After an exterior upgrade at Mantena, Flytoget’s passengers can now travel in trainsets that look brand new. Flytoget praises both the result and the process.
The type 71 trains have been part of Flytoget since the inaugural journey in 1998. Even though they have carried Norway’s most satisfied passengers to and from Oslo Airport for a quarter of a century, there is nothing outdated about the trainsets. For this, Flytoget thanks their maintenance partner Mantena.
Fresh trains deliver satisfied customers
– We finance our operations through ticket sales and operate on the same tracks as competing train companies, but without state support. This means we depend on satisfied customers. Therefore, we must maintain a high standard and stand out from the competition. Having trains that are intact, fresh, and clean is an important part of this.
This is confirmed by Flytoget’s maintenance manager, Knut Erik Kristiansen.
Punctuality is also of great importance to the company.
– Delays are often due to challenges with infrastructure, but it should never be our trains that prevent the customer from catching their flight. This is why good maintenance is crucial, says Kristiansen, and adds:
– Proper maintenance is of course important from a sustainability perspective as well, because it extends the lifetime of the trains.
Northern Europe’s largest paint shop
After many years on the rails, the finish on the popular trains had started to fade. Flytoget therefore wanted to do a “total makeover” at Mantena – something that was also done just over ten years ago. After two weeks of, among other things, compressed air testing, the trains have each spent two weeks in Northern Europe’s largest paint shop at Grorud.
Here, both fronts, the snow plows, and the orange stripes around the doors have been painted, the doors have been given new foil, and all the steps have been painted and fitted with new step plates. The result is shiny, spotless trains that look new – and are ready for many more years on the rails.
– In our 113-meter-long paint shop there is space for a full trainset, allowing the work to be completed very efficiently. At the same time, the other departments are gathered under one roof, giving customers access to all the services they need, says Magnus Sagplass, surface contracts manager at Mantena.
Flexible and solution-oriented
At the beginning of May, the last of a total of 15 trains will leave the paint shop, and Flytoget is extremely satisfied with both the result and the cooperation throughout the process.
– Mantena has been very flexible and solution-oriented throughout the process. If we have needed a train a couple of days earlier than agreed, they have solved it – and if they have had challenges delivering something on time, we have had a good dialogue, allowing us to adapt. It is a very smooth team that is easy to collaborate with, says Kristiansen.
Sagplass at Mantena reciprocates the praise:
– Flytoget is a fantastic customer to work with.
Kristiansen also highlights the competence and location as major advantages for Flytoget. From their technical base in Lodalen, it is only a short distance to Mantena’s workshop at Grorud.
– Having such a large and flexible workshop so close by is absolutely essential for us. Mantena has both broad expertise and the capacity to receive us – whether it is for complex tasks or ongoing repairs. All inquiries are taken seriously, which we greatly appreciate.