Oslo

A quick look at urban geography and transport systems

AS Oslo Sporveier Oslo public Transport Ltd

Oslo kommune Samferdselsetaten Road and Transport Authority, City of Oslo

Akershus fylkeskommuneAkershus County Council

Statens vegvesen region st Norwegian public Roads Administration

This brief guide

Approaching a foreign city is usually an exciting un-dertaking but can also be quite time consuming. The general survey is not always easy to grasp, and even the best city guides tend quite quickly to move on to details of sightseeing, restaurants, bars and shopping, thus leaving more structural characteristics in the dark. This brief guide is a modest attempt to fill this gap, mainly by offering simple thematic maps, small photo-graphs and short texts tightly woven together. Local experts within topics touched upon may find the general picture offered here too simplistic and may be even somewhat naive. Priority is given however to facilitate matters to readers unfamiliar with the city and hopefully give them just what is stated on the cover: a quick look.

Contents

3 Some basic facts 4 Arrival 5 The main central axis 6 | 7 Yes, its green 8 | 9 Scale 10 Topography 11 Summer and winter 12 Borders: Administrative 13 and more natural ones 14 | 15 History and timeline 16 Tourists conventional highlights 17 East and west of the river 18 Hotspots 19 Shopping by car 20 | 21 The main road network 22 Distribution of goods 23 Additional points on road and traffic24 | 25 Public transport: Five modes26 | 27 The railway network 28 The metro network 29 The tramway network 30 | 31 The two bus networks32 | 33 Tunnels, tunnels, tunnels 34 | 35 The toll ring 36 Oslopakke 1, 2 and 3 37 Housing: Some basic points 38 | 39 Some typical neighbourhoods 40 Water in and out 41 Energy and waste 42 | 43 Significant moves 44 Nydalen and The metro ring line 45 Bjrvika and The waterfront city 46 Prospective infrastructure 47 Wicked tongues (dont read this ;-)

60N

520 000

1 000 000

4 | 5Some basic facts

Oslo is the capital of Norway and its largest city with approximately 520 000 inhabitants.

The Oslo region which includes the city of Oslo and the surrounding county of Akershus has approximately 1 million inhabitants which equals 22 per cent of the countrys total popula-tion.

The region constitutes a metropoli-tan area, and its working population distributed according to occupation shows that services dominate: Public and other services 35% Private services 21% Trade 21% Transport and communication 9 % Industry 8 % Building and construction 5%.

Located at 60N and 11E, Oslo belongs within the Central Euro-pean Time zone and its altitude approximates that of for example St. Petersburg in Russia and Anchorage in Alaska.

Airport Express TrainFlytoget

a 20 minutes rideevery 10 minutes

Copenhagen (Denmark)

16 hoursHirtshals (Denmark)

8.5 / 12.5 hoursKiel (Germany)

20 hours

E6Gothenburg

(Sweden) 290 km

E18Stockholm(Sweden) 530 km

Oslo Airport Gardermoen

E6 Motorway

50 km

Gothenburg(Sweden) 3h 49min

E18most scenic approach

E6 better capasity

Stockholm (Sweden) 4h 49min

Oslo Central Station

Lillestrm

ArrivalTravellers arriving by plane reach the city via Oslo airport Gardermoen 50km northeast of the city, road users arrive from the southeast and international ferryboats sail in through the Oslo Fjord from the south. Foreign visitors normally come to Oslo along one of these routes unless theyve been visiting another part of Norway on beforehand or taken advantage of a low fares airlines operating at Torp airport 110km to the south west.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

Karl Johans gate or simply Karl Johan

Eastern part of the street: Narrower with more shops

Western part of the street: Wider and more formal character

Offset on the perpendicular axis: The City Hall Rdhuset

The Royal Palace Slottet The old university

The Parliament Stortinget

Oslo Central Station Oslo S, Jernbanetorget

Oslo Central Station

6 | 7The main central axisThe main street, Karl Johans gate, stretches from the slightly elevated Royal Palace, Slottet, in the northwest of the centre to Jernbanetorget and the central station Oslo S in the southeast. The street is around 1.4 kilometres long and describes the extent of the city centre.

Yes, its greenNot only is the city surrounded by forests, large parts of it consist of green residential areas. Amongst these are satellite towns to be found, especially to the east. The actual urban areas only constitute a smaller, central part. Consequently, large parts of the city are sparsely built-up, and the transition between city and non-city appears less sharp in real life than maps normally lead you to believe.

