InTramCities with Gordon Stewart
Oslo,
Norway :
13th June 2016
Track situation at Christian Frederiks plass
Track
has been in situ along Dronning Eufemias gate for some time but it is
not clear as to when it will be brought into use. The new line passes
through the redeveloped Bjorvika area and runs between the modern Oslo
Opera House at the head of Oslo Fjord and the so-called "Bar Code"
district, characterised by a row of white grey and black high-rise
buildings just to the south of the railway tracks at Sentralstasjon.
The
route is intended to be the new alignment for trams on the Ekebergbanen
(the former light railway to now integrated into the urban tram network
as the route to Ljabru). Leaving the existing route along Oslo gate at
St Halvards plass, the new line will run along Bispegata and the newly
rebuilt Dronning Eufemias gate to link with the tram network at
Christian Frederiks plass with tracks already linked up to head into
Prinsens gate and to turn right on Strandgata towards
Jernbanetorget.
Prinsens gate is blocked off for traffic
(requiring a comprehensive rerouting of affected tram lines until at
least February 2017) because of extensive redevelopment under way at
Wessels plass, and with trams now only operating one way along
Strandgata, it makes little sense to incorporate the new line into the
network until the temporary diversions have been lifted. However, two
other factors mean that the opening date has not been announced.
Construction work for the mainline railways in the vicinity of
Bispegata has meant that the line has not been linked up at its
eastward end and the operators also have a shortage of rolling stock
which makes the provision of a frequent enough service impossible. New
trams are to be delivered as part of a comprehensive fleet renewal -
but not until 2020.
Once
opened, the current tracks in Olso gate and Schweigaards gate
were expected to be retained for emergency use. However,
after closure in September 2020, the old tracks were disconnected and
the overhead equipment quickly removed
View eastwards along Dronning Eufemias gate with the modern Opera House on the right
View eastwards along Dronning Eufemias gate with the buildings of the "Bar Code" district on the left
View westwards towards Wessels plass along Prinsens gate,
showing the road closed for construction work. The tram junction
indicates that future services from Ljabru / Holtet will be able to run
directly to the Stortinget area or turn right on Strandgata to reach
the major transport interchange at Jernbanetorget.
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