Transport in Norway is highly influenced by Norway's low population density, narrow shape and long coastline. Norway has old water transport traditions, but road, rail and air transport have increased in importance during the 20th century. Due to the low population density, public transport is somewhat less built out in rural areas of Norway, however public transport in, and around cities is well developed.
The main governing body is the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, which performs operations through numerous subsidiaries. [1] Tasks related to public transport and some roads have been delegated to the counties and municipalities. Most infrastructure is publicly owned, while most operations are performed by private companies; public transport is subsidized.
On average each Norwegian transported themselves for 70 minutes each day. In 2008 8% of passenger transport was made by public transport; road transport is the dominant mode of transport. [2] It had risen to 10% in 2017. [3] In 2014 22% of travel was on foot and 4% by bicycle. [4] The transport sector was responsible for 4.1% of the gross national product and 6.6% of employment in 2006. [2] According to the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, [5] Norway placed 83 out of 140 countries regarding quality of roads, 47 out of 122 regarding quality of railroad infrastructure, 25 out of 140 regarding quality of port infrastructure and 54 out of 140 regarding ground transport networks.
Aviation has become an important passenger transport mode since the 1960s. Aircraft is the commonly used mode of transport on longer distances, and the routes between Oslo and Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger are all among the largest in Europe. [6] On long distances, such as Oslo-Bodø and longer, air travel is by far the leading travel method. In Western and Northern Norway, with difficult terrain, obstacling fjords and lack of rail transport, regional airline travel provides quick travel within the region or to the capital. [7]
Major airlines based in Norway are Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe.
Of the 98 airports in Norway, [8] 51 are public, [9] and 46 are operated by the state-owned Avinor. [10] Seven airports have more than one million passengers annually. [9] 41,089,675 passengers passed through Norwegian airports in 2007, of which 13,397,458 were international. [9]
The main gateway by air to Norway is Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, [9] located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Oslo with departures to most European countries and some intercontinental destinations. [11] [12] It is hub for the three major Norwegian airlines Scandinavian Airlines System, [13] Norwegian Air Shuttle, [14] and Widerøe [15] and for regional aircraft from Western Norway. [16]
Heliports are common at hospitals and oil platforms. The Norwegian Air Ambulance service operates twelve helicopters and nine airplanes. [17]
The regional airport service was introduced in the 1960s, with 30 airports being served by short take-off and landing aircraft. [9] These are located mainly in Sogn og Fjordane and Northern Norway, in areas with long distances to large cities and with too little traffic to support commercial flights. The airports, which typically have an 800 metres (2,600 ft) runway, are run by Avinor, while the airplanes are operated based on subsidized public service obligation contracts with the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications. [7] [18] by the far largest contractor is Widerøe with their fleet of de Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft, [19] but also Danish Air Transport, Lufttransport and Kato Airline have won bids. [20] The flights operate from one or more regional airports to larger hubs; in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Kirkenes. [16] One service, to Værøy Heliport, is served by helicopter. [21] 1,214,508 passengers passed through the regional airports in 2012. [9]
The main railway network consists of 4,114 kilometres (2,556 mi) of standard gauge lines, of which 242 kilometres (150 mi) is double track and 64 kilometres (40 mi) high-speed rail (210 km/h) while 62% is electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC. The railways transported 56,827,000 passengers 2,956 million passenger kilometers and 24,783,000 tonnes of cargo 3,414 million tonne kilometers. [22]
The main long-haul network consists of lines from Oslo and westwards along the South Coast to Stavanger and over the mountains to Bergen; and north to Åndalsnes and via Trondheim to Bodø. Four lines connect to Sweden, allowing access to the European network. [23] The only high-speed line is Gardermobanen, connecting Oslo to The Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, but plans exist to build more high-speed lines in Eastern Norway, [24] and possibly to other parts of Norway. [25] The entire network is owned by the Bane NOR, [26] while domestic passenger trains are operated by the Airport Express Train, Go-Ahead Norge, SJ Norge and Vy. [27] Several companies operate freight trains. [28]
Investment in new infrastructure and maintenance is financed through the state budget, [26] and subsidies are provided for passenger train operations. [29] NSB operates long-haul trains, including night trains, regional services and four commuter train systems, around Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen and Stavanger. [30]
Tramways operate in Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen. The only rapid transit system is the Oslo T-bane, while the only funicular is in Bergen. The rail transits are operated by the counties, and the ticket system is integrated into the bus transport. In Oslo the two systems make the backbone of the Ruter public transport system, giving Oslo by far the highest public transport share of 20%. [31] Local trains on the railway is operated by NSB, but monthly passes are integrated into the local transit ticket system.