ForestsThe area of the municipality of Oslo covers 454 km2, of which 242 km2 is forest, mainly spruce and pine.

Detached houses with gardensThe main part of the built-up area is of suburban character.

The actual urban areais quite limited in size.

Satellite townsThe suburban areas also include satellite towns with blocks of flats in green surroundings.

SeaThe Oslo Fjord with some 40 islands.

8 | 9

toile

Arc d

e Trio

mph

e

Place

de la

Conc

orde

Broadway

Tour Eiel

Times Square

CentralPark

Bo

uleva rd Periphriq

ue

Boulevard Periphrique

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400 m / 5 min

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

0 1

400 m / 5 min

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

0 1

400 m / 5 min

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

Central Paris same scale

Lower Manhattan same scale

ScaleThe actual urban part of Oslo does not constitute much more than Manhattan south of Times Square or about a fifth of Paris within Boulevard Perifrique.

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10 km

17 min

19 min

33 min

23 min

21 min

26 min

10 | 11

Another way of illustrating the size and scale is by looking at the metro travelling time from the city centre to the termini, which, in most cases, lies close to the border of the built-up areas.

529m

418m

379m

363m

142m

200m

342m

395m148m

Highest situated landmark: The 118m tall Tryvannstrnet with an accessible platform 60m above ground level

Downtown landmark: The 117m tall Oslo Plaza Hotel

Ullernsen

Ekeberg

Tryvasshgda

Grefsensen

TopographyThe city is situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord in a landscape shaped like an amphitheatre, which mainly opens to the south and is surrounded by wooded hills of varying heights. A trip uphill by metro line 1 to Frognerseteren will give a good impression of the scenery as a whole.

12:0006:0000:00 09:0003:00 15:00 21:0018:00 24:00

The suns highest altitude above the horizon at mid summer: 53.5

The suns highest altitude above the horizon at mid winter: 6.6

Mid winter day: 5h 54min

Mid summer day: 19h 10min

The 117m tall Plaza Hotels shadow at midday

Mid winter: 940m

Mid summer: 88m

12 | 13Summer and winter

The contrast between summer and winter is characteristic. The mean temperature in July is 16.4C while it is 4.3C in January. The summer may be warm and temperatures around 2530C are not uncommon. On the other hand, there is snow 35 months a year. Albeit snow does provide excellent conditions for winter sports, it makes a more tedious impact on traffic. Large amounts of snow must be removed or made into banks. The banks are difficult to cross on foot and roadways and pavements become icy and slippery. The roadways have to be sprinkled with either sand or salt, which in turn requires extensive cleaning in the springtime. Even the fjord is occasionally iced over.

J E V N A K E R

LU N N E R

N I T T E D A L

O S LO

L R E N S KO GR L I N G E N

E N E B A K K

S K I

S

V E S T B Y

F R O G N

H U R UM

R Y K E N

A S K E R

B R UM

N E S O D D E N

O P P E G R D

F E T

N A N N E S TA D

U L L E N S A K E R

E I D S V O L L

G J E R D R UM

S R UM

S K E D SMO

Borders: Administrative The City of Oslos borders do not coincide with the limits of the continuously developed urban area. On the contrary,

they run straight through the urban structure. This is most obvious

on the western side of the city, where the border of the neighbouring municipality of Brum

is located no more than 6 kilometres from the city centre. In Norway the municipalities hold the land use and

planning authority, while for instance public trans-port and secondary education are the responsibil-

ity of the counties. While the Municipality of Oslo holds county status as well, its neigh-

bouring municipalities belong to the County of Akershus. The borders and the spheres of

authority are conditioned by history, and bring about certain challenges regarding planning and

urban development.

14 | 15 and more natural onesThe hills and forests around the city, Marka, are protected against development by a po-litically decided border. The protection of this green belt is justified by the forests natural and recreational value. The area is much loved and used by the citizens all the year round. Together with the Oslo Fjord it leads the course of urban development. City growth can take two ways: Either as increased density on already developed land within the city, or by spreading into the neighbouring, suburban communities. Both have been taking place, but increasingly more development is being directed into certain concentrated areas near public transport interchanges and terminals in the whole of the metropolitan region.

1898 Electric tramway to Holmenkollen

1624 Christiania laid out beneath the castle

1624 Medieval Oslo totally destroyed by fire

1299 Building of Akershus castle

commences

Approximate waterfront 1624

1894 First electric tramway

1928 First underground tunnel

1800s Industrial growth along the river Akerselva

Approximate urban areas 1910

1854 First railway line to Eidsvoll

History and timeline

16 | 17

c1000 The first urban area is constructed.

c1070 Oslo Episcopal residence is estab-lished.

