 Bærumsbanen tram atJar in 1935 | |
Native name | A/S Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei Bærumsbanen |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessors | Kristiania Sporveisselskab Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei |
| Founded | 1924 (1924) inOslo, Norway |
| Defunct | 1 July 1971; 53 years ago (1971-07-01) |
| Fate | Merger withOslo Sporveier |
Area served | Oslo, Norway |
| Owner | Oslo Sporveier |
A/S Bærumsbanen was atram company that operated theLillaker-,Kolsås andØstensjø Line of theOslo Tramway,Norway, from 1924 to 1971 when the company became part ofOslo Sporveier.
In 1924 the two street tram operators inOslo,Kristiania Sporveisselskab andKristiania Elektriske Sporvei, were taken over by the municipal ownedOslo Sporveier. The final part of theSkøyen Line, from Skøyen toLillaker was a suburban tramway located in the neighboring municipality ofAker, and the Municipality of Oslo was not interested in taking over it. Therefore the owner reorganized itself toA/S Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei Bærumsbanen (KES-BB), though changing their name to just A/S Bærumsbanen in 1935 after Oslo Sporveier bought 25% of the company on 1 October 1934.[1]
The new company immediately started expanding the Lilleaker Line, first toBekkestua and then toHaslum—establishing a depot atAvløs at the same time. The final extension of the line occurred on 1 January 1930 toKolsås. From 4 January 1937 Bærumsbanen took over the operation of theØstensjø Line on the east side of Oslo, that was owned by the municipalAkersbanerne—allowing the company to operate through services fromOppsal to Kolsås.[1]
To shorten travel time on the outer part of the Lilleaker Line, the company received permission in 1938 build a line fromJar toSørbyhaugen on theRøa Line, allowing the trains to use theCommon Tunnel shared by the other suburban lines in the west to quickly reach the city center at the underground station atNationaltheatret. This opened on 15 June 1942—at the same time the Oppsal route was limited to running to Jar.[1] On 1 October 1944 Oslo Sporveier bought the whole company, but not until 1 July 1971 did they fully merge.[2]
