and climate concerns in the transport sector. The Environmental Affairs Section co-ordinates the Ministry’s work in overarching design, development and planning. Further, the section is responsible for adaption to climate change, matters relating to taxation policy, in particular those related to environmental and transport taxation, and international environmental affairs.

• Rail Transport Section

  The Rail Transport Section is responsible for strategic planning and budgeting in the railway sector and for agency management of The Norwegian Railway Directorate and The Norwegian Railway Authority. The section is also responsible for framework terms and conditions for the railways sector, matters relating to international railways and legislative and regulatory work in the railway sector in addition to the regulations governing cable car and funicular plant and amusement park installations.