1299 Oslo becomes the countrys adminis-trative centre. The building of the Akershus castle is begun.

c1350 The Black Death has struck three fourths of the population.

1624 Medieval Oslo burns to the ground. A new city is founded under shelter of the castle and is named Christiania.

1686 Another fire reduces one third of the city to ashes.

1769 The first ever census is taken: 7 469 inhabitants.

1800s Industrial growth takes place along the river Akerselva.

1848 The Royal Palace is completed and put to use.

1851 The university buildings by Karl Johans gate are taken into service.

1853 The first sewage pipes are built.

1854 Railway line towards the northeast opens.

1858 40 centrally located buildings burns down.

1859 Several neighbouring suburbs are incorporated into the city

1866 The Parliament Building is put to use.

1867 Water main from the lake Maridalsvan-net is taken into service.

1872 Railway line towards the west opens.

1879 Railway line towards the southeast opens.

1880s and 90s Building boom. Residential areas Frogner, Majorstuen and Grnerlkka are established.

1893 Electric streetlights introduced.

1894 The first electric tramway established.

1898 Suburban tramway to Holmenkollen opens.

1899 The local building market collapses.

1911 The first sewage purification plant is put to use.

1925 The city takes back its old name, Oslo.

1928 The suburban tramway tunnel from Majorstuen to the city centre at Nationalthe-atret opens.

1939 Oslo Airport Fornebu opens.

194045 The country is occupied by Nazi-Germany.

1948 The surrounding municipality of Aker is incorporated into Oslo. The area increases from 17 to 453 km2.

1940s and 50s The central district around Rdhuset in Vika is cleared of its slums and redeveloped.

1950 The City Hall Rdhuset is inaugurated.

1950s The development of dormitory towns in the east commences.

1966 The eastern metro network opens.

1971 Pedestrian precincts are established in central parts of the city.

1980 A tunnel through the city connects the eastern and western parts of the railway system.

1990 The central E18 tunnel, Festningstunne-len, is taken into service and relieves the city centre of traffic.

1987 Shared central terminus for both eastern metro lines and western suburban tramway lines is established at Stortinget station.

1995 A fully integrated metro system is established, through-train service is intro-duced on all lines.

1998 Oslo airport is moved from Fornebu to Gardermoen.

1999 The national hospital Rikshospitalet is moved from the inner city to Gaustad.

Holmenkollen. Arena for ski jumping, cross country skiing and biathlon. The tower offers a great view of the city.

The Munch Museum devoted to the expressionist painter Edvard Munch. Inten-tionally located to balance the cultural assets in the east with that to be found in the west.

The Vigeland Sculpture Park. Some 200 sculptures by the sculptor Gustav Vigeland.

The Fram Museum. The po-lar ship Fram used by explor-ers Nansen and Amundsen.

The Viking Ship Museum with its three authentic viking ships.

The Norwegian Folk Museum. Antique wooden houses in-cluding a timber stave church dating from 1200. The Kon-Tiki museum. Thor

Heyerdahls balsa raft Kon-Tiki and reed boat Ra II.

Bygdy

Tourists conventional highlightsIn addition to in the city centre, the most popular and promoted tourist spots are to be found in the western parts including the Bygdy peninsula. Certainly practical, but also limiting a typical tourists experiences somewhat.

The river Akerselva

The exception: Bekkelagshgda and Nordstrand, The west in the east, one family houses and gardens with nice sunsets in the front row

Grnerlkka: Former working class area which became hip during the 90s, and the most prominent example of the ongoing gentrification

Gamlebyen: Next in line for gentrification?

Holmenkollsen: By many considered the most prestigious area

18 | 19East and west of the river

Even though social differences in Norway are relatively marginal when looked upon from an international point of view, Oslo has its eastern and western side. Tradition-ally it is locally expressed as east and west of the river although the border presumably lies slightly further west. This map should represent the general picture, but one will certainly find local variations in most parts of the city. Life duration expectancy, degree of education and average income are somewhat higher in the west than in the east, and this is mirrored in real estate prices. Gentrifi-cation has been taking place however, and it seems likely to continue with growing investments in the eastern parts of the inner city.

Bogstadveien and Heg-dehaugsveien. West end hotspot. Shops and other attractions of all kinds.

Aker brygge. Former ship-yard area transformed in the early eighties. So far the only place where swarming street life meets the waterfront.

