| Oslo Metro | |
|---|---|
 | |
 MX3000 on theFuruset Line | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | T-banen i Oslo |
| Owner | Sporveien (main owner) Ruter (administration, management and ticketing) Oslo Vognselskap (rolling stock) |
| Locale | Oslo,Bærum, Norway |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 5 in operation 1 under construction |
| Number of stations | 101 |
| Daily ridership | 323,000 (2016) |
| Annual ridership | 118,000,000 (2016)[1] |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 31 May 1898 as suburban tram 28 June 1928 as underground tram 22 May 1966 as T-bane |
| Operator(s) | Sporveien T-banen |
| Rolling stock | 115 × 3-carMX3000 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 85 km (53 mi)[2] |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DCthird rail |
TheOslo Metro (Norwegian:Oslo T-bane orOslo Tunnelbane or simplyT-banen) is therapid transit system ofOslo, Norway, operated bySporveien T-banen on contract from the transit authorityRuter. The network consists of five lines that all run through the city centre, with a total length of 85 kilometres (53 mi),[2] serving 101 stations of which 17 are underground or indoors. In addition to serving 14 out of the 15boroughs of Oslo, two lines run toKolsås andØsterås, in the neighbouring municipality ofBærum. In 2016, the system had an annual ridership of 118 million.[1]
The first rapid transit line, theHolmenkollen Line, opened in 1898, with the branchRøa Line opening in 1912. It became the first Nordic underground rapid transit system in 1928, when the underground line toNationaltheatret was opened. After 1993 trains ran under the city between the eastern and western networks in theCommon Tunnel, followed by the 2006 opening of theRing Line. All the trains are operated withMX3000 stock. These replaced the olderT1000 stock between 2006 and 2010.
Rail transport in Oslo started in 1854, with the opening ofHoved Line to Eidsvoll, throughGroruddalen. In 1872,Drammen Line, going through Oslo West, and in 1879,Østfold Line going throughNordstrand opened, offering a limited rail service to those parts of the city.[3] By 1875,Kristiania Sporveisselskab (KSS) opened the first horsecar trams.[4] In 1894 electric trams were in service byKristiania Elektriske Sporvei (KES).[5]
The first suburban tram line was theHolmenkollen Line that was opened byHolmenkolbanen in 1898; like all the later suburban tram line these were electric trams with a grade-separated right-of-way and proper stations instead of tram stops, making it the first rapid transit in Oslo. Unlike the other suburban tram lines that were built later, the Holmenkollen Line was not extended into the city as a streetcar—instead passengers had to change atMajorstuen to the streetcars, though the system did not take into use wider suburban stock (3.1 metres (10 ft 2 in)) until 1909.[6] A branch line was opened in 1912, toSmestad,[7] and in 1916 the Holmenkollen Line was extended to Tryvann, with the last part fromFrognerseteren single track and used for freight,[8] and removed in 1939.[9]
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In 1912, the construction of the first underground railway in the Nordic Countries started, whenA/S Holmenkolbanen started construction of an extension of their line from Majorstuen toNationaltheatret. The 2.0 kilometres (1.2 mi) line was opened in 1928, with one intermediate station atValkyrie Plass, giving the two suburban lines access to the central business district of Oslo.[10] In retrospect, it is seen as an earlypremetro example.[11] It was the second underground railwayto be opened in the Nordic countries afterBoulevardtunnlen in Copenhagen which opened in July 1918.[12]
The success of the suburban lines tempted KES to extend their streetcar service west fromSkøyen as a suburban line; theLilleaker Line opened toLilleaker in 1919, toAvløs in 1924 and toKolsås in 1930. A new section fromJar toSørbyhaugen opened in 1942, connecting the line from Jar to Kolsås to Nationaltheatret, and making it a rapid transit and the replacement of stock with wide suburban standard.[13][14] This service remained part of the municipalOslo Sporveier, that had bought all the streetcar companies in 1924.[15]
Compensation for large amounts of damage to houses along the route during construction, along with higher construction costs than calculated was a heavy burden on the company, and in 1934, the municipality ofAker took over the common stock, though the preferred stock remained listed on theOslo Stock Exchange until 1975, as Oslo Sporveier gradually took over the operation of the western suburban lines.Akersbanerne opened the connectingSognsvann Line in 1934.[10]
The first idea to launch a citywide rapid transit was launched in 1912 with the construction of theEkeberg Line; constructed with the same width profile as the Holmenkollen Line, the plan was to build a tunnel under the city center and run through trains, but large cost expenditures on the first section of theCommon Tunnel ceased the plans. As part of the rebuilding afterWorld War II a planning office for a T-bane was established in 1949, with the first plans launched in 1951; in 1954, the city council decided to build the T-bane network in Eastern Oslo with four branches. The system would feature improvements over the suburban lines in having athird rail power supply,cab signaling withAutomatic Train Protection, stations long enough for six-car trains andlevel crossings replaced by bridges and underpasses—specifications christened metro standard.[16]
At the time there were two suburban tramways on the east side, the Ekeberg Line (opened in 1919)[5] and theØstensjø Line (1923).[17] Only the latter would be connected to the T-bane; the Ekeberg Line would remain a tramway, but three new lines were to be built—theGrorud Line on the north side and theFuruset Line on the south side ofGroruddalen and theLambertseter Line on the east ofNordstrand. These areas were all chosen as newsuburbs for Oslo, and would quickly need a good public transport system; suburban lines would first be built out extending from the existing tramway, and later a final section with tunnel to the central station would be built. The Lambertseter Line was opened in 1957, fromBrynseng toBergkrystallen while the Østensjø Line was extended toBøler in 1958.[16]
The metro opened on 22 May 1966, when the Common Tunnel opened from Brynseng to the new downtown station ofJernbanetorget, located beside theOslo East Railway Station. In October the Grorud Line opened toGrorud while the Østensjø Line was connected to the system in 1967 when the line also was extended toSkullerud. In 1970, the Furuset Line opened toHaugerud and extended toTrosterud in 1974, at the same time as the Grorud Line was extended toVestli. By 1981, the Furuset Line had reachedEllingsrudåsen.[18] The metro took delivery ofT1000 rolling stock fromStrømmens Værksted; from 1964 to 1978, 162 cars in three-car configurations were delivered for the eastern network.
