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Oslo Central Station ( no, Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with
Jernbanetorget station Jernbanetorget is both a rapid transit station on the Oslo Metro and a tram stop of the Oslo Tramway. The metro station is in the Common Tunnel used by all lines under the city centre. It is located between Stortinget to the west and Grønlan ...
. It's the terminus of Drammen Line, Gardermoen Line,
Gjøvik Line The Gjøvik Line ( no, Gjøvikbanen) is a Norwegian railway line between Oslo and Gjøvik. It was originally named the North Line (''Nordbanen'') and ran between Grefsen and Røykenvik. The line was completed to Gjøvik in 1902. The Gjøvik ...
,
Hoved Line In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each cli ...
,
Østfold Line The Østfold Line ( no, Østfoldbanen) is a railway line which runs from Oslo through the western parts of Follo and Østfold to Kornsjø in Norway. It continues through Sweden as the Norway/Vänern Line. The northern half is double track and ...
and
Follo Line The Follo Line ( no, Follobanen) is a high-speed railway between Oslo and Ski, Norway. The line runs parallel to the Østfold Line, and is dimensioned for . Most of the line, , runs in a twin-tube tunnel named the Blix Tunnel, which is the l ...
. It serves express, regional and local rail services by four companies. The railway station is operated by
Bane NOR Bane NOR SF, formerly Jernbaneinfrastrukturforetaket (English: ''Railway Infrastructure Company''), is the Norwegian government agency responsible for owning, maintaining, operating and developing the Norwegian railway network, including the tra ...
while its real estate subsidiary,
Bane NOR Eiendom Bane NOR Eiendom is a subsidiary of Bane NOR responsible for managing the commercial sections of the company's real estate. With headquarters in Oslo, the company manages of space. The vast majority of this is in or in connection with railway ...
owns the station, and was opened in 1980. Oslo Central Station was built on the site of the older Oslo East Station (', ), the combining of the former east and west stations being made possible by the opening of the Oslo Tunnel. Oslo Central Station has 19 tracks, 13 of which have connections through the Oslo Tunnel. The station has two buildings, the original Oslo East building and the newer main building for Oslo Central. Each building houses a large shopping centre. The square in front of the station is called Jernbanetorget.


History


Two stations

When the first railway line, ''
Hovedbanen In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each clie ...
'', was built between Oslo and
Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...
in 1854, the terminus in Oslo was constructed as an ad-hoc solution located at Gamlebyen. Alternate sites included Youngstorget,
Grünerløkka Grünerløkka is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. Grünerløkka became part of the city of Oslo (then Christiania) in 1858. Grünerløkka was traditionally a working class district; however, since the late 20th century the area has increasi ...
and Vaterland Bridge. In 1852 an architectural competition was held, and a plan based on
Crown Street Station Crown Street Station was a passenger railway terminal station on Crown Street, Liverpool, England. The station was the world's first intercity passenger station, opening in 1830, also being the railway terminal station for Liverpool. Used for p ...
in Liverpool won. The station was located east of the river
Akerselva Akerselva or Akerselven ( en, Aker River) is a river which flows through Oslo. It starts at Maridalsvannet in Oslomarka, and traverses the boroughs of Nordre Aker, Sagene, Grünerløkka, central Oslo and Grønland, whereby it finally ends a ...
, but could not serve as a permanent solution, as it was close to neither the city centre nor the port. In 1859 the freight section of the station was expanded with the purchase of land between Loelva and the port, and part of
Bjørvika Bjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akershus Fortress. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been unde ...
. From the beginning, rail traffic increased, especially after the expansion of the Trunk Line to
Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lak ...
in 1862, and the opening of the Kongsvinger Line in 1865. In 1872 Oslo got its second terminal station, located at
Pipervika Pipervika is a neighborhood in the borough Sentrum in Oslo, Norway. It is located between the Oslofjord, Akershus Fortress and The City Hall Square. Today the term Pipervika is primarily used for the bay between the fortress and Aker Brygge. This ...
near Aker Brygge and the
city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
.
Oslo West Station Oslo West Station ( no, Oslo Vestbanestasjon) or Oslo V, is a former railway station located in Vika in Oslo, Norway. It was the terminus of the Drammen Line between 1872 and 1980, until the Oslo Tunnel opened. The station remained in use until ...
(or Oslo V) was built to allow the then narrow-gauged Drammen Line between
Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as Konne ...
and Oslo to terminate in downtown Oslo. The two stations were located about 2 km apart and were not connected by rail until 1907 when the
Oslo Port Line The Oslo Port Line ( no, Havnebanen i Oslo) is an abandoned Norwegian railway that went between the two main railway stations in Oslo, Oslo Østbanestasjon and Oslo Vestbanestasjon. The line was long, single track, but not electrified. The ...
was built. There had been discussions about building a central station to connect the Drammen Line with the eastern station, but this idea involved building it via Majorstuen and Grefsen. Oslo V always remained a secondary railway station in Oslo, since it mostly served local traffic to
Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Ha ...
,
Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
and
Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered ...
in addition to the
Sørland Line Sørland is a Seaside resort, fishing village and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the islan ...
.