Grnerlkka. Some com-plain that trendy shops, cof-fee bars and hip restaurants now are just about to run riot here.

Karl Johan. The eastern part of the street is said to be Scandinavias most crowded pedestrian street in the sum-mertime. A mix of interna-tional chain stores and more local ones.

Grnland. Blooming trade stamped by non-western immigrants.

HotspotsShops and other venues attracting people are concentrated along Karl Johan and a couple of blocks to each side of it. Most shops are to be found in the eastern part of the street while nightlife seems to peak a little further west, the cinemas close to Nationaltheatret acting as a centre of gravity.

Shopping centres Oslo City and Byporten by Jernbanetorget and the Central station also act as popular meeting places for youngsters, especially from the east of Oslo.

Alna

20 | 21Shopping by carShopping centres based more or less exclusively on accessibility by private car have gradu-ally appeared in the outskirts by the main roads. A concentration of out of town shopping has developed at Alna in the valley along E6 to the northeast. There one will find, for in-stance, dealers of furniture, electric appliances and building supplies formerly located in the city centre, as well as car based general-purpose stores. Some 90 percent of the customers come by car. In the centre of Oslo shopping centres are fighting back for customers in other retail branches. At Aker Brygge on the western side of the centre less than 40 percent of customers come by car. At Oslo City and Byporten close to the Central station only some 20 percent come by car.

The South Eastern corridor

The North Eastern corridorThe Western

corridor

E18 StockholmE6 Gteborg

E16 Hnefoss, Bergen

E18 Drammen Kristiansand Stavanger

4 Gjvik

E6 Hamar, Lillehammer,

Trondheim

The Oslo Fjord connection Alternative route through a tunnel under the Oslo fjord. Opened in 2000.

The main road networkThe main roads in and out of the city are guided by the fjord and the forested hills into three main corridors of urban development, from the west, northeast and southeast. Most of the main roads have four lanes and dual carriageway, but only short sections have an interna-tional motorway standard, where the speed limit is 100 km/h. In the central parts the main road system consists of E18 along the seaside and three semi circled ring roads, Ring 1, 2 and 3. E18 and Ring 3 have the highest capacity and take most of the long distance through traffic.

Ring 3 50 000 annual daily traffic

Ring 2 20 000 annual daily traffic

Ring 1 20 000 annual daily traffic

E18 80 000 annual daily traffic

E18

Ring 1

Ring 2

Ring 3

85 000

50 000

30 000 60 000

40 000

35 000

85 000

15 000

22 | 23

Godsterminalen Alnabru

Sjursya. Harbour and ter-minal for oil and petrol con-nected to both the railway and the main road system, and with storage tanks in rock caverns.

E18

Ring 3

E6

E6

Distribution of goodsThe main goods terminals for road and rail are located side by side at Alnabru in the Northeast corridor. To-gether with the Port of Oslo they form the main core of goods distribution in Eastern Norway. Through running heavy trucks mainly follow E18 and Ring 3.

50 8040 7060 9030

Sone

Roundabouts. The use of traffic roundabouts large and small is steadily increasing motivated by their optimal combination of traffic safety and high capacity at junctions.

Studded tires are allowed in the winter season, but the use of such tires contributes to air pollution and increases the costs of road mainte-nance. Campaigns have persuaded more drivers to switch to non-studded winter tires, and during the winter 19992000 a special fee was charged for the use of studded tires in Oslo.

Speed limits. The general speed limits in Norway are 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h in rural districts. However, all road sections are individually and fairly detailed evaluated, so drivers often meet signs that indicate other limits. Restricting driving speeds is seen as an important part of traffic safety policy. Compared to most other countries, Norway has few traffic accidents in relation to the amount of motor traffic

Cycling. The topography of Oslo does not encourage cycling to the same extent as for instance in Denmark and Netherlands, and we do not have the same well developed bicycle culture. Special road constructions and traffic arrangement for cyclists are still relatively rare. At the beginning of the 1990s cycling was allowed on pedestrian pavements, creating new conflicts between cyclists and pedes-trians, especially in the inner city.

