Vålerenga Line

Last updated
Vålerenga Line
SS-tram 105 in Valerenggata.jpg
Overview
Native nameVålerenglinjen
Type Tramway
System Oslo Tramway
Locale Oslo, Norway
Operation
Opened 3 May 1900
Closed 23 June 1968
Owner Kristiania Sporveisselskab (1900–24)
Oslo Sporveier (1924–68)
Character Tramway
Depot(s) Vålerenga Depot
Technical
Number of tracks Double
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification 600 V DC
Route map
Ostensjobanen map 1928.jpg

The Vålerenga Line (Norwegian : Vålerengalinjen), also known as Helsfyr Line and Etterstad Line, is an abandoned line of the Oslo Tramway of Norway. It branched from the Gamlebyen Line in Schweigaards gate and ran into the neighborhoods of Vålerenga, Etterstad and Helsfyr. The line followed the streets of Schweigaards gate, St. Halvars gate, Enebakkveien, one direction each in Vålerenggata and Strømsveien, and Etterstadgata. The line continued as a suburban light rail as the Østensjø Line and the Lambertseter Line.

Norwegian language North Germanic language spoken in Norway

Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is the official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional varieties, and some Norwegian and Swedish dialects, in particular, are very close. These Scandinavian languages, together with Faroese and Icelandic as well as some extinct languages, constitute the North Germanic languages. Faroese and Icelandic are hardly mutually intelligible with Norwegian in their spoken form because continental Scandinavian has diverged from them. While the two Germanic languages with the greatest numbers of speakers, English and German, have close similarities with Norwegian, neither is mutually intelligible with it. Norwegian is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era.

Norway constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe whose territory comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula; the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard are also part of the Kingdom of Norway. The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land.

Gamlebyen Line

The Gamlebyen Line is a section of the Oslo Tramway which runs east from Jernbanetorget along Schweigaards gate (street), past the Oslo Bus Terminal then turns south along Oslo gate, and past Gamlebyen before becoming the Ekeberg Line. The section is served by lines 18 and 19.

Contents

The line was established by Kristiania Sporveisselskab (KSS) on 3 May 1900. In 1923 the first part of the Østensjø Line, owned by Akersbanerne, opened, as did KSS's Vålerenga Depot was opened. Ownership of the line passed to Oslo Sporveier in 1924. Two years later the Østensjø Line open, but not until 1937, when Bærumsbanen took over operations, was there provided a through service. The Østensjø Line became part of the Oslo Metro in 1966. With the reduction in traffic, the Vålerenga Line was closed on 23 June 1968, as part of a citywide gradual closure of the tramway.

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 Akersbanerne was a municipal owned company that operated tramways in the former Municipality of Aker in current Oslo, Norway. The company was established in 1917, and opened the suburban Østensjø Line tramway in 1926; it took over the majority ownership of Holmenkolbanen in 1933, that owned the Holmenkoll Line, Sognsvann Line and the Røa Line. Akersbanerne merged with Oslo Sporveier in 1949, following the merger of the municipalities.

Oslo Sporveier

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.

Route

Gullfisk tram at Helsfyr in 1966 Gullfisk 199 at Helsfyr.jpg
Gullfisk tram at Helsfyr in 1966

The Vålerenga Line was a branch of the Gamlebyen Line, which served the neighborhoods of Vålerenga, Helsfyr and Etterstad. The Vålerenga Line branched from the Gamlebyen Line in Schewigaards gate and continued along it before following St. Halvars gate, Enebakkveien, Vålerenggata and finally Etterstadgata. [1] From 1923 part of the tracks were rearranged, so that the upward tracks (bound northeast) went through Vålerengagata, while the downward bound tracks placed in Strømsveien. The line was also extended over the Gjøvik Line. [2] The line originally had its terminus in Etterstadgata, [1] but from 1926 it was placed at Grensen, on the municipal border. [2] From there the line continued as the Østensjø Line as a suburban light rail. [3]

Gjøvik Line railway line

The Gjøvik Line is a Norwegian railway line between Oslo and Gjøvik. It was originally named the North Line (Nordbanen) and ran between Grefsen and Røykenvik. The line was completed to Gjøvik in 1902. The Gjøvik Line was one of the first lines of the Norwegian railway system which was to be contracted on public service obligation, but it was the state owned Norges Statsbaner which won it through its subsidiary NSB Anbud.

