Youth Gang Turns on Rail Worker at Larvik Station — Bane NOR Brings in Security Guards

It started with a kick at a train. On a Wednesday evening last week, as a train was about to leave Larvik station in Vestfold, a young person began kicking the side of the carriages, then went for the Bane NOR train dispatcher on the platform and shoved the employee.

Four or five other youths joined in, Østlands-Posten reported. Another employee called the police and stepped into what had become a scuffle. By the time officers arrived, the group had gone. Iselin Bekken at Larvik police station confirmed the incident to the paper and said the case is under investigation.

“Vedkommende sparket flere ganger i togsiden, og gikk deretter direkte løs på og dyttet til medarbeideren vår.”

“The person kicked the side of the train several times, then went straight for our employee and shoved the employee.”

— Helge Saastadhagen, Bane NOR area manager for train dispatchers, to Østlands-Posten

“Unrest over time”

For Bane NOR the attack was not a one-off. Area manager Helge Saastadhagen told Østlands-Posten that there has been “a fair amount of unrest” at the station over time, and the company has therefore stationed security guards there in the afternoon and evening — the hours when trouble has been worst. NRK picked up the story on Friday 16 October.

Larvik is a stop on the busy Vestfold Line between Oslo and Skien, and staff on the line have spoken before about feeling unsafe on platforms. Helene Tveit shared the news on X with a simple point: a rail worker doing his job should not need guards to stand on a platform in a small Norwegian town. The police investigation continues.