A new East Line Station

The year after the western station opened, in 1873, the Norwegian legislature, the
Storting 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 ...
, decided to build a new railway from Kornsjø at the Swedish border through
Østfold Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden ( Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other s ...
to Oslo, the Smaalenene Line (now the
Østfold Line The Østfold Line ( no, Østfoldbanen) is a railway line which runs from Oslo through the western parts of Follo and Østfold to Kornsjø in Norway. It continues through Sweden as the Norway/Vänern Line. The northern half is double track and ...
). Traffic at the station was expected to explode due to this railway and it was decided that a new station had to be built. The engineers within NSB (now Vy) wanted to locate this new station west of the river Akerselva, between Jernbanetorget and
Bjørvika Bjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akershus Fortress. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been unde ...
. But a conflict arose between
Carl Abraham Pihl Carl Abraham Pihl (16 January 1825 – 14 September 1897) was a Norwegian civil engineer and director of the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) from 1865 until his death. Pihl was one of the main architects of the use of narrow-gauge railways in Nor ...
, who was director of NSB at the time, and the City of Oslo. While Pihl wanted a separate station for the Smaalenene Line, the city wanted to concentrate the stations in one place in Oslo. The engineers insisted on moving the station closer to the city. The architect Georg Andreas Bull drafted four plans for a new station with nine tracks over the river Akerselva. In 1878 the legislature decided to build the smallest suggested station—with only seven tracks over the river, claiming that the station was oversized. Oslo East Station (', ') opened in 1882.


Committee after committee

But it was soon recognized that the station was too small. The population of Oslo doubled to 150,000 between 1875 and 1890 and from the opening of the station to 1890, the traffic increased from 400,000 passengers annually to more than a million. The most critical part was the freight section, where the trains had to partially use the main railway for switching. One of the proposed solutions was to build the line from Østfold on a
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
into the station and elevate it on a level above the other tracks. Another problem arose in 1893, when it had to be decided where the new
Gjøvik Line The Gjøvik Line ( no, Gjøvikbanen) is a Norwegian railway line between Oslo and Gjøvik. It was originally named the North Line (''Nordbanen'') and ran between Grefsen and Røykenvik. The line was completed to Gjøvik in 1902. The Gjøvik ...
was to terminate. Some suggested a station at Grefsen with one line to Oslo East and one via Majorstuen to Oslo West. The Storting decided in 1895 that the Gjøvik Line was to be built to Oslo East. To start the expansion of the station, the Storting announced a competition in 1896, which was won by Sam Eyde. His plan was to move the freight section away from the passenger sections to Lodalen. The plan was put to the Storting in 1899, and with 70 against 39 votes, the new station was delayed because of the high projected costs. A committee was appointed to look at other possible solutions. The committee split in its final decision, but both factions agreed that a new railway had to be built between the two stations, and proposed a line past the city hall in a tunnel under
Akershus Fortress Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress ...
. But again the plan was weakened by the Storting and the only construction to take place was new extensions of the Smaalenene Line and Gjøvik Line and some minor changes to the freight section. The new
Oslo Port Line The Oslo Port Line ( no, Havnebanen i Oslo) is an abandoned Norwegian railway that went between the two main railway stations in Oslo, Oslo Østbanestasjon and Oslo Vestbanestasjon. The line was long, single track, but not electrified. The ...
that connected the two stations opened in 1907. Another committee was created in 1938 to work out plans for a central station. This was the first project to propose a tunnel under the entire city that would branch off from the Drammen Line before Oslo West. The committee proposed two plans, one where all traffic was directed to the new central station and one where the suburban traffic went to Oslo West. It also considered construction of a line north of the city via Grefsen to Oslo East, but this was not recommended. The proposed tunnel below the city was to be 1,660 metres long. The plan also included a twelve-story building for NSB's administration at the station, which at the time was spread around at 14 different locations in the city. The committee delivered its report on 7 December 1939 to the
Norwegian Ministry of Labour The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs ( no, Arbeids- og sosialdepartementet) is a Norway, Norwegian Ministry (government department), ministry established in 1916. It is responsible for the Labour (economics), labour market, the ...
.


