The Briskeby Line (Norwegian: Briskebylinjen) is a line of the Oslo Tramway in Norway. It runs westwards from Jernbanetorget in the city center, passing through the neighborhoods of Briskeby and Uranienborg before reaching its terminus at Majorstuen. The section from Jernbanetorget to Inkognitogata is shared with the Skøyen Line; on this section it connects with the important transport hub Nationatheatret. This part is variously served by route 11, 12 and 13. From the Inkognitogata stop, the line moves through the residential areas around the Royal Palace, in the streets named Riddervolds gate, Briskebyveien, Holtegata and Bogstadveien. The part of the line in Bogstadveien from Majorstuen to Rosenborg is also served by route 19, which operates the Homansbyen Line.
When Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei opened the line on 3 March 1894, it was the first electric tramway in Scandinavia. Originally the line ran through Parkveien instead of Inkognitogata and was mostly single track. The tracks were upgraded to double track in 1898, when the right-of-way was moved to Inkognitogata. The connection to the Ullevål Hageby Line was established in 1912 through Hegdehaugsveien, creating the short branch called the Homansbyen Line. The line was acquired by Oslo Sporveier in 1924. The Briskeby Line is now served by Line 11. The transit agency Ruter has proposed that parts of the route be realigned to run through Skovveien, so that the trams may serve Solli plass.
Route
The Briskeby Line consists of a shared section with the Skøyen Line from Jernbanetorget until it leaves Henrik Ibsens gate at Inkognitogata, just before Solli plass. This segment is known as the Southern String. West-bound trams run along Fred. Olsens gate and Prinsens gate before reaching Stortingsgata. East-bound trams run from Stortingsgata along Nedre Vollgate, Tollbugata and Strandgata to Jernbanetorget.[1] Along these sections there are three stations: Dronningens gate (east-bound only), Kongens gate (west-bound only) and Wessels plass (east-bound only). There is a connection to Stortorvet through Kirkegata (west-bound) and Kongens gate (east-bound).[2] The Vika Line deviates from the Briskeby Line through Akersgata.[3]
Early 20th-century map of the line. It still follows the same route.
The concurrent section continued along Stortingsgata, where it passes Nationaltheatret. It then turns onto Henrik Ibsens gate (previously known as Drammensveien) and passes Slottsparken. The concurrent section ends at the intersection of Inkognitogata, where the Briskeby Line turns off and the Skøyen Line continues onwards to Solli.[2]
The Briskeby Line continues along Inkognitogata,[4] where there is an eponymous station.[5] It turns onto Riddervolds gata,[6] where there is a station at Riddervolds plass.[5] The line crosses Skovveien onto Briskebyveien,[6] which it follows past the station Briskeby.[2] It then turns onto Holtegata,[6] where it serves the station of Uranienborg.[5] There is a branch through Professor Dahls gate which allows trams to reach the Ullevål Hageby Line.
The main line continues another block and turns onto Bogstadveien, where it connects with the Homansbyen Line.[6] On this section it serves the eponymous Bogstadveien stop, which replaced the earlier Rosenborg and Schultz' gate.[5] The line continues along Valkyriegata for the very last bit before turning onto Kirkeveien and reaching Majorstuen. At Majorstuen the line can return as a turning loop through Bogstadveien. It also intersects with the Frogner Line, which continues to run along Kirkeveien.[6] Via Valkyriegata there is a branch to the Oslo Tramway Museum and the closed Majorstuen Depot, which is no longer operational and also partially covered in asphalt.
Services
From Jernbanetorget the shared section is served by lines 11, 12 and 13. Line 12 branches off onto the Vika Line at Akersgata. Lines 11 and 13 continue along the main branch to Inkognitogata, at which point line 13 crosses over Solli Plass before following the Skøyen Line to Jar and Bekkestua in Bærum. Line 11 on the other hand moves onto the Briskeby Line proper, on which part it serves the stations Inkognitogata, Riddervolds plass, Briskeby and Rosenborg. At Rosenborg it connects with line 19, and from this junction they both continue to the terminus Majorstuen, also the endpoint of the Frogner Line. All lines operate with a ten-minute headway during most of the day.
