Sporveien Oslo AS is a
municipally owned public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
operator 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 ...
,
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 the ...
. It operates the trackage and maintains the stock of the
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, w ...
and
Oslo Tramway
The Oslo tram network ( no, Trikken i Oslo, short from ', 'electric') is the tram system in Oslo, Norway. It consists of six lines with 99 stops and has a daily ridership of 132,000. It is operated by , a subsidiary of the municipally-owned who ...
, as well as owning eight operating subsidiaries. In 2005, its 2,365 employees transported 160 million passengers 710 million kilometers, and since 2008 it has operated on contract with the public transport authority
Ruter.
Operation
Sporveien is itself responsible for the rail infrastructure in Oslo. The Oslo Metro is operated by the subsidiary
Sporveien T-banen
Sporveien T-banen AS is a limited company that is responsible for operating Oslo Metro ( no, Oslo T-bane), the rapid transit in Oslo, Norway. The company is owned by Sporveien, which is owned by the city council. Sporveien operates on a contract w ...
while the Oslo Tramway is operated by the subsidiary
Sporveien Trikken
Sporveien Trikken AS, formerly Oslo Sporvognsdrift AS and Oslotrikken AS, is the company that operates the Oslo Tramway in Oslo, Norway. Sporveien Trikken is owned by Sporveien, which is again owned by the city council and has an operating contrac ...
. Some of the city buses are operated by the subsidiaries
Sporveisbussene and
UniBuss, though these are subject to
public service obligation contracts with
Ruter.
The responsibility for maintenance and infrastructure is in the hands of the parent company. In addition to the operational subsidiaries of the company, Sporveien also owns three other subsidiaries. AS Sporvognsannonsene is responsible for sale of
advertisement on the buses and rails. This company cooperates with
JCDecaux
Decaux Group (JCDecaux SA, ) is a multinational corporation based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, known for its bus-stop advertising systems, billboards, public bicycle rental systems, and street furniture. It is the largest outdoor ...
, and in 2005 it sold for . Sporveien T-banen AS is responsible for the purchase of the new
MX3000 cars, while Sporveisbilletter AS is developing the new ticket system.
There are currently major revisions to the infrastructure, paid in part by the city's surrounding
toll roads in addition to public funding, upgrading the metro system for NOK 7 billion, known as the
Oslo Package 2 The Oslo Package 2 ( no, Oslopakke 2) or O2 is a political agreement for financing investments in public transport in Oslo and Akershus, Norway. The program ran from 2001 to 2011, and includes many large and small investments in railways, the Oslo ...
. A new
RFID ticketing system,
Flexus with automatic
turnstile
A turnstile (also called a turnpike, gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce one-way human traffic. In addition, a ...
barriers will (after major delays) be introduced sometime, though announcements of immediate installations have been occurring since the late 1990s, and there will be a major upgrade of the
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
with new electric multiple units from
Siemens in Austria and Germany, MX3000, which will be delivered between 2006 and 2010.
In 2021 Sporveien announced that they are ordering new Subway cars, called the M4000, that will travel across the entire subway network with the MX3000. It is still unclear how the cars will look like.
History
The first
tram
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 are ...
ways in Oslo were created by
Kristiania Sporveisselskab
A/S Kristiania Sporveisselskab or KSS, nicknamed the Green Tramway ( no, Grønntrikken), was an operator of part of the Oslo Tramway from 1875 to 1924. The company was established in 1874 and started with horsecar operations on the Ullevål Hageb ...
(the Green trams) in 1875 when it opened a
horsecar
A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar.
Summary
The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, w ...
line between Stortorvet and Homansbyen. In 1894 the company
Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei
A/S Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei or KES, nicknamed the Blue Tramway ( no, Blåtrikken), was a company which operated part of the Oslo Tramway between 1894 and 1924. It built a network of four lines in Western Oslo, the Briskeby Line and the Frog ...
(the Blue trams) opened a line between
Jernbanetorget
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 Grønland ...
via
Briskeby to
Majorstuen
Majorstuen is a particularly affluent neighbourhood in the Frogner borough in the inner part of Oslo, Norway.
Majorstuen is known for its vibrant downtown and especially its shopping area. The area has several elegant townhouses c. 1880–1890. T ...
with a
branch line
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industr ...
to
Skarpsno
Skarpsno is a neighborhood in Frogner borough in Oslo, Norway. The area is located near Frognerkilen. Skarpsno was a former ferry landing site with traffic to Bygdøy, and a storage yard for timber. It is served by the tram station Skarpsno (s ...
. This was
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
s first electric tram company.
