For over two decades, Hammer has been involved in the debate about where a new freight terminal in Trondheim should be located. He believes the alternative with Heggstadmoen must be scrapped once and for all.
-When deputy mayor Erling Moe talks about moving the freight terminal from Battøra to Heggstadmoen, he calls it “urban development”. What about urban development in Heimdal then? Or are people in South Asia not so careful, asks Hammer rhetorically.
He believes the consequences of adding the freight terminal to Heggstadmoen will be much greater than the blue-green cooperative parties give the impression.
Loss of value on homes
-Lifting with reach stackers, marshalling with locomotives and idling locomotives will cause significant noise throughout the night. As Heggstadmoen is planned as a sack terminal, the trains also have to “back up” from Bjørndalen onto the switching track to the terminal, which will contribute to further noise.
According to Hammer, a goods terminal at Heggstadmoen will bring with it more than just noise.
– The terminal will also produce dust that will blow over all the homes in Heimdal. The city center will also be visually marked by goods wagons, which greatly reduces the regional character. All of this could lead to large losses in value of a large number of homes in Heimdal.
– But the freight terminal must be located somewhere, right?
– I think it’s sad that the blue-green politicians in Trondheim believe that the people of Heimdal should pay the price for the whole region to get a poor freight terminal which, in any case, was not built in a 50-100 year perspective. I wish the elected representatives would now investigate other options instead of going for the worst, even if it is the cheapest.
Neighborhood protests
Last month, Heimdal Arbeiderlag organized a public meeting where you could ask questions to Storting representative Kirsti Leirtrø (AP), county council representative Jon Gunnes (V) and city council representative Roar Aas (AP).
– A goods terminal at Heggstadmoen is something that has created great interest in the district. This is something that will affect the quality of life of quite a few people, says Hammer.
Someone who has been strongly involved in the case is the married couple Bente and Sverre Wold, who have lived in Heimdal since 1995.
-During the public meeting, there were several people who could say that they regularly lay in bed shaking when long freight trains with timber drove past Heimdal. Nevertheless, we see that large apartment blocks continue to be built right next to the railway line. Is this what the politicians call “urban development”, asks Sverre Wold.
Wold says it is not just the noise from the freight trains that will be felt.
-The refrigerated vans for the food chains are something that lasts and runs continuously around the clock and will be something that many people will notice very well.
– Any development is many years away, as a new freight terminal has not been included in the National Transport Plan. Isn’t this taking the worries a bit in advance?
– What we fear is that the blue-green parties will now show “power to act” by making progress on the matter. Although the National Transport Plan initially applies for 12 years at a time, it is revised at regular intervals. Therefore, it is important that we keep the debate warm so that people are not taken to bed, concludes Hammer.