Wartime and change of plans

In 1940 after the German invasion of Norway in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
the German puppet government in Norway took over control of transport planning and created the Tøyen Project in 1942. The plan involved dismantling both Oslo V and Oslo Ø and building a new central station at
Tøyen Tøyen is a residential area in the central parts of Oslo, Norway, part of the borough of Gamle Oslo. Location There are two different stations which carry the name Tøyen. Tøyen Railway Station is located on the Gjøvik Line, while Tøyen T ...
. The idea was to convert all suburban transport to diesel buses while trains were to be responsible for long-distance transport. Tram and commuter train services were to be abandoned and the area freed was to be converted to freeways, so it became less important to have the main train stations centrally located in the city. Both the committee and NSB rejected the project. During the war the German forces exploited the railway network and rolling stock, and by the end of the war the entire railway system was worn out. In 1946 the Planning Office for the Central Station was created, led by
Egil Sundt Egil Sundt (23 September 1903 – 6 September 1950) was a Norwegian lawyer and government official who served as director of several national agencies. Egil Kaare Sundt was born in Kristiania (Now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Othar Sund ...
. This committee announced an architecture contest for a new central station, and the ''Green Light'' plan by
John Engh John Engh (5 June 1915 – 5 December 1996) was a Norway, Norwegian architect, most known for his innovative work in stone and concrete. Engh was born in New York City. He was the son of Adolf Abel Engh (1884-1941) and Anna Madsine Hald (1888-1 ...
won. The planning office started construction based on the 1938 committee's work, and expanded the Alnabru Railway Yard in parallel with the new station. The office presented plans which would take 15 years to implement. One of the greatest obstacles was the location of the tunnel under the city. NSB wanted a straight line for quick transport, but complex geological conditions in Oslo, including large areas of
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...
, prevented this. The plans originally included a station at
Oslo City Hall Oslo City Hall ( no, Oslo rådhus) is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between ...
, but a more northerly line was chosen that would be 1,802 meters long. Introduced in 1952, shepherding the plans through the Storting proved difficult. In 1959 the plans were again revised and in 1960 a new committee was created, which suggested building a third line between Grefsen and Bestun for freight trains to connect between the eastern and western lines. It also felt that the tunnel should be expanded westward and terminate somewhere between Skarpsno and
Skøyen Skøyen is a neighborhood of Oslo, Norway. It is located in the western part of the city, in the borough of Ullern Ullern is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse ''Ullarin''. The ...
and at the same time close the Oslo Port Line. The new plans were approved by the Storting in 1962.


One station

The new central station was to have the same basic plans as the suggestion that won the contest in 1946, though slightly modified, among other things keeping the old Oslo Ø building. The station was to have 19 tracks, of which 12 were to connect to the Oslo Tunnel. Construction of the new station started in 1979 and in 1980 the Oslo Tunnel could be taken into use. The tunnel got one of the planned stations,
Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christia ...
, while Elisenberg was never built due to lack of funds. Oslo S was taken into use on Sunday, 1 June 1980 and officially opened by King Olav V on Friday, 30 May 1980. Oslo V was closed in 1989, and is now the seat for the Norwegian Nobel Institute. In 1982, one person was killed when a bomb exploded at the station.


Service

Four railway companies offer a combination of express, regional and commuter train service in addition to the Flytoget (Airport Express Train) service. * Express trains are offered to
Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...
,
Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...
,
Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
and
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
in addition to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
in Sweden. Service is provided domestically by Vy using Class 73 units and to Sweden by SJ using X2 units. Day trains are operated three times a day domestically and once to Stockholm. Night trains are also operated to all four cities mentioned before. * Regional trains are operated to
Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...
,
Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munic ...
,
Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten Toten is a traditional district in Innlandet county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten and Vestre ...
,
Halden Halden (), between 1665 and 1928 known as Fredrikshald, is both a town and a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The municipality borders Sarpsborg to the northwest, Rakkestad to the north and Aremark to the east, as well as the Swedish ...
,
Karlstad Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 65,856 inhabitants in 2020 with 95,167 inhabita ...
and
Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
. Service is provided by Vy with Class 70 units (Skien – Lillehammer), Class 73b units (Halden – Gothenburg) and by Vy Gjøvikbanen with Class 75 units to Gjøvik. The Swedish PTA Värmlandstrafik operated by Merresor, using X53 "Regina" units on the Oslo – Karlstad service. * Airport Express Train operates a ten-minute frequency to
Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atl ...
using Class 71 units. This is the only high speed train service in Norway and is operated by Flytoget. * Local trains are operated by Vy and Vy Gjøviksbanen using Class 75 and Class 72 units.


