Bergen Light Rail ( no, Bybanen) is a
light rail system in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The first stage of the project was a twenty-station stretch between the city center and
Lagunen Storsenter
Lagunen Storsenter is a shopping center located in the borough Fana in Bergen, Norway. It is one of the largest shopping centres in Norway and in 2002, it was the fifth largest shopping facility in Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: ...
, where the first 15 stations comprising a stretch opened in 2010, and the second was a stretch from Nesttun to Lagunen which opened in June 2013. A third stretch from Lagunen to
Bergen Airport, Flesland
Bergen Airport ( nn, Bergen lufthamn; ), alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the sec ...
opened in 2017. The second line between Kaigaten and Fyllingsdalen opened on 21 November 2022. Further plans for the project involve mooted extensions to
Åsane
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
and
Storavatnet.
Plans for rail transit have existed since the 1970s, following the 1965 closing of the
Bergen Tramway
Bergen Tramway (''Trikken i Bergen'') was a tram in Bergen, Norway. It was in operation from 1897 to 1965. The first three lines were opened on 29 June 1897. Starting in 1950, tramway lines were gradually replaced with bus and Trolleybuses in Be ...
. A
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
design was first discarded, and in the 1990s a light rail line was proposed. The decision to start construction was made in 2005. The first stage was built by the municipality, with financing from the state and the toll road ring, based on the
Bergen Program
The Bergen Program for Transport, Urban Development and the Environment ( no, Bergensprogrammet for transport, byutvikling og miljø) is a political agreement for financing road and light rail investments in Bergen, Norway, from 2002 to 2015. The ...
. Ownership, maintenance and further extensions and vehicles are the responsibility of
Hordaland County Municipality
Hordaland County Municipality ( no, Hordaland fylkeskommune) was the regional governing administration of the old Hordaland county in Norway. The county municipality was established in its most recent form on 1 January 1976 when the law was change ...
through its wholly owned subsidiary Bybanen AS. Operation is governed by
public service obligation contracts issued by the county public transport authority
Skyss
Skyss is the public authority that plans, purchases and markets the public transport services governed by the county authority in Vestland, Norway. Skyss does not have a board, but is governed by the county council. Skyss was established in 2007 ...
. From 2010 to 2017 the line and its 20
Variobahn
The Stadler Variobahn (formerly sold as the ABB Variotram, Adtranz Variotram and Bombardier Variotram) is a German-designed model of articulated low-floor tram and light rail vehicle. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variobahn has been manufa ...
trams were operated by
Keolis Norge (formerly Fjord1 Partner).
History
Background
The first public transport in Bergen was the
Bergen Tramway
Bergen Tramway (''Trikken i Bergen'') was a tram in Bergen, Norway. It was in operation from 1897 to 1965. The first three lines were opened on 29 June 1897. Starting in 1950, tramway lines were gradually replaced with bus and Trolleybuses in Be ...
, which operated between 1897 and 1965. It was limited to the inner parts of the city and did not reach the suburbs. The city council therefore decided to close it, arguing that the future lay in private cars, diesel buses and
trolleybuses
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
. In the 1960s, the removal on restriction on car sales created more traffic than the roads could handle and consequently both buses and cars began increasingly being stuck in
rush-hour queues. The municipality and the
Norwegian Public Roads Administration
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration ( no, Statens vegvesen) is a Norwegian government agency responsible for national and county public roads in Norway. This includes planning, construction and operation of the national and county road netw ...
started looking at rectifying the situation by building a ring road around the city, and by alternative means of public transport.
Prior to the shortening of the main
Bergen Line
The Bergen Line or the Bergen Railway ( no, Bergensbanen or nn, Bergensbana), is a long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, ...
railway with the
Ulriken Tunnel
The Ulriken Tunnel ( no, Ulrikstunnelen) is a railway tunnel on the Bergen Line between Bergen Station and Arna Station in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway.
Original (old) tunnel
The existing long tunnel runs under the north ...
