Fornebu Line

The 1919 proposal for a light rail was based on the standard of the western suburban lines, which are today part of the metro. The Lilleaker Line was proposed linked to the Common Tunnel at Majorstuen Station and a branch from the Lilleaker Line was proposed built, with two alternative routings, either branching near Lilleaker Station or at Bestum Station, intersecting via a culvert with the Drammen Line near Lysaker and then continuing through Fornebu in the middle of the peninsula. It would cross Snarøysundet to Snarøen and over Lille Ostsund to Ostøen. Further extensions to Brønøen were also called for, but at a later date. The municipal committee saw the line not only as a possibility for serving local residents, but also to transport day tourists from the city to the seaside.[36]

The mainline railway alternative called for the use of NSB Class 69 trains, such as this one at Heggedal Station

The 1981 proposal by the Institute of Transport Economics called for a mainline railway service to Fornebu as a single-track branch from the Drammen Line to the airport terminal. The intersection was proposed located 300 meters (980 ft) east of Lysaker Station, hinder trains from stopping at Lysaker. This was caused both by the geological conditions and road plans. The line would branch off and run under the Drammen Line and E18 in a tunnel. It would ascend between Snarøyveien and the fjord and continue to a station situated at the water aerodrome. The station would feature two tracks and would include an elevated walkway over to the terminal. Depending on the options for expanding Fornebu, the then main terminal was proposed rebuilt to an international terminal and a new domestic terminal was proposed built. This would have required the railway line to be extended and a second station be built. The line was estimated to cost 100 million kroner.[37]

The line would have been built and operated by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). As the Oslo Tunnel between Skøyen and Oslo Central Station is the bottle-neck of the system, the proposal called for existing routes of the Oslo Commuter Rail from the east which run through the tunnel and terminate at Skøyen council be extended to Fornebu. The proposal called for three every twenty minutes and a travel time of twelve minutes. The system would be able to take advantage of the airport being served against the rush-hour flows.[38] Even when the investments in rail infrastructure were included, operating costs for a rail transit system were lower than that of a bus service.[39] However, the lack of a train station in the terminal would add five minutes walking time. The proposal also examined various fast ferry services and found that the rail service would be between five and nine minutes faster than any coach or ferry option.[40]

Map of NSB's two railway lines (alt. 1 is the branch and alt. 2 is the loop) and its people mover proposal (alt. 3)

The 1986 proposal by NSB considered the use of more modern rolling stock than the Class 69 trains being used.[41] In addition to a branch proposal, it called for a loops from the Drammen Line between the stations of Stabekk and Høvik which would run down to Fornebu and stop at a station before continuing onwards to Lysaker. By then it was determined that keeping Oslo Airport, Fornebu would involve building a new, domestic terminal, situated at Oksenøen, 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) from the old terminal. The train station would be situated between these and a moving walkway built between the terminals and to the train station. NSB preferred the loop, as it allowed trains running along the Drammen Line to deviate via Fornebu and serve the airport. The branch line would require all traffic from the west to transfer at Lysaker.[11] Costs were estimated at 160 million kroner, including a third track from Bestun Station to Stabekk.[42]

NSB presumed that a similar operating procedure be carried out for a branch service. However, it proposed a different route which branched off west of Lysaker Station. By linking these with various lines to the east, this would allow direct services to the airport from the Østfold Line, the Gjøvik Line and the Trunk Line. For a loop service, NSB proposed that the airport be served with existing commuter trains running on the Drammen Line between Asker Station and Lillestrøm Station (today's line L1).[43] The main advantage was that it would allow all regional and express trains, including those serving to the Bergen Line, the Sørlandet Line and the Vestfold Line, to call at the airport. Travel times were estimated at 12 minutes to Oslo Central Station, 18 minutes to Asker, and 25 and 33 minutes, respectively by commuter and express train, to Drammen Station.[44] NSB estimated a twenty-five percent market share, giving an estimated 3,500 to 8,000 daily passengers, depending on how much airline traffic was allocated to Fornebu. A major advantage was that it would largely come as an additional product for existing services and would thus be economically favorable for NSB.[45]