In 2007, 101 million passengers were transported 490 million passenger kilometers by rail transit. [32] [33]
Norway has a road network of 92,946 kilometres (57,754 mi), of which 72,033 kilometres (44,759 mi) are paved and 664 kilometres (413 mi) are motorway. [8] There are four tiers of road routes; national, county, municipal and private, with national and primary county roads numbered en route. The most important national routes are part of the European route scheme, and the two most prominent are the E6 going north-south through the entire country, while E39 follows the West Coast. An improved E39 coastal highway is currently under development to improve the route and reduce the driving time from 21 hours. It is expected to be completed in 2033 with a series of new tunnels and bridges, including Rogfast, a 27 kilometres (17 mi) under sea tunnel that will link Stavanger and Haugesund. [34] National and county roads are managed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. [35]
Motorways exist around the largest cities; many of the larger cities have introduced toll schemes to help finance roads. [36] In 2008, 130 ferry routes remained in service, operated by private companies on contract with the Public Roads Administration. [37] Since the 1970s the heaviest rural investments have been mainland connections to replace the many car ferries that are needed to cross fjords and connect to islands. There are not enough funding through tax money, so these tunnels and bridges are normally financed mainly through toll fees. [38] Some mountain passes have severe snowstorm problems in the winter, so often they have to be closed, or cars have to drive after a snowplow in a column. [39] The most exposed mountain passes are closed the entire winter.
In 2007 there were 2.6 million automobiles in Norway, or 444 per 1000 residents, an increase of 27% the last ten years—average age was 10.2 years. Road accidents killed 242 people and road transport caused 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. [2] Between 2007 and 2011, diesel cars constituted over 70% of new cars, and fell to 40% in 2015. [40] Trucks transported 264 million tonnes 15 billion tonne kilometers. [41]
Norway has the world's largest registered stock of plug-in electric vehicles per capita, with Oslo recognized as the EV capital of the world. [42] [43] [44] In March 2014, Norway became the first country where over 1 in every 100 passenger cars on the roads is a plug-in electric. [45] Norway's fleet of electric cars is one of the cleanest in the world because almost 100% of the electricity generated in the country comes from hydropower. [46] As of December 2014, [update] a total of 43,442 plug-in electric vehicles were registered in Norway, of which, almost 95% are all-electric vehicles. [47] The Norwegian plug-in electric segment has the world's highest market share of new car sales, with 5.6% in 2013, and 12.5% in 2014. [update] [48]
Each county is responsible for the public bus and boat transport in their area, [49] (railways, regional airlines and the Coastal Express boat, are financed by the state). [29] Buses transported 290 million passengers 3.7 billion passenger kilometers in 2007. [50] 6,194 buses were in operation during 2007; tickets sales was NOK 3,721 million while bus transport received government subsidies of NOK 3,393 million. [51]
Bus and passenger boat services are normally operated by private companies on contract with the county or their public transport authority (such as Ruter or Vestviken Kollektivtrafikk). Tickets and tickets prices are organised by these authorities. Some of them have special brand names and connected painting of the buses, especially in bigger cities. Other counties, especially smaller, don't use brand names and let the operators decide bus paint.
Long-haul coach services are operated by various companies, most of whom cooperate through NOR-WAY Bussekspress. [52] In Northern Norway (mostly from Fauske Municipality and further north) long-haul buses are operated by the counties.