, the
Bergen–Nesttun Line was an important commuter rail service, feeding suburban residents from
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen in ...
into the city center. In 1917, the section was the most heavily trafficked railway in the country, with a travel time between 20 and 27 minutes. There were up to 27 trains per day, of which five continued to
Garnes. In 1918, the line was proposed for
doubling and
electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...
: the latter was completed in 1954. The same year, annual ridership were down to 870,000 passengers. After the opening of the Ulriken Tunnel commuter trains were kept for six months, with the last trip ran on 31 January 1965.
During the 1970s, plans had existed for an extensive rapid transit system, with an underground section in the city center. Inspired by the successful
Oslo Metro
The Oslo Metro ( no, Oslo T-bane or or simply ) is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Sporveien T-banen on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of five lines that all run through the city centre, wit ...
that had opened in 1966, similar plans were developed. The proposed network was close to the current long-term plans for the light rail system, and consisted of three branches from the city center to
Flaktveit
Flaktveit is a neighborhood in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The neighborhood is located in the borough of Åsane in the northern part of the city. The European route E16/European route E39 highway runs around three sides of the ...
,
Olsvik
Olsvik is a neighborhood in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the western part of the borough of Laksevåg, just west of the mountain Lyderhorn. The area is dominated by low-rise residential areas. It features Olsv ...
and the airport. Four-car trains would operate at ten-minute
headway
Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system measured in space or time. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise defi ...
s. The suggestion was discussed by the city council in 1973, but no decision was taken. As an alternative, expansion of the railway from
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
to
Eidsvåg Eidsvåg may refer to:
People
* Bjørn Eidsvåg, a Norwegian singer, songwriter and priest
Places
* Eidsvåg, Nesset, a village in Molde municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway
* Eidsvåg, Bergen, a neighbourhood in the city of Bergen in V ...
, Åsane and Nesttun was proposed. Fast commuter trains could then be supplemented with buses.
![Demonstration in favor of the Bergen Light Rail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Demonstration_in_favor_of_the_Bergen_Light_Rail.jpg)
During the 1980s and 1990s, a
toll ring was constructed around Bergen to finance a massive investment in motorways. This included
European Route E39
European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Eu ...
north and south of the center, the road to the airport, and west to Loddefjord and Storavatnet. Bridges were constructed to
Lindås
Lindås is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality. The administrative centre of the ...
,
Askøy
Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...
and
Sotra
Sotra or Store Sotra is the name of a large island in Øygarden Municipality in Vestland county, Norway, located just west of the city of Bergen. It is part of a pair of islands called 'Sotra' and 'Litlesotra' ('small Sotra') that are part of a ...
, and large parking garages were built in the city center. Despite this congestion continued, and it was no better in the 2000s than in the 1970s. Proposals to build bus lanes and
traffic signal preemption
Traffic signal preemption (also called traffic signal prioritisation) is a system that allows the normal operation of traffic lights to be preempted. The most common use of these systems manipulates traffic signals in the path of an emergency vehi ...
was disregarded by the
Public Roads Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
.
In 1995, the municipal bus company
Bergen Sporvei made a proposal to establish what they called the Lightning Tram, from Varden in
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consist ...
via a tunnel to
Møhlenpris
Møhlenpris (formerly Vestre Sydnes) is a neighbourhood in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is next to the Puddefjorden in the borough of Bergenhus. The neighbourhood is named after Jørgen Thor Møhlen, who was a shipowner, slav ...
and the city center, then make a 120° turn and return along the route of the Bergen trolleybus to
Birkelundstoppen. The same year, the
Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature proposed a more extensive system, the Environmental Tram, which more closely resembles the current proposals. From the city center, it would run northwards via Åsane to Flaktveit and southwards via Rådal to the airport (not via Nesttun). The southern section would have branches from Hop to Nesttun and
Midttun
Nesttun is an urban settlement in the borough of Fana in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located approximately south of the city centre. It was the centre of the old Fana municipality, which merged with Bergen in 1972 ...
