- Oslo trolleybus
Infobox Public transit
name = Oslo trolleybus
imagesize = centre
locale =Oslo ,Norway
transit_type =Trolleybus
began_operation =December 15 1940
system_length = 26.1 km
lines = 4
stations =
ridership = 96,000
track_gauge =
marks =
employees =
operator = Oslo Sporveier|The Oslo trolleybus system was a
trolleybus network operated by Oslo Sporveier inOslo ,Norway betweenDecember 15 1940 , andFebruary 15 1968 . The system measured at the most 26.1 km on four lines.History
While
Drammen had got theDrammen trolleybus , the first inScandinavia in 1909, Oslo had relied on the Oslo Tramway since 1875. But in 1927 Oslo Sporveier started their first bus route, andSeptember 28 1931 , they sent an application for operation of a trolleybus in Oslo between Oslo andGrorud . But the application met a lot of resistance.Schøyens Bilcentraler route 30 went from Grorud toSkøyen , and if Oslo Sporveier was to operate a route on the same line, they would have to pay compensation to Schøyens. To avoid this, Oslo Sporveier changed their applied terminus toMajorstuen . But while the City Council of Aker wanted the other solution, and was pressing Oslo Sporveier to go to Skøyen, and theNorwegian National Road Administration felt that if Oslo Sporveier wanted to build a trolleybus route to Grorud, they would have to pay for part of the upgrade of Trondheimsveien, a term not acceptable for the company. [cite book |last=Aspenberg |first=Nils Carl |title=Trolleybussene i Norge |year=1996 |publisher=Baneforlaget |location=Oslo |pages=66]After a one year trial run in Drammen in 1939 the first trolleybus route in Oslo opened in 1940. This was line 17, a 1.6 km feeding line at
Rodeløkka . This line only used one bus, that didn't run on Sundays so it could be maintained. Then cameWorld War II withfuel shortage , resulting in the trolleybus being quite popular, as Norway had ampleelectricity . But there were other problems, including material shortage and the fear of the German forces confiscating anycopper that would be used in the wires. But after the war the network was expanded onwards, with three new lines in 1946. The lines were constantly expanded until 1955 when the network was at its largest. [cite book |last=Aspenberg |first=Nils Carl |title=Trolleybussene i Norge |year=1996 |publisher=Baneforlaget |location=Oslo |pages=70]The end of the trolleybuses started in 1960 when the sale of cars in Norway was deregulated. This resulted in an enormous reduction in
public transport ridership, and the same year the Oslo City Council decided to close both the trolleybus and tramway networks. In 1961 the first line was decommissioned, followed by another the next year. Access buses were sold to Drammen. The last lines were closed in 1968. The plan was to replace all the electrical powered tram and trolleybus routes with thediesel bus , a strategy that would prove fatal when theoil crisis hit in the 1970s. Unlike the trolleybus network, the Oslo Tramway still exists. [cite book |last=Aspenberg |first=Nils Carl |title=Trolleybussene i Norge |year=1996 |publisher=Baneforlaget |location=Oslo |pages=78]References
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