The final railway proposal was placed in a 2001 report. It looked at the possibility that the Asker Line would have been placed in a different route between Sandvika and Skøyen through Fornebu. Various routes were considered, some of which would stop and other which would not at Lysaker. Alternatively the branch proposal with two station was considered from Lysaker. THis would involve the construction of about 10.2 kilometers (6.3 mi) of new railway.[46]

Detailed map of the proposed route of the people mover

The first proposal for a people mover was launched by NSB in 1986 and was centered around being a link for the airport.[11] The line would have its start at Stabekk Station on the Drammen Line, where it would be located next to the railway platforms. NSB would schedule all services along the Drammen Line stop at Stabekk. The stations at the terminals would be built in the immediate vicinity of the check-ins. The line would have been 2.2 kilometers (1.4 mi) long and have two stations, one at each of the terminals. In such capacity it would double as a transit system between the terminals, which would be situated on each side of the runway.[42] Travel time to Oslo Central Station was estimated at 15 minutes. A major advantage compared to the loop line was that the people mover would be able to serve both terminals, not just the new terminal.[44]

The second alternative for a people mover arose with the closing of the airport. Various technologies were pursued, ranging from a light metro—essentially a low-capacity rapid transit—to monorails. No universal standards are available and the system would have to be custom-built by a manufacturer. The system would run elevated or in a tunnel from Lysaker to Oksenøykryset and from there as an elevated line. Akershus County Municipality opted for a monorail system, emphasizing the light design. Speeds would have been limited to 40 to 50 kilometers per hour (25 to 31 mph).[47]

Crossection of Lysaker Station showing how the people mover could be integrated into the station

From Lysaker the line was proposed built as a double-track system to Fornebu Senter and onwards as a single-tracked system to Norske Skog. The system would require 32 hourly departures during rush-hour and 16 departures per hour the rest of the day. Eight of these would continue on the single-tracked section. Travel time from Lysaker to Norske Skog would have been 12.5 minutes, 10 minutes to Fornebu Senter and 5 minutes to Telenor. The line would serve ten stations.[48]

The system could either be built in isolation, and rely on transfer to train at Lysaker, or be built in connection with a metro. The latter would result in an underground section through Lysaker and a common transfer between the three modes at Lysaker. The metro line was proposed as a branch of the Kolsås Line from Åsjordet Station and with an intersection and transfer to the Lilleaker Line at Lilleaker. Almost the entire section of metro would be built in a tunnel. at Lysaker a metro alternative would give transfer at the same platform between the two modes, while a non-metro alternative would give a people mover station below the train station.[49] By linking up to five cars into a train, each departure could have a capacity of 175 people. This would allow for 5,600 passengers per hour. Initial reports regarded this as sufficient,[50] but later reports found this to be insufficient.[51] The system would require eleven trains.[52]

Illustration of crossections of people movers in tunnel, at-grade and elevated

During later planning phases the county also looked at the possibility for the line to be built in such a way that it at a later date could be converted to a tramway and connected to the Oslo Tramway. The alternative gave a large hike in the investment costs, while it provided no advantages during the initial operating phase. The structure's width and visual profile would increase and of these reasons the alternative was abandoned.[53]

A major advantage with the people mover was that it would allow for a good geographical coverage of the peninsula and could be built to make all bus services superfluous.[48] The plans required that Lysaker Station had an exceptionally good transit service with links in many directions so that further transfers would not be necessary.[54] Investments were estimated at 1.5 billion kroner in 2011, lower than any of the alternative modes.[55]

The tram-train model was based around the use of modified T2000 metro trains, which could both use overhead wires and third rails

The proposed tram-train route would run in a new tramway line from Fornebu to Lysaker. There it would connect to the Drammen Line from Lysaker Station to Skøyen Station. At the latter site it would instead connect to the Skøyen Line of the tramway via Bygdøy allé and run to the city center and Jernbanetorget. The line was proposed extended eastwards partially along the Trunk Line and partially along a new light rail route via Akershus University Hospital to Lillestrøm and Kjeller in Skedsmo.[56] The line from Lysaker to Fornebu was estimated to cost 223 million krone, and a total cost of 334 million to reach the city center.[57]