24 | 25Additional points on roads and traffic

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Stor

tinge

t

Brugata

Hasle

kern

CarlBerners plass

Sinsenkrysset

Storo

Tyen

Munchm

uset

Kon-Tiki, Ra II, Fram

RDHUSET

GRNERLKKA

EKEBERGSLETTA

Adam

stuen

St Hanshaugen

Ekebergcamping

Ullevl stadion

Gaustad

Grefsen

GRNERLKKA

RDHUSET

SLOTTET

ILA

BISLETT

EKEBERGSLETTA

AKERSHUS SLOTT

Fornebu C

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Skyen

Bygdy

Lysaker

Bygdynes

Snarya

Aker

bry

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Adam

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St Hanshaugen

Holtet

Ekebergcamping

Sagene

Bjerke

Aker sykehusTo

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Ullev

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Forsknings-

parken

Tsen

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Sognsvann

Kringsj

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hosp

italet

Blindern

Ullevl stadion

Disen

Hakadal

NydalenNydalen T

Nydalen T

Gaustad

Solli

Frogner plass

Smestad

Bogstad camping

Bjr

nslet

ta

Lillea

ker

Ra

Slem

dal

Holmenkollen

Skyen st

Folkemuset

Vikingskipene

VigelandsparkenBriskeby

Olav Kyrres plass

Olav Kyrres plass

Natio

nal-

th

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Jernbanetorget/Oslo S

Grefsen

Helsf

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Bryn

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LjabruNesodden Ski

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Railway lines Metro lines Tramway lines Main city bus lines Ferry

Public transport: Five modes

Considering the moderate size of the city, the public transport network in Oslo is distin-guished by many different modes, good coverage of the area, but comparatively low de-parture frequencies. There are few sections of the system where passengers can start their journey without thinking of timetables, and they will normally have to wait some time if they have to change between lines and modes. All railway-, metro- and tramlines go radially to the city centre. Buses serve radial corridors left unserved by the rail systems, and provide non-radial connections outside the city centre.

The market share of public transport has been relatively stable the last ten years. The weekday journeys of the residents of Oslo and Akershus counties have a modal share of ap-proximately 15/65/20 percent between public transport/motor car/walking and cycling.

The ferries cater for a modest share of total traffic, but they are of vital importance for traffic to the Nesodden peninsula south of the city. This ferry does not carry any cars, and the road distance is long, resulting in a very high public trans-port share for the journeys between Oslo and Nesodden.

Fares. The same ticket and price is applicable to all public transport modes within the borders of Oslo. This means that short journeys are expensive, while longer journeys are relatively cheaper. Pre-paid tickets and cards are cheaper than tickets bought from the driver when boarding buses and trams.

Comparative studies have shown that the level of public subsidy for public transport operations is relatively low compared to other cities in Europe.

Both the planning of the public transport network and the operations of the system in the metropolitan region are marked by the historical, administrative borders between the City of Oslo and the surrounding local authorities that belong to the County of Akershus.

Natio

nalth

eatre

t

Jern

bane

torg

et, O

slo S

26 | 27

The city centre has two, nearly equally important public transport interchanges or hubs, and both are served by all modes except the ferries: Nationaltheatret at the West end and the Central Station (Oslo S/Jernbanetorget) at the East end. Nearly all radial lines run through the city centre, and most of them serve these two hubs.

0 1

400 m / 5 min walk2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

Natio

nalth

eatre

t

Jern

bane

torg

et, O

slo S

Asker Administrative center of the Municipality of Asker.

Sandvika Administrative center of the Municipality of Brum

Ski Administrative center of the

Municipality of Ski

Gjvikbanen Single track line

New dual track section due to open 2005

(Metro network)

New dual track section under planning

The railway network

Lillestrm Administrative center of the

Municipality of Skedsmo

Romeriksporten tunnel opened 1999

28 | 29Prior to 1980 the railway system constituted two separate parts, a western and an eastern, with terminal stations at either side of the city centre. In 1980 they were connected by the Oslo Tunnel through the inner city, including a new under-ground railway station by the existing metro station at Nationaltheatret.

There are now three main branches to the east and one to the west, but the north-eastern Gj-vikbanen is single tracked with less capacity and a more limited market than the other branches.

The core sections of local train services fall within the triangle limited of Asker to the West, Lillestrm to the north-east and Ski to the south-east.

The train services on these inner rail sections are restricted by rail capacity however, and the frequencies are rather moderate. Local trains must share the rail capacity with regional trains, intercity and long distance trains as well as goods trains.

In the north-eastern corridor this was somewhat changed by the opening of the new Romerik-sporten tunnel in 1999. In the western corridor new dual tracks are now being built, while other sections are still under planning.

Most of the railway services are operated by the state owned railway company NSB, but the Airport Express Train is organised as a separate operator. The responsibility for railway infra-structure and the train operations was separated in 1995. The services on the Gjvikbanen will be operated on a tendered contract from 2006 as the first passenger railway line in the country.

