Arctic Test Arena on Ofotbanen and Malmbanan
Arctic Test Arena is an international test arena for developing railway technology under Arctic conditions on Ofotbanen and Malmbanan.
An Initiative for the Future
Arctic Test Arena is a Nordic collaboration for the development of railway technology — aiming to
- improve operational reliability
- increase resilience to extreme weather and climate change
- promote innovation and collaboration between industry and research
- make testing accessible, relevant, and cost-effective
A Full-Scale Test Environment
The test arena stretches 473 km — from the ice-free port of Narvik to the industrial city of Luleå — and operates year-round under extreme climatic conditions.
Why test here?
- The line handles some of the heaviest trains in Europe.
- The combination of snow, cold, and challenging topography offers unique testing conditions.
- Cross-border operations enable testing across different regulations and systems.
- Full-scale testing in real-world conditions ensures robust, reliable solutions.
Focus Areas
- sensors and real-time data collection
- AI-based monitoring and decision support
- infrastructure and track maintenance in harsh winter climates
- rolling stock and heavy freight trains
- climate resilience and robustness
«If it works here, it works everywhere»
Official European Launch
A Strong Norwegian-Swedish Collaboration
The test arena is developed by Norwegian and Swedish actors in close collaboration: Bane NOR, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, SINTEF, City of Narvik, Luleå Railway Research Center (JVTC), and Luleå University of Technology (LTU).
It is coordinated by Europe’s Rail JU at the Norwegian Railway Directorate.
Working group:
- Bane NOR: Rune Brannfjell, Tor Gunnar Pedersen, Svetlana Lorentzen
- SINTEF: Rune Nilsen, Stefan Paul K. Abrahamsson
- UiT: Leif-Gunnar Hanssen, Dag Arne Granberg, Jørn Eldby
- JVTC: Veronica Jägare
- LTU: Ramin Karim, Matti Rantatalo, Gabriel Sas, Ulla Juntti
- Europe’s Rail / Jernbanedirektoratet: Ann Kristin Bjerknes, Preben Sæthre, Stefano Derosa
Steering group:
- Norwegian Railway Directorate: Pål Midtlien Danielsen, Head of Innovation Section, and Ann Kristin Bjerknes, Project Manager, Arctic Test Arena
- Bane NOR: Børge Nilsen, Director of Digitalisation and Innovation, and Thor Brækkan, Regional Director North
- Swedish Transport Administration: Malin Syk, Head of Track Systems, Technology & Environment Department, and Anna Lindahl, Head of Railway Maintenance in the Northern Region at the Swedish Transport Administration
- JVTC /LTU: Veronica Jägare, Director Luleå Railway Research Centre (JVTC), Head of Division Operation, Maintenance and Acoustics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Luleå University of Technology
- Sintef: Roy Eivind Antonsen, Head of Research
- UIT: Bjørn R. Sørensen, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology
Contact the project manager