At Nationaltheatret and Majorstuen there is transfer to all lines of the Oslo Metro. Mainline railway services are provided at Nationaltheatret Station and Oslo Central Station—the latter located adjacent to Jernbanetorget. The latter site is also a transfer hub granting access to all lines of the Oslo Tramway. Although from 4 October 2020; Line 13 does not stop at Jernbanetorget, but Dronningens gate.
Services are carried out by Sporveien Trikken, which operates SL79 trams on lines 11 and 19. These trams are owned by Oslo Vognselskap. Ownership and maintenance of the infrastructure are the responsibilities of Sporveien, a municipal company which also owns the operator. Services are ordered and coordinated by the transit agency Ruter.
The Oslo Tramway was established as a horsecar network in 1875 by Kristiania Sporveisselskab (1875). In 1887 it rejected a proposal for L. Samson, a real estate developer, to build a line to Majorstuen to serve his projects. He therefore contacted engineers H. E. Heyerdal and A. Fenger-Krog, the latter who had studied tramways abroad.[7] They sent an application that year to the municipality, at a time when there were no other electric tramways in operation in Europe. However, the application did not explicitly state that the company would use electric traction.[8]
The group received permission to build two lines, one from Jernbanetorget to Majorstuen and a branch to Skøyen,[9] a total distance of 6 kilometers (3.7mi).[10] Use of overhead wires had been discouraged by the city engineer, but he later changed his mind after a trip to Germany. The issue was decided upon by the municipal council on 19 May 1892.[9] Six companies bid to deliver trams and electrical equipment; Allgemeine Elektrizitäts Gesellschaft (AEG) won and delivered seven Class A motor trams and five trailers.[11] Investments totaled NOK817,572.[12]
Trial runs on the line commenced on 10 January 1894, at first between the depot and corner of Bogstadveien and Sorgenfriveien. Motorman courses were carried out by AEG from 15 January to 16 February. The first trip to the Queen's Park was carried out on 17 February and the first run to Jernbanetorget was completed on 20 February. The official opening took place on 2 March 1894 and operations commenced the following day. The Briskeby Line was the first electric tramway in the Nordic Countries.[13] The Skøyen Line to Fredrik Stangs gate opened the same day.[14] The same year a tram driver on the line received Norway's first ever speeding ticket for exceeding the speed limit of 18 kilometres per hour (11mph).[15]
Services were initially provided using Class A trams.[16] The motormen were to both drive and sell tickets, but this was found to be too much work for one person to do efficiently. Conductors were therefore introduced almost immediately.[17] Originally services consisted of a tram from Majorstuen to Jerbanetorget every six minutes. At Parkveien there was a transfer between the Skøyen and Briskeby Line. This proved a difficult, as trams from Majorstuen were full and most passengers were forced to walk into town. Therefore, from April KES introduced direct services from Skillebekk on the Skøyen Line to Jernbanetorget.[18] It quickly turned out the company had too few trams and four more were delivered by the end of the year.[6]
The line was built with single track and had passing loops at the intersections of Professor Dahls gate, Oscars gate, Huitfeldts gate, Tivoli and Nedre Slottsgate. These were not correctly placed to allow a speedy headway of six minutes—therefore this was changed to eight minutes on 2 November 1894. Services were extended from 07 to 01 hours every day from 1 November 1895.[13]
Ahead of the Holmenkollen Line opening on 31 May 1898, the track was rearranged at Majorstuen. This involved laying double track from the intersection with Sorgenfrigata through Valkyrie gate to Majorstuen Depot. The station at Majorstuen was rebuilt to allow passengers to transfer between the KES trams and those operated by Holmenkolbanen. The same year KES realigned the line from Parkveien to Inkognitogata. This was after complaints concerning noise from the Royal Palace. As part of this the entire line was converted to double track and was taken into regular use on 24 October 1898. Trams ran every seven and a half minutes, with every other tram corresponding with a service on the Holmenkollen Line.[13]