0 1

400 m / 5 min walk2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

Natio

nalth

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Jern

bane

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et, O

slo S

(Tramway network)

Outer section of line 4 temporarily closed 2003

Tyen

Majorstuen

First section of The Metro Circle Line opened 2003

Frognerseteren

Sognsvann

Kolss

stersStoro

Vestli

Ellingsrud- sen

Mortensrud

Bergkrystallen

The metro network

Lines on four branches on both sides of the city run through a common tunnel between Ma-jorstuen and Tyen. With one line on each branch that runs at 15 minutes intervals, the city centre is served at 35 minutes intervals. The western line 1 to Frognerseteren terminates at Majorstuen for the time being. Generally the distance between stations is so short that the areas alongside the metro are more or less continuously served.

The network is the result of building together two earlier separate systems, an old suburban tram system to the west and the underground (T-bane) to the east that opened in 1966. The two systems reached a common terminal station at Stortinget in 1987, and fully inte-grated operations started in 1995. A new connection between one of the western and one of the eastern branches is under construction, the Metro Circle Line. The first section was opened in 2003, and the circle will be complete in 2006.

The outer section of line 4 to the west was provisionally closed in 2003 after disagreements between the City of Oslo and the County of Akershus about the responsibilities for the costs of operation and maintenance of the track.

0 1

400 m / 5 min walk2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 km

Natio

nalth

eatre

t

Jern

bane

torg

et, O

slo S

(Metro network)

Outer section temporarily closed 2003

Rikshospitalet

Jar

Kjelss

Ljabru

30 | 31The tramway network

The tramway network is less extensive than the metro system, but covers more of the inner city with three sections through the city centre. Most sections of track are served by more than one line, thus favouring direct connections. The area covering is very good due to short distances between stops, but journey speed is relatively low.

In the 1960s it was decided that the tram system should be closed down, and several sec-tions were removed. The decision, which was partly due to the introduction of the new metro in the eastern parts of the city, was later reversed thanks to popular opinion. In the 1990s two new sections of track were built, one over the Rdhusplassen in front of the City Hall, and one line was extended to the new national hospital Rikshospitalet north-west in the city. A new generation of 30 trams have been delivered in 19992003.

The outer part of the Kjelss line to the north was provisionally closed in 2003 due to lack of funds for operations of service and maintenance of tracks, but is now decided to be reopened.

(The Municipality of Oslo boarder)

The two bus networks

The bus services in the Oslo region reflect the historical, administrative boundaries that have resulted in two largely separate bus networks.

The red buses with double figure numbers serve the City of Oslo, and a few areas closely outside the city border. The green buses with three figure numbers serve passengers between Oslo and the County of Akershus, and local journeys inside Akershus. For various reasons the green buses are operated so that they, with some exceptions, do not take up passengers that travel locally in Oslo.

The maps of the networks indicate correctly that the area coverage of the region is fairly good. Service frequencies vary considerably however, from high frequency urban services to lines that run only a few times at rush hours.

The red lines run through the city centre, while most of the radial green lines terminate at the bus terminal that is located a short distance to the east of the Central station. For this reason, the western suburban and regional bus lines provide direct access to the city centre,

(The Municipality of Oslo boarder)

Central regional bus terminal located at the far eastern edge of the actual city centre

32 | 33

while passengers travelling on the eastern lines do not really reach the city centre without an interchange or a long walk.

The region has organised a joint, well functioning travel information system overriding the different administrative divisions, www.trafikanten.no

Road tunnel

Metro tunnel

Railway tunnel

Under construction

Tunnels, tunnels, tunnelsNorway possesses high competence and long experience in tunnel technology, and tunnels are much used for the infrastructure. Obviously, tunnels are a means of creating short cuts in difficult terrain, but in Oslo tunnel constructions are also motivated by local demands for the protection of the local environment from the disruptions of heavy infrastruc-ture and traffic nuisances. However, tunnels are expensive to build, operate and maintain. They require special safety measures and traffic control systems.

An interesting point: If all the planned tunnels in Oslo are im-plemented, 25 percent of the total traffic on the trunk roads at a given time will be inside a tunnel.

Rock

Clay

Ekebergtunnelen existing

Festningstunnelen existing

Bjrvikatunnelen building starts 2005

scheduled to open 20102011

34 | 35

Festningstunnelen The central E18 tunnel

opened 1990

The toll ring

Rdhusplassen in front of The City Hall prior to the opening of Festningstunnelen

and after

36 | 37

The location of the city centre at the head of the Oslo Fjord with no nearby fjord crossings naturally leads to heavy traffic pressure towards the centre. During the 1980s the situation grew intolerable.