The eastern network was extended from Jernbanetorget toSentrum in 1977. This station was forced to close in 1983, due to water leakage, and when it opened again in 1987, renamed Stortinget, the west network tunnel had also been extended there. Through services were not possible at the time because of incompatibility of signaling and power equipment. Not until 1993 did the first trains run through the station, after the Sognsvann Line had been rebuilt to "metro standard"; the Røa Line followed in 1995.[19] The Holmenkollen and Kolsås Lines remained non-metro, using dual mode trains that switch tooverhead lines atFrøen andMontebello.[20] The western network took delivery of 33T1300 cars in 1978–81, with an additional 16 converted from T1000. In 1994 twelveT2000 cars were delivered for the Holmenkollen Line.[21]
In 2003 theRing Line opened, connectingUllevål stadion toStoro.[14] The following year, construction work caused a tunnel to collapse on the Grorud Line—the system's busiest—forcing a shutdown of the line until December, and creating a havoc of overcrowded replacement buses.[22] In 2006 the ring was completed, toCarl Berners plass.[14] At the same time the Kolsås Line was closed for upgrade to metro standard.[14] In 2003 the section of the Kolsås Line in Bærum closed due to budget disagreements between the two counties; after a year of unpopular replacementbuses, the line was reopened, only to close again in 2006 for upgrade to metro standard. Disagreements between the two counties meant the upgrade would be done separately on the two sides of the municipal boundary, with the Oslo side opening first.[23] In 2006 the replacement of existing rolling stock with newMX3000 units commenced.[24] The history of the metro and public transport in Oslo is celebrated at theOslo Tramway Museum in Majorstuen.[25]
The current route network was introduced on 3 April 2016, with the opening of the connection tunnel from Økern to Sinsen and the new Løren station.[26] A report published in 2024, assessed the Oslo Metro as the most efficient system out of in total 23 European rapid transit networks.[27]
The Oslo Metro operates in all fifteen boroughs of Oslo, as well as reaching a bit inside the neighbouring municipality ofBærum. There are five lines, numbered 1 to 5, each colour-coded. They all pass through the Common Tunnel, serving eight branch lines. In addition two lines operate to the Ring Line. Two branches are served by two lines each: the Grorud branch is served by both lines 4 and 5, while the Lambertseter branch has full-time service by line 4 and limited service by line 1.[28]
The Grorud and Furuset Line head northeast into Groruddalen, while the other two eastern branches head south into Nordstrand. On the west side, the Holmenkoll and Sognsvann Line cover the northern boroughs of Oslo, along with the Ring Line that connects the northeastern and northwestern parts of town. The Kolsås and Røa Line reach deep into the neighbouring municipality of Bærum.[14] All the lines run through the Common Tunnel before reaching out to different lines, or into the Ring. All lines have a base service of four trains per hour while line 2 and the eastern section of line 3 have eight trains per hour weekdays 07:00–19:00. The eastern section of line 2 also has eight trains per hour Saturdays 10:00–19:00. A reduced half-hourly service operates on all lines during early weekend mornings. Trains run from about 05:00 (06:00 at weekends) to 01:00 the next morning.[28]
| Line 1: Frognerseteren – Stortinget – Helsfyr (– Bergkrystallen) |
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| Line 2: Østerås – Stortinget – Ellingsrudåsen | |
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| Line 3: Kolsås – Stortinget – Mortensrud |
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| Line 4: Vestli – Storo – Stortinget – Bergkrystallen |
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| Line 5: Sognsvann – Stortinget – Storo – Stortinget – Vestli |
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| Line 6: Majorstuen-Skøyen-Lysaker-Fornebu |
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A new metro line that will extend from Majorstuen to Fornebu is under construction as of December 2020,[needs update] aiming to be completed in 2027.[29]
An agreement has been reached and signed between the Oslo city government and the Norwegian state that would share the cost of 13 billion NOK equally between the city and the national government.[30]
| Line 7: Majorstuen-Bislett-Grunerløkka-Tøyen-Helsfyr-Bryn |
|---|
The system consists of 101 stations, of which 17 are underground or indoors.[31][32][33][34] The only underground station on the pre-metro western network was Nationaltheatret, and most of the underground stations are in the common tunnel under the city center, or in shorter tunnel sections on the eastern network; in particular the Furuset Line runs mainly underground, with all butHaugerud built in or at the opening of a tunnel.[35]