, and from
Minde westwards to Fyllingsdalen and Loddefjord. Later, Bergen Sporvei's successor,
Gaia Trafikk
Gaia Trafikk was the largest public transportation provider in Bergen and Os, Norway until it merged with HSD forming Tide.
Gaia was formed by the 1998 merger of Pan Trafikk, the bus company serving northern and southern Bergen, and Bergen S ...
, proposed building a
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
.
Political process
The plans launched by the city administration most closely resembled the Environmental Tram, with slight changes. The initial plans involved a line from the city center via Nesttun to the airport at
Flesland. It became part of a political compromise, the Bergen Program, which ensured a number of road investments at the same time as the light rail system, all financed through the toll ring. However, a lack of funds made it necessary to build the line to Nesttun only, instead of all the way to the airport. The initial decision was taken by Bergen City Council on 13 March 2000, in the
Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
in 2002, and with the financing secured, by the city council in 2005. Only the
Progress Party and the
Pensioners' Party Pensioners' Party or Party of Pensioners is a name commonly adopted by political organizations composed primarily of people who have a pension (generally elderly retirees) and who are interested in issues affecting their demographic group. However, ...
voted against light rail. Forty per cent is financed by the state, the remainder by the county, the municipality and through the toll ring.
![BybanenNesttun1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/BybanenNesttun1.jpg)
The arguments for light rail were mainly related to the
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
,
urban development
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
and reduction in road congestion. Light rail is estimated to increase the use of public transport from Fana, reducing both local and global pollution. The roads do not have capacity for further growth, and any increase in public transport would need to be taken along the light rail routes on buses—this would give higher operating costs for public transport or higher investment costs for roads. Around the stations, high-density commercial and residential centers can be established. Opponents of the project argued that it is unfair that public transport be funded by car drivers through toll roads. Protests from people in northern and western areas of the city have risen, since they are paying for the system but will not receive the benefits. Another issue has been speed: the line to Nesttun has 15 stops in , giving an average speed of . For people living south of Nesttun, this will give a longer travel time to the city center than with direct buses that do not make intermediate stops.
The naming of the stations caused local debate. A draft for names were made by the municipal administration and then sent to the borough councils in Fana,
Årstad and
Bergenhus
Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...
. Four names were changed:
Nonneseteren from Jernbanen,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
from Strømmen,
Brann stadion
Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies south of the city centre, at the foot of Mount Ulriken.
The record attendance dat ...
from Nymark and
Hop
A hop is a type of jump.
Hop or hops may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film
* Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel
* ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom
* Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...
from Troldhaugen. Brann stadion and Troldhaugen were afterwards considered by the municipal administration, because they could be in violation of the ''Place Name Act''. The general rule is to use the place name where the station is located, and naming after institutions or facilities nearby is not permitted unless they are in the immediate vicinity. Brann stadion, named for the
football venue, was declared a borderline case, but within the rules, while
Troldhaugen
Troldhaugen is the former home of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina Grieg. Troldhaugen is located in Bergen, Norway and consists of the Edvard Grieg Museum, Grieg's villa, the hut where he composed music, and his and his wife's ...
was not permitted because the area is not in the vicinity of the station.
Construction
Initial works commenced in August 2007, when Pastasentralen was demolished to make room for a temporary bus terminal that would allow Kaigaten to be closed for construction.
Contracts for building the line were awarded to Svein Boasson,
NCC Construction, Fyllingen Maskinstasjon and
Veidekke Entreprenør. The contract for laying the tracks was awarded to
Baneservice
BaneService is a Norwegian government owned railway construction and maintenance company. It is by far the largest subcontractor for Bane NOR and is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications.
History
The company started out ...
.
Construction started in January 2008. To pass over
Strømmen
Strømmen is a town in Lillestrøm municipality, Viken county, Norway. It is about twenty kilometers east of Oslo, and considered part of Greater Oslo. It has around 11,400 residents.
