Bergen Light Rail - Infrastructure

Infrastructure

The system uses standard gauge tracks and 2.65-meter (8 ft 8 in) wide cars, with the platforms built to allow 44-meter (144 ft) long trams. The system is built without balloon loops, so trams must be bi-directional. The current is supplied from six rectifiers, dimensioned so the system can operate with two rectifiers out of service. In the city center, the overhead wire has been designed to minimize the number of poles, while in the suburban areas, a conventional system has been chosen, with a carrier wire above the power wire.

The entire system is double track, allowing visual signaling and speed adjustment on all ground stretches. In city streets, S60-track is used, and in own right-of-way sections, S49-track is used. The minimum curve radius is 25 metres (82 ft) and tracks in city streets are laid within a rubber jacket to reduce noise. In the tunnels, only one tram can operate in each direction; this is regulated by lights and a automatic Train Protection system. The signaling does not use traditional Norwegian light signals, but instead the German BOStrab system. The light rail line has traffic signal preemption, so the trams send a signal to the traffic light control when the driver starts the door-closing signal to give the tram a green priority at traffic lights.

The depot is located at Kronstad, at a former yard used by the Norwegian State Railways, and here there is a track that connects the light rail network to the Bergen Line. The depot was finished in 2009, and has place for sixteen 40-meter (130 ft) units, plus a workshop with space for two trams and a garage with place for three. There is sufficient area for further expansion, but tracks have not been laid. If the light rail line is expanded past Rådal, a new main depot is planned in an area with cheaper land, and the Kronstad depot will be converted to a pure overnighting facility.