Stations in the city center are located close to large employment centers as well as connections to other modes of transport, such as tram, rail and bus. All stations can be identified at ground level by signs with a blue T in a circle. Stations outside the center have been unstaffed since 1995, withticket machines for fare purchase;[14] some stations feature kiosks. A system ofturnstiles has been installed, but there are no plans to activate the turnstiles, due to security issues. All stations have step-freeaccessibility through at least one entrance (except the inbound platform at Frøen), and theplatform height is aligned with the train cars.[36]
The metro is integrated into the public transport system of Oslo andAkershus through theRuter agency, allowing tickets to be also valid on theOslo Tramway, city buses, ferries, and theOslo Commuter Rail operated byVy.[37] A new, wireless ticketing system,Reisekort, has been implemented in recent years.[38] As of June 2022, a single ticket for one zone (the entire metro system is in zone 1) costs NOK 39 for adults (a surcharge of NOK 20 is added if you buy onboard within zone 1);[39] a 30-day ticket costs NOK 814 for adults.[40] This includes all means of public transport within the zone where the ticket is first activated (again, for the metro, zone 1). There is a fine of NOK 950, or NOK 1150, for not having a valid ticket, depending on whether the fine is paid on location or not.[41]
Oslo maintains a street tram system with six lines, of which two aresuburban lines.[42] The street trams operate mostly within the borders of the Ring Line, providing a frequent service in the city centre, with lower average speeds but with more stops. There are major transfer points to the tramway atMajorstuen,Jernbanetorget,Jar,Storo andForskningsparken.[43][44]
The commuter train serves suburbs further away from Oslo, though some of the commuter rail services resemble a rapid transit service, in particular line L1 toLillestrøm andAsker, line L2 toStabekk andSki, and line R31 toJaren with higher service frequency through the contiguous populated area of Oslo. Transfer to railway services is available at Jernbanetorget (toOslo S) andNationaltheatret, the latter with a considerably shorter walk.[45]
Bus services are provided to numerous stations. Most bus services provide a feed into the metro system where possible, and do not then continue into town. However, since the metro operates solely into town, instead of across it, many buses operate between stations on different lines, or provide alternative routes across town.[46]
As part of the political agreementOslo Package 3, a number of changes and expansions have been proposed for the Oslo Metro.[47] Only one of these, the Fornebu Line, is currently being built;[48] the other projects have been put on hold.
The trains on the Oslo metro are currently exclusively theMX3000, ordered in 2003 to replace the oldestT1000. Delivery started in 2006, and unlike older stock the MX3000 units are painted white instead of red. 83 three-car units were ordered in 2006;[24] a further 32 were ordered in December 2010.[53]
A number of versions of the T1000 stock have previously been used on the Oslo metro. This includes 146 cars of the types T1 through T4, which have third-rail only operation, and thus did not run on the Holmenkollen and Kolsås lines. These ran usually in units of three or six (sometimes four or five) cars. Types T5 to T8, 49 in total, delivered with both third-rail and overhead wire equipment, normally ran on the Holmenkollen line (two cars) and the Kolsås line (three cars).[21]
When the Holmenkollen Line was connected to the T-bane it was still using old teak cars; to allow through services theT2000, capable of dual-system running, was delivered in 1993. They were not particularly successful[clarification needed], and only 12 units were delivered, operating in pairs on the Holmenkollen line sometimes connecting with the Lambertseter line, and were scrapped in 2010.[54]
| Line 1 | |
| Line 2 | |
| Line 3 | |
| Line 4 | |
| Line 5 |
The company is notable for toleratingRussian propaganda in support of theRussian invasion of Ukraine on advertising space it owns and sells throughJCDecaux; Oslo's City Government described the Russian propaganda as "garbage."[56][57][58][59] The campaign was ostensibly funded by a newly established pro-Russian party. However, the party has neither reported donations anywhere near the amount required nor disclosed its funding sources, leading to strong suspicions of foreign interference and possible Russian financing.[60] As a result, the Political Parties Act Committee launched an investigation into the campaign.[61] The campaign also drew sharp criticism from Oslo Sporveiers Arbeiderforening (OSA), the city’s largest transport union, which denounced the ads as “populist, divisive and irresponsible,” stating that such messages “pollute the urban environment” and “undermine fundamental values such as international solidarity and the fight for peace and democracy.[62]
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Italics: under construction. | |