Larger Class U trams were introduced in 1899. Extra rush-hour services were introduced in 1906, although they only ran to Akersgata in the city center. A five-minute headway was introduced on 18 January 1909, with every other tram terminating in Akersgata. Class SS trams were introduced that year, accelerating the retirement of the Class A stock until they were completely retired in 1914. Line numbered were introduced on 4 September 1909.[13] KES beat KSS to introduce this and received the lowest digits. The Briskeby service was thus given line number 1.[19]
A balloon loop was installed at Jernbanetorget on 10 November 1909.[13] KES and KSS reached an agreement in 1912 to coordinate their services better. This first materialized in a connecting line in Hegdehaugsveien, which allowed trams to run from Stortorvet via the Ullevål Hageby Line to Majorstuen. This as run such the Line 2 from the Frogner Line would combine with Line 6, which ran along Hegdehaugsveien to Stortorvet.[20]
In conjunction with the 1914 Jubilee Exhibition, the Frogner Line was extended from Frogner plass to Majorstuen. It was officially opened on 15 May 1914. From the services became a ring line: Line 1 ran Jernbanetorget–Briskeby–Majorstuen–Frogner–Jernbanetorget, while Line 2 was designated to run the opposite direction. They were both run every five minutes. The circle scheme was ended on 15 December 1915 and the Briskeby Line again became Line 1. However, this was unpopular with the passengers and the circle service was reintroduced on 24 February 1916. Line 1 was extended from Jernbanetorget along the Gamlebyen Line between 17 December 1917 to 1 October 1918. Six-minute services were introduced from 25 March 1920, five-minute headways from 19 July 1920 and six-minute headways from 25 July 1921.[13]
SS trailer in Valkyriegata in 1962
KES was merged with KSS on 1 May 1924 and the Briskeby Line became part of the municipal Oslo Sporveier. This resulted in a change of the routes, and the circle system was abandoned. However, the line was again extended along the Gamlebyen Line. From 9 May 1926 the line was moved from Tollbugata to Prinsens gate, as part of work on the sewer system in Tollbugata. From 6 June 1926 the two lines started serving Briskeby. Line 1 continued to Gamlebyen, while Line 10 ran to the Kampen Line. This lasted until 29 May 1927, when Line 1 instead ran via Homansbyen. From 1 January 1929 the headway was changed to 12 minutes, from 1932 every 15 minutes during summer.[13]
Line 1 was reintroduced on the Briskeby Line on 30 August 1939. Trams would not turn at Majorstuen, but instead continue along the Frogner Line as Line 5. From 10 December 1939 Gullfisk trams were introduced on some of the services on the route. There were several places the tracks were too close and many sites where trams could not meet until new track was laid.[13] The east-bound track in the city center was moved from Prinsens gate to Tollbugata on 15 December 1940.[21]SM53 trams were introduced on some services on the line from 7 April 1953. From 6 September 1953 the combination of lines 1 and 5 was dropped and instead 1 and 2 were combined, allowing the circle through Majorstua to continue. The headway was reduced to 15 minutes. This was altered again on 25 June 1961, when the headway varied between 10, 12 and 15 depending on the time of day.[13]
SM53 tram in Riddervolds gate turning onto Inkognitogata in 1976
All remaining older twin-axle trams were retired on 29 October 1967 and thus only used SM53, with a few Gullfisk on morning routes because of them spending the night at Majorstuen. Renovated SM53 started running on the Briskeby Line 1980 and from 18 October 1982 the conductor was removed. Articulated SL79 trams were introduced on 2 April 1984, after which they served most of the departures. From 18 April 1988 evening and Sunday routes from the Briskeby Line terminated at Stortorvet. During the 1990s the line would often be served using SM91 trams. Line 1's eastern end was moved on 2 August 1993 to the Ekeberg Line. Night trams were introduced on 5 February 1994. Line number 1 was given to the Oslo Metro on 8 April 1995 and the Briskeby Line took number 19.[13]
In 2002 Oslo Sporveier announced plans to severely reduce the tram services in Oslo, ultimately recommending that the entire tramway be closed. They later moderated themselves and proposed closing the Kjelsås Line and the Homansbyen service. The city council granted 8 million krone on 12 April to allow the services via Homansbyen continue. The threat of closing the line sparked a local outcry and spurred demonstrations to keep the tram.[22] Later that year Oslo Sporveier announced new plans to remove tram services, this time both the Briskeby and the Homansbyen services, along with the Sinsen Line. The issue was resolved with increased funding granted on 11 November.[23]
