Norway - Trams
For a full scale picture, please click on the picture shown !
Oslo Trikken - Trams of Oslo
Norway has trams in three cities: Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim.
Oslo's network is the largest, with about 130 km of line, consisting of six tram lines, numbers 11-19.
And for your information: They are not called trams in Norway, neither spårvagnar like in Sweden, but
the Norwegian word is Trikken.
Our first picture shows one of Oslo's newest trams, the type SL95.They were built by AnsaldoBreda 1998-2006,
but like in so many other countries, also City of Oslo has been an unhappy customer. The trams were intended for
a life of at least 40 years, but already now they suffer from such bad corrosion and metal fatigue that
Oslo has already entered talks with Bombardier if they would deliver new trams to get rid of these
Italian ones.
Picture 21.6.2011 by the Getabru bridge in Oslo by Ilkka Siissalo.
A class SL95 AnsaldoBreda tram by Rikshospitalet, close to the Oslo University campus in Blindern. This is the
same type as the one shown above.
Picture 1.6.2012 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Another class SL95 AnsaldoBreda tram, but here shown at the corner of Kristian Augusts gate and Universitetsgatan. If you
click on the picture to see it in full size, it's immediately obvious that the corrosion problems that the Norwegians have
been complaining about were already quite serious in 2017.
Picture from Kristian Augusts gate in Oslo 12.5.2017 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A class SL79 "Trikken" turning onto the Geitabru bridge (goat bridge) in Oslo. These trams are from 1982-89.
It is a German model by Düwag, but Düwag only built the ten first ones, after which ABB in Norway built by license
the remaining batch. There are altogether 40 of these trams in use in Oslo.
Photo 21.6.2011 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A similar class SL79 Düwag tram, but this time seen from high up, from the sixth floor.
Photo 22.6.2011 by the street Grensen in Oslo by Ilkka Siissalo.
Another one of the class SL79 Düwag trams.
Photo 11.5.2017 by the Oslo sentral station by Ilkka Siissalo.
A freshly painted SL79 Düwag tram no.139 on line 12.
Photo 11.5.2017 by the Oslo sentral station by Ilkka Siissalo.
An SL79 Düwag tram no.120 on line 13. It looks similar to the trikken shown above, but this one has the hashtag
sign of the "Oslo Ruter", the local ticketing system on its sides, whereas the newly painted trikken 139 had in the
same place the logo of the tramways.
Photo 11.5.2017 by the Oslo sentral station by Ilkka Siissalo.
Trondheim Trikken, Gråkallbanen
The city of Trondheim tried to close down all of its tram traffic in the 1980s, but almost by miracle one line,
the 8,8 km long Gråkallbanen remained alive in 1983. Now there are plans to again quickly expand the network.
It is a meter gauge line, but with broad, 2,6 m wide trams. They have now 9 trams of the type TT class 8.
Photo 21.8.2009 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Another one of the "trikken" of Trondheim on the Gråkallbanen line.
Photo 21.8.2009 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Bybanen, Bergen
The "Bybanen" (village rail) of the city Bergen is actually a new light rail system and not a pure tram. Bybanen
uses full normal gauge (1435 mm) train tracks, so the coaches are much broader than those of typical trams.
They have drivers cabs at both ends and doors on both sides. Today the Bybanen is just one long line bringing
in people to the city center, but plans exist to extend the light rail system considerably in near future.
The first part of Bybanen was opened in 2010. Currently it is just one line, 13 km long, with 20 stops.
The trams themselves are a variant of Swiss Stadler Rail's standard Variobahn model.
Picture by Nesttun 3.7.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
Details of the front of one of the Bybanen Variobahn trams. The current operating company of the line is Keolis,
which is owned by the French state railways SNCF.
Picture by Nesttun 3.7.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
A third picture of the Bergen Bybanen Variobahn trams. Note the train-like infrastructure.
Picture by Nesttun 3.7.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.
End of the Bybanen tram line at the city center of Bergen. This tram no.224 is waiting for its departure time
towards the airport of Bergen.
Picture from Bergen city center 28.3.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.
This is the other end of the line. Tram 224 has arrived at the Bergen airport (Bergen lufthavn) where the end stop
is right beneath the terminal building.
Picture from Bergen lufthavn 28.3.2019 by Ilkka Siissalo.