Trams in Oslo

The Oslo tram network (Norwegian: Trikken i Oslo, short from elektrikk, 'electric') is the tram system in Oslo, Norway. It consists of six lines with 99 stops and has a daily ridership of 132,000. It is operated by Sporveien Trikken AS, a subsidiary of the municipally-owned Sporveien who maintain the track and 72 tram vehicles on contracts with the public transport authority Ruter. The system operates on standard gauge and uses 750 V DC overhead. Depot, workshops and headquarters are at Grefsen (at the terminus of lines 17 and 18). There is also a depot at Holtet (along lines 13 and 19) that is home to the technical company InfraPartner, which maintains the track for the tram and metro systems in Oslo, and a small office building for Oslo Sporveier.
The first tram in Oslo was opened in 1875 with a short line between Homansbyen west of the city centre, Oslo West Railway Station and a sideline to Grønland, east of the city centre. The first "trams" were in fact horse-drawn vehicles on flanged steel wheels. The first expansion of the line came in 1878 with a line to Grünerløkka just north-east to the city center.
Electric tram service was initiated in 1894 with a line over Briskeby to Majorstuen, a route south of the original Homansbyen line. Horsedrawn service was entirely replaced with electric service in 1900. For a long time, there were two tram companies operating in Oslo, "Grønntrikken" ("The Green Trams" with a green and yellow livery) and "Blåtrikken" ("The Blue Trams" with a blue livery). These companies were merged in 1924. During the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s, the network continued to expand, with the most notable addition being the construction of Ekebergbanen, a line up along the hill along the east side of the Oslo Fjord, south of the city. It was operated by a separate company. It was originally built to Sæter in 1917, the line was completed to Ljabru in 1941. The tram network reached its greatest extent in 1939 with the opening of the northeastern line to Sinsen.
After World War II, the tram network started being gradually being replaced with diesel buses, closures started in 1947, and in 1960, the city council decided to aim for a complete dismantlement of the entire tram system. A number of lines had been replaced with the T-bane subway system, and the versatility of buses was attractive to the local politicians. However, in 1977, the city council rescinded its decision to close the tram system. An order was made for a set of new articulated trams to supplement the aging fleet. The first of these trams, the SL79 was delivered in 1982.
The tram network was expanded slightly in the 1990s. A line over Aker Brygge was added in 1995, and in 1999 an extension of the northwestern Ullevål line was extended past the University of Oslo campus, to the new Rikshospitalet national hospital. A further renewal of the tram fleet by the addition of Italian double-articulated SL95 cars was also started. In 2002 the tram appeared to fall on hard times again. Oslo Sporveier was strapped for cash, and the board passed a decision to close down much of the tram system and replace it with buses. However, such a drastic change of operations forced a general assembly to meet, and most of the closures were cancelled. Finally, only the northernmost line to Kjelsås was closed in November 2002. In 2003, the tram system which had been part of Oslo Sporveier, was fissioned out to a separate company, Oslotrikken. However, Oslotrikken was instructed to drop the "Oslo" prefix in their name shortly after, making Trikken their official name. The line to Kjelsås was reopened in 2004, exactly two years after it was first closed.
The tram network has had a considerable expansion in passenger figures since 2003, but the number of tram departures has only increased by 22.7%. Lack of vehicles is a hindrance for further expansion of the tram service, and although orders for more vehicles are being planned, Ruter have said it will take years before the tram service can be expanded.
As of 2021 there are six lines, all of which operate daily, usually on a schedule with a 10-minute headway, or 20-minute schedule during late evenings and weekends. Many stretches are operated by two or more lines. In central areas, served by more than one line, there is a maximum of 5-minute headway between trams, a concept named "Rullende fortau" (rolling sidewalk) by the tram company.
Two of the sections are light rail that run on separate tracks rather than in the road:
The lines are color-coded, and the colors appear on the line map. Until a few years ago, destination signs had colours on destination signs (now they have digital destination displays.) Until early 2023, Line 11 and 13 shared colors, as well as lines 18 and 19. The tram maps distinguished between them by giving line 11 a lighter green than line 13, and by making the yellow of line 19 more orange. The route diagram changed in February 2023. Up until the 2005 restructuring of the tram system, there was also a line 10 (Jar-Skøyen-Aker Brygge-Jernbanetorget-Ullevål-Rikshospitalet), color-coded blue and a line 15 (Grefsen stasjon-Trondheimsveien-Nationaltheateret-Majorstuen), color-coded red.
The standard service for each line is one tram every 10 minutes, except for the Lilleaker–Bekkestua section of line 13 which is served every 20 minutes, but most of this section is also served every 15 minutes by Line 3 of the Oslo Metro. Lines 11, 12 and 19 are run jointly. A line 11 tram arriving at Majorstuen continues as a line 19, and a line 12 tram continues as line 11 and a line 19 tram continues as line 12. The same applies to the lines 17 and 18 at their terminus Grefsen.
Since lines 11, 12 and 19 run over Majorstuen, where several turns are too sharp for the newer SL-95 trams, they are operated with the lighter SL-79 trams. Lines 17 and 18 run to Rikshospitalet, which need to be operated by the bidirectional SL-95 trams. Both tram types are operating on line 13 but SL79 turns at Lilleaker instead of Bekkestua, where there is no loop.
On 29 October 2024, an SL18 tram derailed and crashed into an Eplehuset [no] store on Storgata. Four people, including the tram driver, were reported to have been injured. Amid an ongoing investigation, the driver was charged with breaching Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act (Norwegian: Vegtrafikkloven) in connection with the accident.
The Oslo tram system has 72 trams.
The SL18 trams will replace both the SL79 and SL95 trams by 2024.
There are also some old trams which are brought out on special occasions. During the summer, tram no. 70 together with trailer no. 647 operates scheduled trips on Sundays. It was built by Falkenried in Hamburg, Germany in 1913 for Grønntrikken. It remained in regular passenger service until 1968 and continued to serve as a maintenance vehicle. For the tram's 100 year jubilee, the no. 70 tram was restored in 1994. Trailer no. 647, complete with the classical open platforms, is a replica of an old trailer, built from parts from tram no. 71.