From 2001 Oslo Sporveier and later Ruter removed the Briskeby Line from its long-term investment plans, cutting maintenance to a minimum.[24] Oslo Sporveier carried out a series of improvements to the Briskeby Line between 2004 and 2006. Rosenborgs gate was moved to serve both lines 11 and 19, giving it twice the number of departures. Both lines had their headway cut from 15 to 10 minutes. The station were made more visible and parking restrictions were carried out in Inkognitogata. Meltzers gate was closed as a station. This cause decreased travel time, and saw the daily ridership rise from 1,300 to 2,250 boarding passengers from 2003 to 2007.[5] In 2007 the line was put back on the investment list and the city granted 32 million Norwegian krone to upgrade the line. The funding was used to renew the infrastructure in Holtegata and Briskebyveien between 2007 and 2009.[25]
Line Upgrades
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2020)
The Briskeby Line was majorly in poor condition due to insufficient maintenance. The transit authorities are in the process of upgrading the line, which will involve new stations, possibly located at more suitable locations. A report published by Ruter found several shortcomings in the line. In addition to its low technical standard, it often sees operations interrupted by incorrectly parked cars, especially in Riddervolds gate. The intersection of Inkognitogata and Riddervolds gate have a curve radius of 16.7 meters (55ft), which hinders the newer SL95 trams from operating on the line. Owing to the use of Inkognitogata, the services do not pass through the important transit hub at Solli plass.[26]
Ruter is working on plans to make a full upgrade of the line from Briskebyveien to Henrik Ibsens gate. The agency is considering two lines of action: either building the route along the current right-of-way, or moving the section from Riddervolds gate and Inkognitoveien to Skovveien. The latter would involve that the Briskeby Line link up with the Frogner Line in Frognerveien and run concurrently with it to Solli plass.[27]
In the city center, the one-way track in Tollbugata has been moved to Prinsens gate. This made Prinsens gate a pure tram street, while buses have been designated to Tollbugata. Construction commenced in 2014 and was completed by 2017.[28] The Gamlebyen Line was moved to Dronning Eufemias gate through Bjørvika, which aligned it to Prinsens gate.[29] Ruter is planning on placing tram tracks in Frederiks gate, which will trams to pass between the Ullevål Hageby Line to the Briskeby Line and thus serve Nationaltheatret. It will also allow trams access to Stortorvet and Jernbanetorget via the Ullevål Hageby Line's in case of disruptions.[30]
Construction is planned to start springtime 2025, with project completion and commissioning of the upgraded route late 2026/early 2027.[31]
Related Research Articles
Sporveien Oslo AS is a municipally owned public transport operator in Oslo, Norway. It operates the trackage and maintains the stock of the Oslo Metro and Oslo Tramway. In 2022, its 3,306 employees transported 217 million passengers. Since 2008 it has operated on contract with the public transport authority Ruter.
Jernbanetorget or Jernbanetorvet 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 to the east. Until the construction of the station at Stortinget, Jernbanetorget was the end station for the eastern lines in downtown. Along with the Oslo Central Station, Oslo Bus Terminal and the tram and bus station above ground, Jernbanetorget is the largest transport hub in Norway.
Stortinget is an underground rapid transit station on the Common Line of the Oslo Metro, Norway. It is located in the heart of the city center, next to the Parliament of Norway Building (Stortinget). The station is served by all of the five lines of the metro. At the street level, the station serves tram routes 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19. Lines 11, 12 and 13 serves Øvre Slottsgate on the Vika Line while Lines 17, 18 and 19 stops at Tinghuset in the Ullevål Hageby Line. Also close to the station, there is a stop named Prof. Aschehougs gate that stops line FB5 to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Stortinget is 'kilometer marker zero' for the metro network and is owned by Sporveien T-banen.