The coastal infrastructure is operated by the Norwegian Coastal Administration, [53] while ports are operated by the municipalities. [53] [54] Norway has 90,000 kilometres (56,000 mi) of shoreline, 400,000 leisure craft [53] and a 715 ships in the merchant marine. [8]
In 2007 Norway was the fifth largest beneficial ship owning country, with 5% of the world's fleet; [55] though a high portion of these were registered in flags of convenience, Norway had 15 million deadweight tonnage of ships under its flag. [56] The government has created an internal register, the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian Ship Register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians. [57]
Car ferries are vital links across fjords and to islands where there are no fixed connections. There are more than one hundred car ferry connections inside Norway. Fast passenger ferries operate many places where fjords and islands make it quicker to follow the waterways than the roads; some small islands are served by water buses. Public transport by ship transported eight million passengers 273 million passenger kilometers in 2007. [58]
With the large amount of hydroelectricity in Norway, battery-electric ferries have been introduction on several routes. [59] [60] [61] Of Norway's 180 ferries on 112 ferry routes, a study by Siemens and the Bellona Foundation identified 127 could be replaced with either fully electric or hybrid ferries. [62] [63]
The Coastal Express (known as Hurtigruten) operates daily cruiseferries from Bergen to Kirkenes, calling at 35 ports. [64] International car carrying cruiseferries operate from Southern Norway to Denmark, Germany and Sweden. [65]
The petroleum and natural gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf uses pipelines to transport produce to processing plants on mainland Norway and other European countries; total length is 9,481 kilometres (5,891 mi). [8] The government-owned Gassco operates all natural gas pipelines; in 2006, 88 billion cubic meters were transported, or 15% of European consumption [66]
Trondheim Airport, more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim, a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, a village in the municipality of Stjørdal in Trøndelag county, 10 nautical miles east of Trondheim. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2018, the airport had 4,441,870 passengers and 58,273 air movements, making it the fourth-busiest in the country. The airport has two terminals; A dates from 1994 and is used for domestic traffic, while B is the renovated former main terminal from 1982, and is used for international traffic. The airport features a main east–west 2,999-metre (9,839 ft) runway, a disused northwest–southeast 1,472-metre (4,829 ft) runway, an integrated railway station and an airport hotel.
Kristiansund Airport is an international airport serving Kristiansund, Norway. It is situated at Kvernberget on the island of Nordlandet and is the sole scheduled airport serving Nordmøre. The airport features a 2,390-meter (7,840 ft) runway aligned 07/25. In addition to scheduled services operated by Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe, it serves offshore helicopter traffic to the Norwegian Sea operated by CHC Helikopter Service. Kvernberget handled 314,084 passengers in 2018.
Bergen Airport, alternatively Bergen Flesland Airport or simply Flesland Airport, is an international airport located at Flesland in the city and municipality of Bergen, Vestland, Norway. Opened in 1955, it is the second-busiest airport in Norway, with 6,306,623 passenger operations in 2018. Flesland is operated by the state-owned Avinor. Until 1999, Flesland Air Station of the Norwegian Air Force was co-located at the airport.
Fagernes Airport, Leirin is a general aviation airport in Fagernes, in the municipality of Nord-Aurdal, Innlandet county, Norway. It has been an airport for passenger flights, serving Fagernes and the surrounding valleys of Valdres, Hallingdal and Gudbrandsdal in Southern Norway, 190 kilometres (120 mi) from Oslo. Opened in 1987, it was owned and operated by state-owned Avinor. The airport is located 822 metres (2,697 ft) above sea level, and has a 2,049-metre (6,722 ft) runway. It did provide a regional service for the local population to Oslo, subsidized by the Ministry of Transport, as well as charter services during winter serving the nearby ski resorts. In 2014, the airport had 6,393 passengers. The driving time Fagernes–Oslo, around 2½ hours, has made flights to Oslo unattractive; most passengers used the Oslo route for transfers. It has also been used for other destinations. The road has also been improved compared to how it was in 1987.
Førde Airport is a regional airport located at Bringelandsåsen in the municipality of Sunnfjord, about 16 kilometers (10 mi) south of the town of Førde in Vestland county, Norway. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, the airport has a single 1,019-meter (3,343 ft) runway numbered 07–25. It is served by Widerøe, which operates De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft to Oslo.
Andøya Airport is a domestic airport in the village of Andenes in Andøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is situated on the northern tip of the island of Andøya. The airport is the civilian sector of Andøya Air Station and is operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport consists of two runways, 2,468 and 1,672 meters long, and served 48,254 passengers in 2012. Widerøe operates public service obligation (PSO) flights to Bodø, Tromsø, Stokmarknes and Harstad/Narvik, while Norwegian Air Shuttle operates seasonal flights to Oslo.
Alta Airport is an international airport in the city of Alta in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located at Elvebakken, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the city center. It has a single, 2,253-meter (7,392 ft) runway numbered 11/29, which lies on the southern shore of the Altafjord. Alta Airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, and served 368,393 passengers in 2014, making it the busiest airport in Finnmark.
Sørkjosen Airport is a regional airport located at the village of Sørkjosen in Nordreisa Municipality in Tromsk county, Norway, about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) from the municipal center of Storslett. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, it handled 15,198 passengers in 2014. The airport has a 880-meter (2,890 ft) runway and is served by Widerøe, which operates regional routes using the Dash 8-100 to Tromsø, and some communities and towns in Finnmark on public service obligation contracts. The airport opened in 1974 and was originally served using de Havilland Canada Twin Otter aircraft. Dash 8s were introduced in 1995 and two years later ownership was transferred from Nordreisa Municipality to the state.