The service took its basis in the new T2000 trains which had been delivered for the Holmenkollen Line a few years earlier. These were built so that they could operate both along light rails with overhead wires at 600 volts and on the metro with a third rail 750 volt power supply. Connection to the mainline railway would require the system to also handle 15 kV  16.7 Hz AC. However, the system would only have to relate to standard gauge.[58] The system posed a series of challenges. One was the difference in platform height and loading gauge. While the metro features a platform height of 105 centimeters (41 in), the railways used 57 and 70 centimeters (22 and 28 in) and the tramway 26 centimeters (10 in). Similarly, the vehicles have varying widths. This would mean that a tram-train would have to opt out of using existing platforms at all but one mode.[59] The systems use varying standard top speeds and a tram-train would therefore have to have more power than a metro train to keep higher speeds to not slow other traffic on the mainline railway.[60]

A SL95 unit of the Oslo Tramway on a new section of track of the Lilleaker Line at Øraker

Ruter's proposal for a tramway was based on two separate routes from the city center to Lysaker and one proposed route from Lysaker through Fornebu. From the city center the trams would run along the Skøyen Line, while others would run from Majorstuen to via the Frogner Line to Frogner plass and from there in a new line to Skøyen.[61] From Skøyen there were two proposed routes to Lysaker. The one involved using the existing Lilleaker Line to Furulund Station, where the line would branch off. It would then run in a tunnel to Lysaker and onwards to Oksenøyveien. The alternative, which was named the Fjord Tramway, was proposed to run from the Skøyen, through a short tunnel under the E18 and along Bestumkilen. It would have an intermediate station at Vækerø and then continue in a tunnel to Lysaker and onwards to Oksenøyveien. It would be located in an underground station at Lysaker, blow the lot north of the station. The station would be located at 4 meters (13 ft) below mean sea level in bedrock. This allows it to be built without interrupting operations at Lysaker Station, without interfering with the structures on the lot above and giving sufficient depth to pass under Lysakerelva.[62]

From Oksenøyveien, where it would feature a stop, the line would continue onwards to stations at Telenor Arena and the Telenor head office. It would run through a short tunnel to Rolfsbukta and then start turning around to in a circle to Koksa and terminate at Fornebu Senter. A future extension was proposed onwards to Storøykilen and Norske Skog's head office. The line from Fornebu Senter to Furulund would be 4.7 kilometers (2.9 mi), while an extension from Fornebu Senter to Norske Skog would be 1.0 kilometer (0.62 mi). Travel time from Fornebu Senter to Lysaker would be 8.5 minutes and from Fornebu Senter to Nationaltheatret 27.5 minutes.[62] The line is proposed to be served by 24 trams per hour from Fornebu to Skøyen, of which 8 continue to the city center and onwards along an extended Sinsen Line to Tonsenhagen.[51] In 2011 the costs of a tramway were estimated at 2.7 billion kroner.[55]

The tramway alternative could have been built as a branch of the Lilleaker Line

Ruter has also explored what it has termed as a "semimetro". This concept was based on the agency's long-term plan to upgrade the tram network to a system similar to a stadtbahn. It would run with conventional tram vehicles, connected in pairs and with a combined capacity of ca. 360 passengers. In relation to its route, it was planned built at ground level with six station at Fornebu (Fornebu Senter, Koksa, Rolfsbukta, Telenor, Telenor Arena and Oksenøykryssset). From there it would run to Skøyen in a tunnel with intermediate stations at Lysaker and Vækerø. From Skøyen some services would run along existing tramways to the city center, while others would run in a tunnel to Majorstuen.[63] Ruter estimated the cost of the semimetro at 3.5 billion kroner in 2011.[55] It would have 16 hourly departures to Skøyen, half of which would continue to Majorstuen and half of which would continue to the city center.[32]

The tramway alternative has the easiest and fastest access, being located at street level. This encourages passengers which will take it between stops on Fornebu and travelers heading to Lysaker. However, the long travel time by tram to the city centers means that most travelers will switch to trains at Lysaker. Estimates show that in the long run the tramway alternative may not have sufficient capacity to handle all the traffic to Fornebu.[51] The tramway is in the process of ordering new trams. One of the goals is that they can be a shelf ware. Should the Fornebu Line be built as a tramway, it would feature the only tunnels on the network. This would result in the trams having to be built in a higher fire grade, resulting in significantly higher costs for all trams for the network. Alternatively special trams for the Fornebu Line would have to be built, eliminating possibility of economy of scale.[64]

Majorstuen, the westernmost station of the Common Tunnel, is proposed as the Fornebu Line's terminus.