The Sognsvann Line is a rapid transit line on the Oslo Metro of Norway. It branches from the Common Tunnel at Majorstuen and runs 6.0 kilometers (3.7 mi) to Sognsvann. After Ullevål stadion, the Ring Line branches off. The Sognsvann Line serves the northwestern and northern neighborhoods of Oslo, mostly within the borough of Nordre Aker. The line is owned and maintained by Kollektivtransportproduksjon and has nine stations. The western end of line 5 serves the entire line. Line 4 and the eastern end of line 5 serve the southern part of the line up to Ullevål stadion before branching off and continuing along the Ring Line. This gives an average five-minute headway on the southern part and an average fifteen-minute headway on the northern part of the line.
The Common Tunnel, sometimes called the Common Line, is a 7.3-kilometer (4.5 mi) long tunnel of the Oslo Metro which runs through the city center of Oslo, Norway. The name derives from the fact that all five lines of the metro use the tunnel, which runs from Majorstuen to Tøyen. The section has six stations, including the four busiest on the metro.
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 1968 trolleybuses. Since 1966 rapid transit and from 1985 water buses have also been operated by the company. It was split into two separate companies in 2006; Kollektivtransportproduksjon took over the operation while Oslo Public Transport Administration was responsible for buying the services, fare regulation and marketing. The latter merged into Ruter in 2008, when the Oslo Sporveier brand was discontinued.
The Sagene Line is a former line of the Oslo Tramway in Norway. It ran from Stortorvet in the city center along Akersgata and Ullevålsveien through the neighborhood of St. Hanshaugen. It then continued along Colletts gate, Geitmyrsveien and Kierschouws gate to Sagene. At Sagene Church it had a regulation stop and access to Sagene Depot. The line continued along Bentsebrugata to Torshov, where it intersected with the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line.
Nationaltheatret is an underground metro station and tram stop serving Vika and the city center of Oslo, Norway. It is located on the Common Tunnel of the Oslo Metro and on the Briskeby Line of the Oslo Tramway. Also located at the same place is Nationaltheatret Station of the Drammen Line. The station is served by all five lines of the metro, and lines 11 and 13 of the tramway. In addition, several bus services call at the station. It is named for the National Theatre located nearby.
SL95 is a series of 32 low-floor, articulated trams operated on the Oslo Tramway. The series was built by Italian rail manufacturer Ansaldo/Firema, later known as AnsaldoBreda, and delivered between 1999 and 2004. Capacity for the eight-axle, three-section vehicles is 212 passengers, of which 88 can be seated. The name derives from being ordered in 1995. Original plans called for the delivery to be between 1997 and 1998. Delivery took many years due to a magnitude of technical flaws, including high noise levels, freezing during the winter and corrosion. The trams are 33.12 metres long, 2.6 metres wide and 3.62 metres tall. The aluminum vehicles weigh 64.98 tonnes and have a power output of 840 kilowatts (1,130 hp).
A/S Kristiania Sporveisselskab or KSS, nicknamed the Green Tramway, 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 Hageby Line, Gamlebyen Line and the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line. The network was electrified with in 1899 and 1900, whereby the company was bought by Union-Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. It delivered new Class U trams. Within a few years the company had also opened the Vålerenga Line and Kampen Line. It took over Kristiania Kommunale Sporveie in 1905, taking over its fleet of Class S trams and the Sagene Ring, the Vippetangen Line and the Rodeløkka Line.
A/S Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei or KES, nicknamed the Blue Tramway, 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 Frogner Line which ran to Majorstuen, and two other consecutive lines, the Skøyen Line and the Lilleaker Line. These all connected to a common line through the city center which terminated at Jernbanetorget.
The Ullevål Hageby Line is a light rail section of the Oslo Tramway. It runs from Stortorvet in the city center of Oslo, Norway to Rikshospitalet. It passes through the areas of St. Hanshaugen, Ullevål Hageby and Blindern before reaching Gaustad. It serves major institutions such as Oslo University College, Bislett Stadion, Ullevål University Hospital, the University of Oslo and Rikshospitalet. The line is served by route 17 and 18 by Oslo Sporvognsdrift using SL95 trams, while the tracks are owned by Kollektivtransportproduksjon.