The town has its origins from floating lumber and sawmills alon ...
, a fourth
Nygård Bridge was built for cars, and the oldest was upgraded and used by the light rail line.
In several places the road needed to be dug up to remove pipes and cables. In November 2009,
Gulating Court of Appeal
The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six Court of appeal (Norway), courts of appeal in the Norway, Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen (city), Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the cou ...
ruled that the power company
BKK had to pay 80 million
NOK
Nok is a village in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site.
Archaeology
The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, of which these ...
for the moving of power lines, and could not charge the costs to the project. By June 2008, the first tracks had been laid.
Four companies bid for the initial public service obligation to operate the line:
Fjord1 Partner
Keolis Norge is the Norwegian subsidiary of Keolis, holding the contract to operate the Bergen Light Rail and the Bergen Sentrum bus contract for Skyss.
History
The company was established in 2008 as ''Fjord1 Partner AS'', a joint venture betwee ...
,
Norges Statsbaner
Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach s ...
,
Tide Bane and
Veolia Transport Norge. On 3 April 2009, the public transport agency Skyss announced that Fjord1 Partner, a joint venture between
Fjord1
Fjord1 ASA is a Norwegian transport conglomerate, one of the largest in the Norwegian transport sector. Formed in 2001, company headquarters are in Florø, with the headquarters of the ferry division in Molde. It operates a fleet of environmental ...
AS and
Keolis
Keolis is a multinational transportation company that operates public transport systems. The company manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus and funicular services.
Based ...
, had won the tender competition. Fjord1 Partner received 324 applications for their 26 jobs as drivers and 10 jobs as traffic controllers. In 2014 Fjord1 AS sold their shares in Fjord1 Partner to Keolis, and the company changed its name to Keolis Norge AS.
Along with the establishment of the light rail service, the public transport in Bergen underwent other changes. Skyss was established in 2007 to administer the public transport system, manage routes and market public transport, which would be operated by private companies based on public service obligations. At the same time, a new electronic ticketing system was introduced.
Because of delays from Stadler's subcontractors, five instead of eight trams were available when the line opened on 22 June 2010. Skyss had planned to operate with a ten-minute headway until August, but had a 15-minute headway until 16 August. To compensate, none of the parallel bus routes ceased until then. On 7 June, two trams collided at low speed at Byparken, causing a
derailment
In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially ...
and forced the two trams to be repaired. This caused the summer schedule to be reduced to a 30-minute headway. From 1 November, the line started running every six minutes during the rush hour. On 22 June, the first part of the line was officially opened by
Queen Sonja of Norway
Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V.
Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relations ...
.
Route
![InndalsveienBrannStadionStasjon 31oktober2009 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/InndalsveienBrannStadionStasjon_31oktober2009_1.jpg)
The first part of the line is and runs from the city center to Nesttun. The northernmost part of the line,
Byparken Terminal, is a
transit mall
A transit mall is a street, or set of streets, in a city or town along which automobile traffic is prohibited or greatly restricted and only public transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians are permitted.
Transit malls are instituted by communi ...
at the heart of the city center and has interchange with all buses serving the city center. The line runs south along Kaigaten, with
Nonneseter stop serving the railway station and
Bystasjonen serving
the bus station. Southwards, the line runs in a grass right-of-way through
Nygård and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, serving the campus of the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
. The line passes over Nygård Bridge before coming to
Danmarks plass, the only island platform on the system. In this area, the track is on maize, a type of surface that allows emergency vehicles to drive safely, but makes the surface look unsafe for cars.
The line passes the depot at
Kronstad before reaching
Kronstad stop, almost at the door of the
Bergen University College
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences () or HVL is a Norwegian public institution of higher education, established in January 2017 through the merging of formerly independent colleges across five campuses: Bergen, Førde, Haugesund, Sog ...