Kristiania Sporveisselskab and later Oslo Sporveier operated Vålerenga Depot in conjunction with the line. It served as the main depot for trams which were serving the eastern lines. From 1927 it was also used as a bus garage. [4]

History

Class U tram at the intersection of Schweigaards gate and St. Halvards gate in 1905 Tram 73 in Scheweigaards gate St Halvards gate intersection.jpg
Class U tram at the intersection of Schweigaards gate and St. Halvards gate in 1905

The Gamlebyen Line—until 1925 known as the Oslo Line—was one of the original horsecar lines in Oslo, opened by KSS on 6 October 1875. [2] The Vålerenga area and its vicinity were incorporated into the municipality of Christiania (today Oslo) in 1878 and the areas experience a growth. [5]

During the late 1890s and early 1900s Oslo experienced a rapid expansion of its tram networks. Kristiania Sporveisselskab carried out an electrification of its system from 1897; [6] this was completed on 14 January 1900 when the Oslo Line was finished converted. [7] During this period KSS carried out the construction of two branches of the Oslo Line. The Vålerenga Line opened on 3 May and the Kampen Line on 6 June. The Vålerenga Line was routed through the city center and connected to the Vestbanen Line. [1] From 1915 it became part of Line 8, which linked to the Sagene Line. [8] KSS opened a depot in Hedmarksgata along the Vålerenga Line in February 1923. [9]

Sagene Line

The Sagene Line is an abandoned 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.

SM53 tram in Stromsveien in 1962 Hoka-tram 242 in Stromsveien.jpg
SM53 tram in Strømsveien in 1962

Plans for a suburban light rail into the neighboring municipality of Aker were launched in 1917. It materialized in the Østensjø, for which construction commenced in February 1922. The line was built was an extension of the Vålerenga Line. However, it was built by Akersbanerne and KSS. The first part of the line, from Etterstad to Bryn, was opened on 18 December 1923. Initially it was served by that Line 17 was rerouted to serve the Vålerenga Line, and every other service ran all the way to Bryn. [3] As part of the opening the tracks were from 18 February 1923 rearranged so that northeast-bound trains ran through Vålerengagata and in the other direction through Strømsveien. [2]

KSS merged in May 1924 to create Oslo Sporveier and it took over services on the Vålerenga Line. The Østensjø Line was extended to Oppsal in 1926. However, Oslo Sporveier and Akersbanerne could not come to terms regarding the lease of the Vålerenga Line. The issue was driven by the lack of a suitable turning loop with free capacity in the city center. Instead, Akersbanerne decided to operate the trams to Etterstad, where there would be transfer, without transfer tickets, between the two tram companies. [3] From 1927 the line was served by trams 6 and 16. [10] The situation was resolved from 4 January 1937, when Bærumsbanen took over operations on the Østensjø Line. It already operated the Lilleaker Line in a similar fashion on the other end of town, which also suffered under the lack of turning capacity through town. The predominantly used Gullfisk trams on their service. [3]

Gullfisk in Stromsveien in the first half of the 1950s Gullfisk 192 in Stromsveien.jpg
Gullfisk in Strømsveien in the first half of the 1950s

Following the 1948 merger of the municipalities of Oslo and Aker, it was decided that the Nordstrand area in the former Aker would be opened to large-scale construction of housing. To aid transport, the city council voted on 9 December 1954 to build the Lambertseter Line from Bryn to Bergkrystallen. At the same time it was decided that both the Lambertseter and the Østensjø Lines would become part of the Oslo Metro. Built and operated by Oslo Sporveier, services commenced on 10 April 1957 using SM53 trams. [11]

The city council voted in 1960 to gradually close the tramway and instead rely on diesel buses and the metro. The Østensjø Line was being converted to metro standard and would be connected to the new Common Tunnel. It would therefore no longer need the Vålerenga Line to reach the city center. This resulted in a series of tram lines being closed during the 1960s. [12] The Lambertseter Line was closed for tram traffic on 18 May 1966 and opened as part of the metro five days later. [11] The Østensjø Line was closed during the evening of 25 October 1967 and similarly converted in three days. [3] Oslo Sporveier continued to serve the Vålerenga Line until 24 June 1968, the last day of services on the line. The closing of the line allowed the company to retire all its twin-axle stock without ordering new trams. [12]

Related Research Articles

Oslo Metro rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway

The Oslo Metro is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Sporveien T-banen on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of five lines that all run through the city centre, with a total length of 85 kilometres (53 mi), serving 101 stations of which 17 are underground or indoors. In addition to serving 14 out of the 15 boroughs of Oslo, two lines run to Kolsås and Østerås, in the neighboring municipality of Bærum. In 2016, the system had an annual ridership of 118 million.

