Lars Johansson, Manager of Electricity Trading at Trafikverket, remembers the days when he used simple measurements to estimate and invoice the amount of energy consumed by train operators.

“The original model we used to invoice train operators was simple and not very good,” Mr. Johansson explains. “At the time that model was developed, there were no other options available to us. So, what we did was base our calculations on key figures that allowed us to allocate the consumption of energy to the different train operators. The model was actually just an Excel sheet that we used for this purpose. Of course, it was not very accurate, so some operators paid too much and others paid too little. It was not an ideal solution.”

Eress started operations in 2007, by the three Scandinavian infrastructure managers—Bane NOR, Trafikverket, and Banedanmark—to accurately measure, control and bill for the energy consumed by trains. They also work to promote data sharing, which has grown as new members have come onboard.

“For us, it wasn’t as much about developing the initial system,” Mr. Johansson explains. “We were more concerned about running that system and maintaining it. Joining this collective created the advantage of not having to deal with updating all of these values day-in and day-out. The Eress organization handles all of that for us, or rather, their technical team does. So, again, it was more about the maintenance side of things. We didn’t want to deal with any of that. Also, when you have to develop the system and ensure that it complies with the latest EU regulations, you need to have enough people in your organization to manage all of this work. Trafikverket doesn’t have the manpower required for the job, but Eress does.”

The full version of this article can be found in Eress Magazine 2019.
Author: Annika Utgaard
 
For more information, please contact jaccla@banenor.no

Lars Johansson, Trafikverket Sweden