Vadsø Airport is a regional airport in Vadsø Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located in the village of Kiby, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) east of the town of Vadsø along the Varangerfjorden. The airport is operated by the state-owned Avinor and handled 77,348 passengers in 2014. The asphalt runway is 997 meters (3,271 ft) long. Services are provided by Widerøe using Dash 8-100 aircraft to other communities in Finnmark and to Tromsø International Airport. The routes are subsidized by the Ministry of Transport and Communications through public service obligations.
Sandane Airport is a regional airport serving the village of Sandane in Vestland county, Norway. It perpendicularly straddles the Anda peninsula in Gloppen Municipality between the Nordfjorden and Gloppefjorden. The airport has an asphalt runway measuring 970 by 30 meters and aligned 08/26. Services are provided by Widerøe on public service obligation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor and served 37,272 passengers in 2013.
Florø Airport is a regional airport serving the town of Florø in Kinn Municipality, in the west central part of Vestland county, Norway. It is situated on the southern shore of the island of Florelandet, adjacent to the town center. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, it features a 1,264-meter (4,147 ft) runway aligned 07/25. The airport had 201,686 passengers in 2014, making it the busiest regional airport in the country.
Hammerfest Airport is a regional airport at Prærien just outside the town of Hammerfest in Hammerfest Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is operated by the state-owned Avinor and handled 145,396 passengers in 2014, making it the third-busiest regional airport in the country. The airport has a 880-meter (2,890 ft) runway aligned 05/23. Services are provided by Widerøe using the Dash 8-100. Up to eight daily flights are provided to Tromsø and public service obligation flights are flown eastwards to other airports in Finnmark. The airport is the base for offshore helicopter services operated by Bristow Norway and CHC Helikopter Service. An estimated 40,000 people from Hammerfest Airport's catchment area annually use Alta Airport for flights to Oslo.
Båtsfjord Airport is a regional airport serving Båtsfjord Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It consists of a 1,000 by 30 meters runway and served 14,485 passengers in 2016. A further 14,663 landed and started at the airport without leaving the aircraft. Scheduled services are provided by Widerøe using the Dash 8 to Kirkenes, Hammerfest and other communities in Finnmark. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor.
Kirkenes Airport is an international airport located at Høybuktmoen, 15 kilometers (9 mi) west of the town of Kirkenes, in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, the airport has a single 2,115-by-45-meter asphalt runway numbered 05-23. Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle operate Boeing 737-services to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, in part generated by Høybuktmoen's function as a hub for Widerøe's regional services to other airports in eastern Finnmark. There are also summer charter flights to Central Europe to bring tourists to the Hurtigruten cruises. The airport had 297,149 passengers in 2013.
Sogndal Airport is a regional airport serving Sogndal Municipality and the surrounding area in Vestland, Norway. It is situated at Haukåsen, 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from Kaupanger and 20 kilometers (12 mi) from Sogndalsfjøra. It serves the whole Sogn district. The airport consists of a 1,180-meter (3,870 ft) runway aligned 06/24. Services are provided by Widerøe on public service obligation with the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The airport is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor and served 70,244 passengers in 2014.
Hasvik Airport is a regional airport serving Hasvik Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located in the village of Hasvik on the island of Sørøya. In 2012, Hasvik Airport had 7,629 passengers, making it the third-least busy airport operated by the state-owned Avinor. The airport consists of a 909-meter (2,982 ft) runway and is served by Widerøe with Dash 8-100 aircraft. The airport tower is operated remotely from Bodø.
Mosjøen Airport is a regional airport serving the town of Mosjøen in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. In 2014, Mosjøen Airport had 61,480 passengers. It is owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor.
Sandnessjøen Airport is a regional airport serving the town of Sandnessjøen, Norway. The airport is located in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, 5.5 nautical miles south west of Sandnessjøen. In 2014, Sandnessjøen Airport served 74,138 passengers. It is operated by Avinor.
Berlevåg Airport is a regional airport serving Berlevåg Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is situated 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) northwest of the village of Berlevåg and is owned and operated by Avinor. The airport tower is operated remotely from Bodø.
Ørsta–Volda Airport is a regional airport situated at Hovden (Hovdebygda), in Ørsta, Norway, midway between the towns of Ørsta and Volda. The airport features a 1,070-metre (3,510 ft) asphalt runway aligned 06/24. Services are provided by Widerøe using their de Havilland Canada Dash 8 as a public service obligation. Owned and operated by the state-owned Avinor, the airport handled 121,021 passengers in 2014.