The first metro proposal, from 2009, called for the line to be built as a branch of the Kolsås Line from Ullernåsen. Except for a short portion at the southern end, the entire line was proposed in a tunnel. After Ullernåsen the line would have only three stations, Lysaker, Telenor Arena and Fornebu Senter. However, additional stations were considered. Eight hourly services were proposed, which could or could not continue from Majorstuen through the Common Tunnel.[65] Further plans called for an upgrade to allow a fly-over at Makrellbekken, on the Røa Line.

A second main proposal was launched in 2011, whereby the metro would follow a new route. It would leave Majorstuen in its own right-of-way in a tunnel. It would turn ninety degrees and run under the Frogner Park to a station at Skøyen. From there it would run close to Bestumkilden, with an intermediate station at Vækerø before reaching Lysaker. The line would have three stations on Fornebu: Telenor Arena, Flytårnet (Telenor) and Fornebu Senter. Ruter recommended this alternative, based on its combination of fast travel time to the city center and that a metro alternative is the only service which can be guaranteed to have sufficient capacity in the long run.[66] Ruter estimated the cost of a metro via Ullernåsen at 3.0 billion kroner and via Skøyen at 4.5 billion kroner in 2011.[55]

Ullernåsen was previously proposed as the site for the Fornebu Line to branch off from the Kolsås Line.

The Skøyen route has an estimated travel time of 5 minutes from Fornebu Senter to Lysaker and 12 minutes from Fornebu Senter to Majorstuen. This involves building a 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) from Majorstuen to Skøyen, 1,250 meters (4,100 ft) to Vækerø, 1,350 kilometers (840 mi) to Lysaker, 1,050 meters (3,440 ft) to Arena, 900 meters (3,000 ft) to Flytårnet and 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) to Fornebu Senter. Sixty percent of the line will run in Oslo.[67] There has also been proposals to build a station at Madserud and the Frogner Park, although the need given the sparse population has been questioned.[68]

A major challenge with the metro alternative is the network's congestion through the Common Tunnel, which is shared by all lines between Majorstuen and Tøyen. Currently the capacity through the tunnel is limited to 28 trains per hour per direction, although Ruter hopes than improvements in signaling can increase this to 32. This, combined with turning trains from the Holmenkollen Line at Majorstuen, will allow all eight hourly metro trains to reach the downtown area. There are plans to build a second metro tunnel through the city center, with estimates for completion around 2030.[69]

Mercedes-Benz Citaro articulated bus on Line 31 to Fornebu in Bygdøy allé

Buses make up the current public transport service to Fornebu, and as of 2011 Ruter operates up to 53 buses per hour to the peninsula. They partially run along reserved bus lanes. However, there is not sufficient capacity at street level to handle more buses at the stops. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is considering alternatives for handling increases buses, including that of building a bus terminal. Construction of a rail transit system would make further upgrades superfluous.[70]

Termed "superbus", Ruter has investigated the possibilities of building a bus rapid transit. From the city center the route would follow the current bus route along Bygdøy allé for street access, while other buses would run on the motorway to Oslo Bus Terminal. It would follow the same right-of-way as a tramway would from Skøyen to Fornebu and would run either in a tunnel or along the fjord from Lysaker to Skøyen. It would serve Lysaker via an underground terminal and continue in a tunnel to Øksenøykrysset. It would continue through Fornebu halting at six stops. However, Ruter was concerned that it would be difficult to create an efficient system without large-scale bus lane conversion in the city center.[71] Investments were estimated at 1.7 billion kroner in 2011.[55]