The Frogner Line is a section of the Oslo Tramway which runs between Solli and Majorstuen, serving the neighborhood of Frogner. The line is served by tram number 12, and the Frogner section makes up the westernmost part of this line. From Solli to Frogner, the line runs northwestwards to Frognerveien, then turns northeast along Kirkeveien, along the Frogner Park, including a stop at the main gate to the Vigeland sculpture installation, before ending at Majorstuen where it connects with the Homansbyen Line and Briskeby Line.
The Sinsen Line is part of the Oslo Tramway on the east side of the city. Most of the line is served by line 17, although the northernmost tip (Grefsen–Torshov) is served by line 18 which otherwise runs on the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line. Both services use SL95 articulated trams.
The Vika Line is a light rail section of the Oslo Tramway in Oslo, Norway. It runs between Wessels plass, through the neighborhood of Vika and Aker Brygge, before arriving at Solli. The section is served by SL79 trams on line 12. The line is owned by the municipal company Kollektivtransportproduksjon, and operated by its subsidiary Oslo Sporvognsdrift.
The history of the Oslo Tramway and Oslo Metro in Oslo, Norway, starts in 1875, when Kristiania Sporveisselskab (KSS) opened two horsecar lines through the city centre. In 1894, Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei (KES) built the first electric street tramways, which ran west from the city centre. Within six years, all tramways were electric. The city council established Kristiania Kommunale Sporveie (KKS) in 1899, which built three lines before it was sold to KSS six years later. Both KSS and KES were taken over by the municipality in 1924, becoming Oslo Sporveier. The company gradually expanded the city tram network, which reached its peak length in 1939.
Homansbyen is a tram stop located at Homansbyen in Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is on the Homansbyen Line, a short line that connects the Briskeby Line and Ullevål Hageby Line of Oslo Tramway, and is served by line 19 using SL79 trams. This line is the shortest of the three tram lines that connect the city centre with Majorstuen. The city has planned to build a new rapid transit station for the Oslo T-bane at Homansbyen, but as of 2017 this has not been developed.
Homansbyen Depot, officially Kristiania Sporveisanlæg was an Oslo Tramway depot located at Sporveisgata 8 near Bislett in Oslo, Norway. It was constructed for Kristiania Sporveisselskab in 1874 and was the first tramway depot in the country. The facilities were designed by Henrik Thrap-Meyer and featured an administrative office, a horse stable, a forge, a workshop, a weighing shed, and a wagon depot. It had space for 28 horse wagons, 16 sleds, and 116 horses. The administrative office was built in brick and housed apartments, offices, and a laboratory for the veterinarian. The depot was reconstructed several times, and taken out of use in 1966. It was demolished three years later, and replaced with residential apartment blocks.
Rosenborg was a tram stop on the Oslo Tramway. It was located on the shopping street Bogstadveien, in the area of the same name in the neighbourhood Hegdehaugen. The station was preceded by Schultz' gate on the Briskeby Line and succeeded by Homansbyen and Uranienborgveien on the Homansby and Briskeby Line, respectively. In 2005, the station was upgraded, with heightened platforms, new skeds and real-time monitors. In 2014, the stop was closed and replaced by the newly established Bogstadveien stop, located a bit further north on the Bogstadveien street, closer to Majorstuen. The succeeding Uranienborg stop was relocated to the street junction between Bogstadveien and Josefines gate, and renamed Rosenborg.
Inkognitogata is a tram stop on the Briskeby Line (Briskebylinjen) in Oslo, Norway. Inkognitogata is a street which begins at Uranienborg Road and follows Slottsparken all the way towards the Oslofjord, to Henrik Ibsens gate. The tram station is situated between Riddervolds plass and Nationaltheatret. It is serviced by line 11, which is served by SL79 trams. It's also possible to transfer to the stop Solli.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