. From here, the line follows Inndalsveien, where
Brann Stadion
Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies south of the city centre, at the foot of Mount Ulriken.
The record attendance dat ...
stop serves the
Brann Stadion
Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies south of the city centre, at the foot of Mount Ulriken.
The record attendance dat ...
football venue.
Wergeland is at the mouth of the
Fageråstunnelen, S-shaped with a 6.0% gradient and a curve radius of . From the southern portal the line changes to conventional railway track with
ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
, allowing trams to operate at . The next stops are
Sletten Sletten is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Finn Sletten (born 1952), Norwegian jazz musician
* Iver Sletten (born 1974), Norwegian footballer
* Jakob Hveding Sletten (1872–1936), Norwegian priest and musician
*Klaus Sletten ( ...
,
Slettebakken
Slettebakken is a neighborhood in the borough of Årstad in Bergen. It has approximately 7,514 residents and covers 112 km² of land and 0.04 km² of freshwater. The neighborhood is bordered by Minde to the west, Kronstad to the north, Landå ...
and
Fantoft, the later serving a large complex of student dormitories. Southwards is the
Fantoft Tunnel
Fantoft is a neighborhood of the district of Årstad in Bergen, Norway. This includes Slettebakken church, Fantoft, Slettebakken and Øvre Nattland with a total of 4097 inhabitants and 0.8 km² of land, and 0.1 km² fresh water. The area lies to ...
, followed by
Paradis stop. The line continues along the
Nesttunvannet inlet to
Hop
A hop is a type of jump.
Hop or hops may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film
* Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel
* ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom
* Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...
, along the former right-of-way of Bergen's first motorway.
Nesttun Terminal was the terminus until the extension to Lagunen was finished.
After the completion to Nesttun, the line was extended southwards to Rådal at
Lagunen Storsenter
Lagunen Storsenter is a shopping center located in the borough Fana in Bergen, Norway. It is one of the largest shopping centres in Norway and in 2002, it was the fifth largest shopping facility in Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: ...
. Construction began in January 2011, on its own right-of-way parallel to the existing road;,
the track was completed in October 2012. The first test run to Lagunen was conducted on 6 December 2012, and the line was opened to the public on 22 June 2013.
![BybanenInndalsveien](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/BybanenInndalsveien.jpg)
The light rail is now connected from Lagunen via
Kokstad
Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, as it i ...
to Bergen Airport, Flesland. Both Sørås and Indre Steinsvik have experienced rapid housing construction without a corresponding increase of public transport. Further out is a large corporate center with many of Bergen's largest employers, such as
Telenor
Telenor ASA ( or ) is a Norwegian majority state-owned multinational telecommunications company headquartered at Fornebu in Bærum, close to Oslo. It is one of the world's largest mobile telecommunications companies with operations worldwide, ...
,
Equinor
Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. I ...
and BKK. The area was built without sufficient roads or public transport, and has among the worst road congestion in the urban area. Building the light rail line to Flesland supplements the airport shuttles and offer cheaper service for locals and employees at the airport. Another incentive to build to Flesland was that there was sufficient available land which allows a large depot to be constructed. After the line was opened to Lagunen, there was insufficient space at Kronstad to house additional trams.
The line to the airport opened in 2017.
Plans
Plans for the expansion northwards from the city center to Åsane involve either building the system to replace many of the local buses operating in
Sandviken
Sandviken is a locality and the seat of Sandviken Municipality in Gävleborg County, Sweden with 39,234 inhabitants in 2019. It is situated about 25 km west of Gävle and lies approximately 190 km north of Stockholm. The rail journey t ...
, or make the light rail line an express service. If the latter is chosen, the line will bypass
Bryggen
Bryggen (''the dock''), also known as Tyskebryggen (, ''the German dock''), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO
...
in a tunnel and make few stops before Åsane. An important stop mid-way is the
Norwegian School of Economics
The Norwegian School of Economics ( no, Norges Handelshøyskole) or NHH is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. It was founded in 1936 as Norway's first business school and is a leading teaching and research institution in the fields of ...
