Norway

[Nusselt]

from the cia world fact book

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises). The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices; in 1999, oil and gas accounted for 35% of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Growth picked up in 2000 to 2.7%, compared with the meager 0.8% of 1999, but fell back to 1.3% in 2001. High oil prices helped the economy in 2002 in face of the sluggish world economy. The government has moved ahead with privatization. With arguably the highest quality of life worldwide, Norwegians still worry about that time in the next two decades when the oil and gas begin to run out. Accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $43 billion.

even the americans admit norway is ace. But what i want to know is what actually is the difference between living in britiain and norway so ill ask these three questions

a) Do your trains run on time?
b) really?
c) are you sure?!?

also i was surprised that the population of London is greater than that of Norway (i thought you had like at least 10 million people) and there are more people in Birmingham than in Olso. I am intigued by this higher standard of living tho, is it like some sort of scandinavian paradise where men cycle to work whislt the women stay at home in skimpy clothing and take care of the kids????

[ChubbyChecker]

Quite clever, them saving the money from oil and gas and investing it abroad.

Though they'll have to do something to make up for the money they will lose. Maybe they should get into mobile phones like the Swedes and the Finns have.

[Radical Edward]

Originally posted by Nusselt
from the cia world fact book

even the americans admit norway is ace. But what i want to know is what actually is the difference between living in britiain and norway so ill ask these three questions

a) Do your trains run on time?
b) really?
c) are you sure?!?

tbh I don't know why the brits complain so much about trains. here in Germany the trains are always at least 10 minutes late... every single time I have been on a train. There are no proper no smoking cabins... each cabin seems to have a smoking section at the end, which kind of defeats the point... I sit in a no smoking section because I hate the smell of smoke, and I don't want to suffer it thankyouverymuch. I could go on but I won't.

oh, the Virgin Trains in the UK are 1337.

[Deffeh]

Originally posted by Radical Edward
tbh I don't know why the brits complain so much about trains. here in Germany the trains are always at least 10 minutes late... every single time I have been on a train. There are no proper no smoking cabins... each cabin seems to have a smoking section at the end, which kind of defeats the point... I sit in a no smoking section because I hate the smell of smoke, and I don't want to suffer it thankyouverymuch. I could go on but I won't.

oh, the Virgin Trains in the UK are 1337.

Smoking sections?

Not on short distance trains here anyway.

[Radical Edward]

Originally posted by Deffeh
Smoking sections?

Not on short distance trains here anyway.

well the only trains I have been on are intercities... so I don't know about local trains over here. The one bad thing I will say for british trains is the obscenely small amount of leg room in standard class, I barely fit.

except on Virgin Trains, which are wonderful.

[wu_trax]

Originally posted by Radical Edward
tbh I don't know why the brits complain so much about trains. here in Germany the trains are always at least 10 minutes late... every single time I have been on a train. There are no proper no smoking cabins... each cabin seems to have a smoking section at the end, which kind of defeats the point... I sit in a no smoking section because I hate the smell of smoke, and I don't want to suffer it thankyouverymuch. I could go on but I won't.

oh, the Virgin Trains in the UK are 1337.

i would go anywhere by train at all, if there wouldnt be asmoking section.
usually they are somewhat seperated though, so that the smoke cant get into the non-smoking sections.
most of the times the trains are on time (unless someone is trying to blow up some railstation that is), but maybe thats just here, in hannover.

[inf]

A $43bn fund isn't that significant.

[Radical Edward]

Originally posted by wu_trax
i would go anywhere by train at all, if there wouldnt be asmoking section.
usually they are somewhat seperated though, so that the smoke cant get into the non-smoking sections.
most of the times the trains are on time (unless someone is trying to blow up some railstation that is), but maybe thats just here, in hannover.

only a bit separated though, like a plastic screen at the back of the seat with a smoking sign on it...the aisle is still open though, which defeats the point imo.

My criticism of the time isn't really that fair though, it is not too far off and Dresden is out on a limb.

[Mong]

Originally posted by Radical Edward
tbh I don't know why the brits complain so much about trains. here in Germany the trains are always at least 10 minutes late...

10 minutes late is another word for "acceptable timetable deviance" in the UK. In an 8 week period, travelling 5 days per week, I recorded about 19 hours of delays to my journeys. Equating to roughly half an hour each day. Which sucks, as the journey was only 25 mins anyway. This was Widnes<>Manchester. I noted that only 3 times was the train "on time" - I regarded up to 5 mins late as "on time" and didn't note this delay.

I told the train company the above. They didn't reply. I told them again, they didn't reply. Third time I got an "oh that sucks".

That sucks.

Anyway... BACK TO THE TOPIC...

Norway has vastly better public transport than the UK. Bearing in mind that Norway is a lot more expensive in general (for everything) than the UK, it's interesting to note that UK trains are more expensive, yet are smaller, more crowded, filthy (go from Oslo to Tromso, see how clean they're kept!) and are always late.

Beer in Norway tastes like piss and costs a small fortune though.

M.

[Starbucks]

Originally posted by Mong
trains suck

i hear ya

today they released figures saying that only 80% were "on time"

which means i get a cheaper season ticket next year \o/

[Mong]

Originally posted by Starbucks
which means i get a cheaper season ticket next year \o/

What it really means is; you'll get a discount on next year's ticket, which has had a price rise in excess of five times the rate of inflation.

Go Railtrack! Oh I mean Network Rail - a company run by exactly the same people, but with government help and a new name!

M.

[wu_trax]

Originally posted by Radical Edward
only a bit separated though, like a plastic screen at the back of the seat with a smoking sign on it...the aisle is still open though, which defeats the point imo.

My criticism of the time isn't really that fair though, it is not too far off and Dresden is out on a limb.

i dont use the ice, so i have no idea about them. im using some regional train, i live about 20 minutes away from hannover. and there the smo0king sections are really seperated, with doors between them, etc. maybe its different in ices.
the trains are on time most of the times. id guess i loose 20 minutes a month on average (2 trips a day / 5 days a week).
but that might very well be only here, they really improved the whole network here for the expo in 2000. ive heared worse story from other regions.
anyway, even if the railnetwork is still relativly good, it will become worse in the next years, because we are doing the same mistakes uk did in the past. this whole privatisation wont work out, at least not in the way it is done right now.

[das_experiment]

I live in norways capitol Oslo, and ride the tube EVERY SINGLE DAY(cept weekend).

The trains are almost always on time(maybe 1-2 mins delayed), except the occasional power troubles\breakdowns.


I am quite happy with the schedule of the tube, but its a shame it costs so much :P