Norske tog paid 2.6 billion NOK in private interest

The state-owned company Norske tog has paid more than 2.6 billion NOK in interest to private actors between 2017 and 2025, according to reports mapping annual accounts and financial data. Established during the 2017 railway reform to own and lease out trains, the company initially utilized a model where purchases were financed through private loans.

The Norwegian government changed this arrangement last year, moving toward a system where the state provides the loans directly. While the Ministry of Transport estimates this shift could save the public up to 2 billion NOK over the next decade, experts have raised concerns regarding the actual impact on taxpayers.

Marie Viken, a senior lecturer in public accounting at Oslo Met, suggests that total state costs may actually increase because the national budget must now cover the funds that Norske tog previously obtained from private lenders.