. The terminus will probably be
Åsane Senter
Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre.
Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...
or Nyborg; the former shopping center has set aside areas for a station. At Åsane, a major bus terminal would allow connections to the northern parts of Bergen, suburbs further north and areas in
Nordhordland
Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Austr ...
. An important political argument for prioritizing this line is to spread out the investments to all parts of the city, since the line is being financed by taxpayers and car-users throughout the city.
![SlettebakkenBybanen3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/SlettebakkenBybanen3.jpg)
The third expansion runs from the city center southwards, east of the Center–Nesttun Line, serving
Haukeland University Hospital. It then heads west, intersecting with the first line at Kronstad, runs through a tunnel before serving the areas of
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consist ...
. The line uses parts of the
Norwegian National Rail Administration
The Norwegian National Rail Administration ( no, Jernbaneverket) was a government agency responsible for owning, maintaining, operating and developing the Norwegian railway network, including the track, stations, classification yards, traffic m ...
's right of way from the city center to Kronstad, and features a station under the hospital, which is Western Norway's largest work place. The extension to
Fyllingsdalen
Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consist ...
opened on 21 November 2022.
It is not planned an extension to
Loddefjord
Loddefjord is an urban settlement in the borough of Laksevåg in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which co ...
and Storavatnet from Fyllingsdalen at this time because the time of travel will be much higher than the direct bus line using the highway to the city center.
A project group with members of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and the National Rail Administration have proposed that instead of rebuilding the Ulriken Tunnel to double track, a new double-track light rail tunnel could be built from the city center to
Arna. This would allow the light rail line to replace the two-station
Bergen Commuter Rail service, and give better access to the city center for people from Arna. Several politicians, including the majority in
Hordaland County Council, have stated that in the long run they want the light rail line extended northwards to
Knarvik
Knarvik (or Knarrviki) is the administrative centre of the municipality of Alver in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the mainland, about straight north of Bergen at the confluence of four fjords: Osterfjorden (heading east), ...
and westwards to
Straume and
Kleppestø
Kleppestø is the administrative centre of the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern coast of the island of Askøy. The village of Florvåg lies just north of Kleppestø and the village of S ...
.
Operation
![Nonnesaeter-station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Nonnesaeter-station.jpg)
The building of the line is the responsibility of Bybanen Utbygging, which is an agency within Hordaland County. The physical infrastructure and trams are owned by Bybanen AS, a
limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
wholly owned by Hordaland County. This company is responsible for maintenance of the right-of-way and the vehicles, and for extensions. Light rail operations are based on contracts granted after public tender competitions held by Skyss, a county agency that administers all public transport in
Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...
, including buses, boats and ferries. From 2010 to 2017, with the possibility for a two-year extension, the line will be operated by Keolis Norge AS. Stadler has the responsibility for maintenance of the trams for the first seven years, as part of the purchase contract.
The line is operated on a four/five-minute headway by all-stops trams, with an eight-minute headway in off-peak times and a 20 minutes headway at night. Travel time from Byparken to Lagunen is 32 minutes.
In 2022, the full price of a single ticket is NOK 40. Tickets are valid with free transfer to buses in Bergen.
Rolling stock
![Bybanevogn201 leveres på Kronstad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Bybanevogn201_leveres_p%C3%A5_Kronstad.jpg)
In 2007, the Planning Office ordered 12 Variobahn trams from
Stadler Rail
Stadler Rail is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams. It is also focused on niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock ...
, with an additional four on option. The first tram arrived on 7 December 2009, and was used for testing in the months leading up to the opening. Before the opening, three more trams were in place. The trams are long and wide, weighing . They have five articulated sections, and are expandable with another two modules to a length of , should higher capacity be necessary. All stations are built for extended trams.