The tunnel for E18 through the city centre opened in 1990, and the Oslo toll ring was estab-lished simultaneously. One of its main purposes was to finance this tunnel, but also other infrastructure projects. In total, 19 toll stations have been set up crossing all three traffic cor-ridors, so that all car traffic going into the central parts of Oslo must pay. The toll ring is due to be removed in 2007, but further payment by transport users is being discussed.

Oslopakke 1 and 2Literally translated Oslo Package, Oslopakke is essentially a model designed and applied to speed up the infrastructure investments in Oslo and Akershus.

The general idea is that both the Government and road users themselves contribute, and that the Government, the County Council of Akershus and the Municipality of Oslo jointly agrees on how and where to spend the money.

Road users fund-raising takes place by means of the Oslo toll ring.

Oslopakke 1

Oslopakke 1 concerned the development of the regions trunk road

network. A range of projects, among them several tunnels, have been constructed.

Twenty percent of the Oslopakke 1 funding has been dedicated to public transport infrastructure. Over a ten year period Oslopakke 1 has enabled implementation

of projects which otherwise normally would have taken 2030 years.

Oslopakke 2

The success of Oslopakke 1 inspired the launching of the public transport dedi-

cated Oslopakke 2. Here public transport users contribute to fund-raising alongside the motorists

by a dedicated extra charge on fares.

The Western Corridor new dual track railway line and the Metro Circle Line are the most prominent first phase projects. A range of others are also included

however, among them rolling stock, multimode terminals and traffic flow measures, such as

bus-lanes and signal control.

Most people are owners of their house or flat. Rental is less common, and this market is limited.

For most people their house or flat is the primary object of investment and cater for their financial security. Their spending on redecorating, furnishing and other means of raising the standard and property value is relatively high.

To many Norwegians a detached house with a private garden around it represents the ultimate lifestyle. As this became steadily more difficult to achieve in Oslo, Akershus offered a window of opportunity, with quite heavy com-muting as a result. More urban lifestyle now is becoming increasingly popular however.

After the Second World War housing development of larger areas, one at the time, was undertaken primarily by coop-erative bodies. The satellite housing estates in the eastern parts are the prominent examples.

The housing marked was deregulated in the 1980s, and housing development stagnated around 1990. Develop-ment of larger new areas came to a halt, and the 1990s is characterized by more limited projects, infill development and of brown field redevelopment.

By common conception there is no shortage of space in Norway. Visitors may notice that this is reflected in land use in general as well as in the details. Floorage pr person is relatively high.

38 | 39Housing: Some basic points

Sogn and Nordberg 1930s

Ullevl hageby c1920

Torshov c1920

Marienlyst 1930s

Frogner 1880s and 90s

Romss 1970s

Holmlia 1980s

Lambertseter 1950s

Some typical neighbourhoods

These neighbourhoods should in sum give a pretty good impression of how people live in Oslo, and what has been built during the last century or so. They are all easily accessible by public transport for those who want to take a closer look themselves.

Sogn and Nordberg Area of detached houses built mainly in the 1930s

Ullevl hageby modelled on

English garden cities, built 191522

Romss Satellite town

at the edge of the forest, built in the 1970s

Torshov Blocks of flats around wide courtyards, built in the 1920s

Marienlyst Functionalist blocks of flats, built in the 1930s

Frogner 19th century Berlin style blocks of flats, built in the 1890s

Lambertseter Oslos first satellite town built in the 1950s

Holmlia Satellite town

built in the 1980s

40 | 41

The lake Maridalsvannet is Oslos main water reservoir. The Oset waterworks sup-plies 85 percent of the total consumption, and is present-ly undergoing an upgrade to meet EU standards.

The Skullerud waterworks supplies 11 percent

Bekkelaget sewage treatment plant

VEAS, Slemmestad sewage treatment plant

An extensive network of sewage tunnels and pump stations was built in the 1970s. The main part of the network including the VEAS sewage treatment plant was built and is run jointly by Oslo and three of its neigh-bouring municipalities.

Water in and out

42 | 43Energy and waste

Oslo airport was moved from Fornebu to Gardermoen 50km to the north of

the city in 1998

The E6 motorway underwent a major upgrade

and a new high-speed railway line including the Romeriksporten tunnel was built to make possible The Airport Express Train service.

The significance of these major developments reach far wider than to the air travellers however.

The closing down of the old airport has yielded an attractive site for new housing and businesses at Fornebu in Brum.