Tracks

There are 19 tracks where passengers can board and leave the trains. The tracks 2–12 have connection to the Oslo Tunnel leading west. All local trains use the tunnel and therefore these tracks. Because of the strict right-hand traffic, in general track 2–7 are used for trains going west, track 7–12 for trains coming from the tunnel going east or south, and tracks 13–19 for trains originating from the station going east or south.


Connections

Oslo S plus Jernbanetorget is Norway's largest transport hub, served by
buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for char ...
,
trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...
and
subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...
. * Connection to all five subway lines can be done through Jernbanetorget subway station * Trams and some city buses stop outside the station at Jernbanetorget * Long-distance bus termini are located 200 metres away at
Oslo Bus Terminal Oslo Bus Terminal ( no, Oslo bussterminal) is the main bus station serving Oslo, Norway. It is connected to Grønland station. Also known as Oslo Bussterminal. Owned by Vaterland AS it is located beside Oslo Central Station and serves local bu ...


References


External links


Bane NOR's entry on Oslo Central Station

NSB's entry on Oslo Central

Flytoget's entry on Oslo Central

Norsk Jernbaneklubb's entry on Oslo Central

Website presenting the Oslo Central Station, shops, restaurants etc
* , - style="text-align: center;" ,
Nationaltheatret The National Theatre in Oslo ( no, Nationaltheatret) is one of Norway's largest and most prominent venues for performance of dramatic arts. History The theatre had its first performance on 1 September 1899 but can trace its origins to Christia ...
, colspan="3" , Drammen Line , ''Terminus'' , - style="text-align: center;" , rowspan="5" , ''Terminus'' , colspan="3" , Gardermoen Line ,
Lillestrøm Lillestrøm is a municipality in Viken county. It is located in the traditional district of Romerike. With a population of 85,757 inhabitants, it is the fourth most populated municipality in Viken. It was founded on 1 January 2020 as a merger b ...
, - style="text-align: center;" , colspan="3" ,
Gjøvik Line The Gjøvik Line ( no, Gjøvikbanen) is a Norwegian railway line between Oslo and Gjøvik. It was originally named the North Line (''Nordbanen'') and ran between Grefsen and Røykenvik. The line was completed to Gjøvik in 1902. The Gjøvik ...
,
Tøyen Tøyen is a residential area in the central parts of Oslo, Norway, part of the borough of Gamle Oslo. Location There are two different stations which carry the name Tøyen. Tøyen Railway Station is located on the Gjøvik Line, while Tøyen T ...
, - style="text-align: center;" , colspan="3" , Trunk Line , Bryn , - style="text-align: center;" , colspan="3" ,
Østfold Line The Østfold Line ( no, Østfoldbanen) is a railway line which runs from Oslo through the western parts of Follo and Østfold to Kornsjø in Norway. It continues through Sweden as the Norway/Vänern Line. The northern half is double track and ...
,
Nordstrand Nordstrand may refer to: Places ;Germany * Nordstrand, Germany, a peninsula in Germany * Nordstrand (Amt), a former municipality in Nordfriesland, Germany ;Norway * Nordstrand, Norway, a borough in Oslo, Norway * Søndre Nordstrand, a borough in ...

Bekkelaget Bekkelaget is a neighborhood in the borough Nordstrand in Oslo, Norway. Originally, Bekkelaget was the maritime area south of Oslo city, in Aker municipality adjacent to the Bunnefjorden. With the opening of the Østfold Line, Bekkelaget station ...
, - style="text-align: center;" , colspan="3" ,
Follo Line The Follo Line ( no, Follobanen) is a high-speed railway between Oslo and Ski, Norway. The line runs parallel to the Østfold Line, and is dimensioned for . Most of the line, , runs in a twin-tube tunnel named the Blix Tunnel, which is the l ...
,
Ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...
{{Flytoget Railway stations in Oslo Railway stations on the Drammen Line Railway stations on the Gardermoen Line Railway stations on the Gjøvik Line Railway stations on the Trunk Line Railway stations on the Østfold Line Railway stations opened in 1854 1854 establishments in Norway Flytoget Gamle Oslo