There is a slightly elevated driver's cab at each end. Eight motors provide a total of for three bogies. This allows a maximum speed of , limited to in city streets and in the depots. Acceleration is 1.25 m/s
2 (4.13 ft/s
2), and they are capable of operating on a 7.0%
gradient
In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
. Current is collected via a pantograph, at 750 volts
direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...
. Each tram is sufficiently powerful to haul another unit in case of emergencies.
Capacity is for 212 passengers, of which 84 can sit four abreast. The entire tram is
step-free, including between the cars and the platforms. Seats are designed for travel times up to 60 minutes. There are four
slide and plug doors on each side; three are double, with a total width of , while the last is a single door. Stop buttons are only available at the doors; this has been chosen to speed alighting times. Between the seats there is a minimum width of , which allows wheelchair and buggy access along the full length of the car. All stations are announced visually and orally. The trams have
wireless Internet access.
All stations are announced with a short distinctive melody and the station's name. The melodies were composed by
Snorre Valen
Snorre Serigstad Valen (born 16 September 1984 in Oslo) is a Norwegian journalist, musician and former politician from the Socialist Left Party. He served as an MP in the Storting from Sør-Trøndelag from 2009 to 2017, and deputy leader of th ...
, while the voice was recorded by Heidi Lambach.
Currently there are 34 Variobahn trams in operation.
Infrastructure
![DanmarksplassBybanespor](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/DanmarksplassBybanespor.jpg)
The system is
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
with -wide cars, with the platforms built to allow long trams. The line has no terminal
balloon loop
A balloon loop, turning loop, or reversing loop ( North American Terminology) allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains.
Bal ...
s, so trams must be bi-directional.
The current is supplied from six
rectifier
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The reverse operation (converting DC to AC) is performed by an Power ...
s, specified so the system can operate with two rectifiers out of service. In the city center the overhead wire has been designed to minimize the number of poles, while in the suburban areas a conventional system has a carrier wire above the power wire.
The line is double track, allowing visual signaling and speed adjustment on all at-grade stretches. In city streets S60 track is used; on private right-of-way, S49 track. The minimum curve radius is and tracks in city streets are laid within a rubber jacket to reduce noise. In the tunnels, only one tram can operate in each direction; this is regulated by lights and an
automatic Train Protection
Automatic train protection (ATP) is a type of train protection system which continually checks that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects. If it is ...
system. Signaling uses the German
BOStrab system, not traditional Norwegian light signals. The line has traffic signal preemption, so the trams send a signal to the traffic light control when the driver starts the door-closing signal to give the tram priority at traffic lights.
The depot is at Kronstad, at a former yard used by the
Norwegian State Railways
Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach se ...
, where a track that connects the light rail network to the Bergen Line. The depot was finished in 2009, and has room for 16 trams plus a workshop with space for two trams and a garage with place for three. There is sufficient area for further expansion, but tracks have not been laid. When the light rail line is expanded to Flesland, a new main depot is planned in an area with cheaper land, and Kronstad depot will be converted to a pure overnighting facility.
Stations
![BybanenBrannStadion1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/BybanenBrannStadion1.jpg)
Fifteen stations were built for the first stage, and five for the second stage. The stations and the visual profile of the system as a whole are designed by the Bergen-based design groups Cubus and Fuggi Baggi Design, and
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
-based Kontrapunkt. The stations of the first two stages are at street level, with facilities for buying tickets and dynamic displays that show when the next tram will arrive. The platforms have step-free access to the trams, allowing unhindered accessibility by wheelchairs and
perambulators.
The municipal government has permitted denser development around the stations, where it wants most new housing and commercial property to be built. Development projects for Slettebakken, Wergeland, Paradis and Lagunen have been announced by private developers. Many of the stations are in primarily residential areas, and the projects have met resistance from residents who fear that the character of their neighborhoods will be altered.
References
External links
Official site
{{good article
Tram transport in Bergen
Light rail in Norway
Railway lines opened in 2010
2010 establishments in Norway
Hordaland County Municipality
750 V DC railway electrification