Significant movesMoving of important functions as well as closing down of traditional manufacturing industries play a significant part in the regions urban development.

The national hospital Rikshospi-talet moved out of the inner city to Gaustad in 1999, and a tramway line extension was built including a new metro station. Its former location is being transformed to housing.

The port activities are to be con-sentrated near the Sjursya area, thus yielding large waterfront sites near the city centre to new urban development.

Skyen: Manufacturing industries

closed down

Kvrner: Manufacturing industries closed down

Nydalen: Manufacturing industries closed down. The area being transformed and the metro ring line being built.

44 | 45

Nyda

len

Storo

Sinse

n

Western section to Storo opened 2003

Eastern section due to open 2006

Nydalen and The Metro Ring Line

A whole new quarter of housing and businesses has sprung up in the former inaccessible industrial area of Nydalen. This urban development includes construction of the Metro ring Line connecting the Sognsvannsbanen branch in the west and the Grorudbanen branch in the east. When completed, Nydalen will host approximately 16 000 workplaces and more than 1000 flats.

Filipstad

The opera house

The new opera house under construction due to open 2008

Bjrvika

The forthcoming Bjrvika tunnel

Tjuvholmen

46 | 47Bjrvika and The Waterfront City

As in many other seaports, restructuring of port activities and rethinking of land use for transport purposes opens up new windows of possibilities. The vision of The Waterfront City includes the 65-hectare Bjrvika area with a new opera house as a spearhead. A key project is the Bjrvika tunnel for E18. West of the city centre is the Filipstad area, and first in line to be implemented is the smaller nearby area of Tjuvholmen.

The South Eastern Corridor

Railway: New dual track is being planned.

Trunk roads: E6 4-lane motorway continuous from the Swedish border to Oslo. Tunnels on environmental sensitive trunk road sections are under consideration.

The Western Corridor

Railway: New dual track is under construction.

Trunk roads: E16 new sections are being planned, partly tunnels. Development of E18 is being planned.

Public transport: Development of railbound systems are being planned

North Eastern Corridor

Trunk roads: National road 4 relocation is under consideration.

The central area

Trunk roads: E18 Bjrvika tunnel, construction starts 20052006. Ring 3 tunnel at kern, construction starts 20052006.

Public transport: A range of traffic flow measures.

E18

4

E16

E6

Prospective infrastucture

New projects?What about some

good old maintenance?

Was it planned?

I dont know

The Oslo cyclistsseem to be colour-blind!

not to mention pedestrians or motorists

Somehow our new tramsremind me of

armoured vehicles

Too many cars here!Lets demand a tunnel! A long one!

A train every 15 minutes Is metro really

the right name for it?

Oslocan hardly be called a city.

Its just an overgrown village.Quite charming

When in Norwayignore the manmadeand head straight on

to what nature created

Another tunnel?Soon we will all be living

like moles

hmm

48 | 49Wicked tongues (dont read this ;)

This booklet was made as part of the host citys presentation aimed at the delegates of IFHP 48th World Congress 2004. (IFHP, International Federation of Housing and Planning). It was jointly financed and published by Oslo Public Transport Ltd (AS Oslo Sporveier), Road and Transport Authority, City of Oslo (Oslo kommune Samferdselsetaten), Akershus county council (Akershus fylkeskommune) and Norwegian public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen region st).

Project manager and responsible on behalf of the financing and publishing parties was Senior Architect Jrn Skaare of Norwegian public Roads Administration.

Copyright Concept, document design, words, cartography and other illustrations by information designer, architect Truls Lange of Civitas Consultant Group, truls.lange@civitas.no

The information compiled from a variety of sources during the summer of 2004. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this booklet, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain or any incompleteness of the information given.

Special thanks to Gustav Nielsen, Rune Clausen, Peter Hemmen, Ann Helen Karlsen,

Photographs Kjetil Grntoft except Oslo kommune Plan- og bygningsetaten, Gustav Nielsen, OSL, Oslo Pro, ScanPics, Nokian, AS Oslo Sporveier, Statens vegvesen, Flytoget, Fram-muset, Kon-Tiki-muset, Mari Kollandsrud, Riksantikvaren (p 35)

Original map data by Asplan Viak for Statens vegvesen

Printed by Hestholms trykkeri AS

AS Oslo Sporveier Oslo public Transport Ltd

Oslo kommune Samferdselsetaten Road and Transport Authority, City of Oslo

Akershus fylkeskommuneAkershus County Council

Statens vegvesen region st Norwegian public Roads Administration