Minister of Transport and Communications
Following a cabinet reshuffle on 18 June 2012,Arnstad was appointed Minister of Transport in Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet.
In August 2012,Arnstad expressed concerns over a new practise that was used at the border between Norway and Sweden,where truck drivers had been stopped and told that there trucks couldn't carry more than 40 tons. She wrote to the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd with these concerns. Elmsäter-Svärd stressed the importance of continued transport over the border,but didn't comment on the case Arnstad was referring to. [15]
In October,Arnstad expressed that the new Follo rail line would be a demanding project after the cost of it increased to 23,5 billion NOK. In addition she believed that the costs wouldn't surpass 23,5 billion NOK,and added that it shouldn't sink below it either. She further expressed confidence that the line would eventually be built. [16]
In December,Arnstad expressed that high-speed rail was not a priority,saying that other tasks within transportation was more important. She did however support the importance of railway transport. [17]
In February 2013,Arnstad sent a letter to the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to change the definition of mopeds in the law regarding motorcycles and mopeds,to include bikes with start-up engines,thereby making them legal. Arnstad took this action after VG reported that the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) had ordred around 2700 disabled people to park the bikes they had been given by them. [18]
In late February,she promised improvements to soil protection,and said it would be a central part in the then upcoming National Transportation Plan that would be presented in autumn. This was also noted as an increase from the original protection sought by her predecessor,Liv Signe Navarsete. [19]
In late March,she caused controversy when she tweeted a response to another user,ending in f'***k Oslo. When confronted with the tweet,Arnstad added that she had only meant to express that it was nice to be back home in Trøndelag,and stated that she loved Oslo,but that at the time she didn't want to be there at work. [20]
Arnstad expressed uncertainty regarding the European Union's Single European Railway Directive 2012 when it was brought to the Storting in August 2013,and a majority of members expressed support for it. Both she and Trygve Slagsvold Vedum expressed that they didn't want Norwegian railways to be exposed to competition. Arnstad also added that the question was hypothetical,and if it was not possible to change the directive,she would also support to veto it. However,she added that it was to early to tell if it was the right way to go. [21]
In early October,she opened the new European route E6 in Stjørdal. [22]