Østensjø Line

The Østensjø Line is a 9.0-kilometer (5.6 mi) line on the Oslo Metro which runs from Brynseng to Mortensrud. It further shares track with the Lambertseter Line along the 2.5-kilometer (1.6 mi) section from Tøyen to Brynseng. The line runs through the primary residential areas of Bøler, Østensjø and Søndre Nordstrand. The line is served by Line 3 of the metro.

Lambertseter Line

The Lambertseter Line is a 5.9-kilometer (3.7 mi) line on the Oslo Metro which runs from Brynseng to Bergkrystallen. It further shares track with the Østensjø Line along the 2.5-kilometer (1.6 mi) section from Tøyen to Brynseng. The line runs through a primary residential area of Nordstrand, serving neighborhoods such as Manglerud, Ryen and Lambertseter. The line is served by Line 4 of the metro, which runs every fifteen minutes. This is supplemented by Line 1 that is extended to Bergkrystallen between 6:30 and 19 on weekdays, giving a combined frequency of eight trains per hour.

Lilleaker Line

The Lilleaker Line is a suburban tramway from Skøyen in Oslo westwards to Jar, Bærum in Norway. It is operated by Line 13 from Grefsen to Bekkestua of the Oslo Tramway, operated by Oslo Sporvognsdrift. The line continues on the Oslo Metro west of Jar as part of the Kolsås Line, and as a street tramway on the Oslo tramway system at Skøyen as the Skøyen Line.

Ekeberg Line

The Ekeberg Line is a 6.6-kilometre (4.1 mi) long light rail line of the Oslo Tramway which runs from Gamlebyen to Ljabru in Oslo, Norway. Operated by lines 18 and 19, it serves the area of Nordstrand and the neighborhoods of Ekeberg, Jomfrubråten, Bekkelaget and Ljan. The line is operated by Oslo Sporvognsdrift using SL79 and SL95 trams on contract with Ruter. The line itself is owned by Sporveien. At Oslo Hospital, the line connects to the Gamleby Line, which runs to the city center.

Simensbråten Line

The Simensbråten Line was a light rail line of Oslo Tramway between Jomfrubråten and Simensbråten in Oslo, Norway. Opening on 30 September 1931, it branched off the Ekeberg Line at Jomfrubråten and had three stops along the 1.5-kilometer (0.9 mi) route—Ekebergparken, Smedstua and Simensbråten. Operated by Ekebergbanen, the line was closed on 29 October 1967. It is the only light rail line in Oslo to have been closed.

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.

A/S Bærumsbanen was a tram company that operated the Lillaker-, Kolsås and Østensjø Line of the Oslo Tramway, Norway, from 1924 to 1971 when the company became part of Oslo Sporveier.

The Vippetangen Line or the Grain Tram is an abandoned line of the Oslo Tramway, Norway, that ran from Tollbugata in the city center to Vippetangen between 1900 and 1967. It was built by Kristiania Kommunale Sporveie (KKS).

History of the Oslo Tramway and Metro

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.

Munkegata (station)

Munkegata is a tram station on the Gamleby Line of the Oslo Tramway. It is located at the intersection of Oslo gate and Schweigaards gate in Gamlebyen, Oslo, Norway.

Homansbyen Depot

Homansbyen Depot, officially Kristiania Sporveisanlæg was an Oslo Tramway depot 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.

Ryen Depot

Ryen Depot is the main depot for the Oslo Metro, and is located at Ryen in Oslo, Norway. The depot contains 19,000 square meters (200,000 sq ft) of buildings and has space for 120 trains, and consists of an workshop, inspection hall and a storage hall. It opened in 1966.

Korsvoll Line

The Korsvoll Line is an abandoned line of the Oslo Tramway in Norway. The line branched off from the Sagene Line at Bentsebrugaten and ran along Bergensgata to Lisa Kristoffersens plass in Korsvoll, Oslo. The line opened on 1 May 1924 and was operated by Oslo Sporveier. From 1927 it became part of Line 10, which it remained part of until its closing on 17 January 1949. The reason for closing the line was that it was amongst the least trafficked lines of the tramway and Oslo Sporveier wanted to convert it to a trolleybus line.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fristad: 37
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fristad: 137
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Andersen, Bjørn (1997). "Østensjø–Bærumsbanen 60 år" (in Norwegian). 32: 14–19.
  4. ↑ Aspenberg: 38
  5. ↑ Fristad: 22
  6. ↑ Fristad: 33
  7. ↑ Fristad: 35
  8. ↑ Fristad: 54
  9. ↑ Fristad: 67
  10. ↑ Fristad: 69
  11. 1 2 Andersen, Bjørn (2007). "Lambertseterbanen 1957–1966". Lokaltrafikk . 65: 4–11.
  12. 1 2 Fristad: 121

Bibliography

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