Oslo Commuter Rail

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Oslo Commuter Rail
125
Locale Central Eastern Norway
Transit type Commuter rail
System length 628 km
No. of lines 8
No. of vehicles BM69, BM72
No. of stations 130
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Owner Jernbaneverket
Operator(s) Norges Statsbaner
NSB Anbud
A BM69 unit at Drammen Station
A BM69 unit at Drammen Station

Oslo Commuter Rail is a commuter rail service centered around Oslo, Norway. Using mainline track, eight lines are operated, all going through Oslo Central Station (Oslo S). Seven lines are operated by Norges Statsbaner while one is operated by its subsidiary NSB Anbud. Service is provided with hourly or semi-hourly headway, using BM69 and BM72 electric multiple units.

Contents

[edit] Operation

There are four main routes out of Oslo S, the West Corridor (Drammenbanen), North-East Corridor (Gardermobanen/Hovedbanen), South Corridor (Østfoldbanen) and Gjøvikbanen. All trains have some departures serve the West Corridor to Skøyen, and three lines continue on to at least Asker. Through each of the three corridors there is one service (400 and 500) that serve all stations until Asker, Lillestrøm or Ski, respectively. Other services only have limited stops until these stations, with more frequent services beyond these points, including services north-east on Kongsvingerbanen to Kongsvinger, west on Randsfjordbanen/Sørlandsbanen to Kongsberg, west on Spikkestadbanen to Spikkestad and south on Østfoldbanen to Moss or Mysen/Sarpsborg. Two of the railway lines operated by the commuter rail are high-speed lines, the 64 km Gardermobanen from Oslo to Eidsvoll and the 10 km Askerbanen from Asker to Sandvika (with extension to Lysaker in 2011).

The eight routes are:

The infrastructure is shared with freight and express train operations, and owned by the state agency Jernbaneverket. Operational deficits are financed through subsidies to NSB from the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, and based on public service obligation with the routes operated by NSB Anbud, that operates a contract until 2015.

[edit] Service

Most lines operate with an hourly headway, sometimes with additional trains in rush hour. Gjøvikbanen operates with a 40-minute headway. Because the system is integrated with other mainline traffic, transfer with other NSB services are available many places. Transfer to the Oslo T-bane is possible at Oslo S/Jernbanetorget and Grefsen/Storo. Line 450 to Eidsvoll also serves Oslo Airport, Gardermoen.

The commuter trains services have an integrated fare system with other public transport, especially Ruter, the public transit authority for Oslo and Akershus. NSB's commuter trains will also use the new contactless ticket system Flexus when it is introduced. Plans for near introduction have excised since 1996.

[edit] Rolling stock

A BM72 unit at Røyken Station
A BM72 unit at Røyken Station

The commuter rail uses two types of electric multiple unit, BM69 and BM72.

The 69-series is a two or three-car multiple unit built by Strømmens Værksted between 1971 and 1990. NSB operates 85 units, though some serve other lines. NSB Anbud operates nine of the 69g-series units. All 69-units are painted red.

The 72-series is a four-car multiple unit built by Ansaldobreda between 2000 and 2002. The 36 units have higher capacity and speed than the older 69-series, and are often used on the longer routes, since they have somewhat higher comfort. Also they can run at 160 km/h on the high-speed lines, unlike the 130 km/h of the 69s. NSB operates 36 units, though they also serve on the Jæren Commuter Rail. The 72-units are painted green as part of an attempt to rebrand the commuter services NSB Puls.

[edit] Future expansion

 This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.
  • Increased service frequency has been requested, but most lines are packed to the limit with trains, particularly the Oslo Tunnel and single tracked lines are bottle necks.
  • NSB has announced that they will order about 60 new multiple units during 2008-09.
  • Jernbaneverket is currently extending the parallel line Askerbanen in the West Corridor from Sandvika Station to Lysaker Station, with completion expected in 2011. The line will allow quicker trains as well as better regularity, but not more trains, since the Oslo Tunnel is the bottleneck in the West Corridor.
  • A new parallel line from Oslo to Ski, Follobanen has been proposed by Jernbaneverket, that would allow direct trains to Ski to pass in 12 minutes. The commuter trains to Moss would use this line, but it is uncertain if the trains to Mysen would.
  • Ringeriksbanen is a proposed new line from Sandvika to Hønefoss. It would allow commuter traffic to the Ringerike region. Plans for this line have existed since the original plans for Bergensbanen completed in 1909. There has been a decision in the legislature, Stortinget, related to this, but no financing is in place.

[edit] External links