A/S Holmenkollbanen was created in 1898 and operated the first suburban line between Majorstuen and
Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen () is a mountain and a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It goes up to above sea level and is well-known for its international skiing competitions.
Overview
In addition to being a residential area, the are ...
. In 1899 the city established its own tram company that expanded the routes of the Green trams after they transferred to
electrical propulsion. This company was taken over by the Green trams in 1905. Holmenkollbanen opened the first
subway in Scandinavia in 1928 between Majorstuen and
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 ...
.
The municipal A/S Kristiania Sporveier was created in 1924 when the concession for the Blue and Green trams expired. The company changed its name to A/S Oslo Sporveier a year later when the city changed its name from
Kristiania
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 ...
to Oslo. In 1940 Oslo Sporveier set up the
Oslo trolleybus network, a network of four
trolleybus
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 ...
routes, but it was abandoned in 1967. In 1966
Lokaltrafikkhistorisk Forening was created to take care of defunct material from Oslo Sporveier.
Oslo T-bane, the Oslo Metro, opened in 1966, at the time making Oslo the smallest city in the world with 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 ...
. But it was not until 1993 that the western and eastern networks in the city were connected, and in 2006 the
T-bane circle route opened. The company ordered 99 new metro cars from Siemens in 2003. Since the late 1990s the company has been under a constant reorganization, including the creation of a
corporate structure A typical corporate structure consists of various departments that contribute to the company's overall mission and goals. Common departments include Marketing, Finance, Operations management, Human Resource, and IT. These five divisions represent ...
and the separation of production and ordering into two separate companies, as well as
privatization
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
of operations.
On 1 July 2006,
Oslo Sporveier
AS Oslo Sporveier is a defunct municipal owned company responsible for public transport in Oslo, Norway. It was created in 1924 to take over the city's two private tram companies. In 1927 its started with bus transport, including from 1940 to 19 ...
changed their name to Kollektivtransportproduksjon. The name Oslo Sporveier was taken over by a new administrative company for public transportation in Oslo, the
Oslo Public Transport Administration, which later merged with
Stor-Oslo Lokaltrafikk to form
Ruter from 2008.
The organization structure was largely the brainchild of
Peter N. Myhre
Peter Nicolai Myhre (born 29 November 1954) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party.
Early life and career
Myhre is the son of tobacco merchant Gunnar Peter Myhre (1909–1975) and Gunhild Nordlid (1914–2004). He married Marie Franço ...
, former Councilor for Transport of the
Progress Party. Kollektivtransportproduksjon is organized as a
concern, with six subsidiaries four business units as well as sister companies. A report published by Rokade in January 2011, claimed that the company wasted NOK 55 million per year on unnecessary administration because of the structure. In particular, the consulting group found that the judicial independence of the various companies made it necessary for the group to employ a considerable number of specialists in each of the companies—some of which are very small—with the sole purpose of checking the other companies. The report concluded that this also made for unclear lines of responsibility, which could be a safety risk, and that the company could be able to remove 60 administrative positions if it were better organized.
On 7 May 2013, Kollektivtransportproduksjon changed their name again to Sporveien Oslo, not to be confused with what is now
Ruter. In December 2013, the subsididiaries
Oslotrikken and
Oslo T-banedrift
Sporveien T-banen AS is a limited company that is responsible for operating Oslo Metro ( no, Oslo T-bane), the rapid transit in Oslo, Norway. The company is owned by Sporveien, which is owned by the city council. Sporveien operates on a contract w ...
changed their names and brands to reflect that of Sporveien, with the two new names being
Sporveien Trikken
Sporveien Trikken AS, formerly Oslo Sporvognsdrift AS and Oslotrikken AS, is the company that operates the Oslo Tramway in Oslo, Norway. Sporveien Trikken is owned by Sporveien, which is again owned by the city council and has an operating contrac ...
and
Sporveien T-banen
Sporveien T-banen AS is a limited company that is responsible for operating Oslo Metro ( no, Oslo T-bane), the rapid transit in Oslo, Norway. The company is owned by Sporveien, which is owned by the city council. Sporveien operates on a contract w ...
.
References
External links
Sporveien Trikken (tram)Sporveisbussene (bus)Oslofergene (ferries)Fare and timetable informationInformation about SIS, the new real-time traffic management system in OsloTram Travels: Sporveien trikken
{{Authority control
Holding companies of Norway
Companies owned by municipalities of Norway
Oslo Sporveier
Railway companies of Norway
Transport companies of Oslo
Companies based in Oslo
Public transport in Oslo
Railway companies established in 2006
2006 establishments in Norway
Oslo Municipality