Oslo Commuter Rail - History

History

The first part of what is now the Oslo Commuter Rail was the Trunk Line, which opened on 1 September 1854 between Oslo East Station (Oslo Ø, located at the same place as the current Oslo S), and Eidsvoll. The line was at first private, although it was nationalized in 1926. On 3 October 1862, the Kongsvinger Line opened from Lillestrøm to Kongsvinger. The Østfold Line opened from Oslo Ø to Moss and onwards to Halden on 2 January 1879, followed by the Eastern Østfold Line from Ski via Mysen to Sarpsborg on 24 November 1882.

West of Oslo, the first part of the current commuter rail was the Randsfjord Line (parts of which have since become part of the Sørland Line), which opened on 15 November 1866 between Drammen and Vikersund. The Sørland Line from Hokksund to Kongsberg opened on 10 November 1871 and connected to the Randsfjord Line. On 7 October 1872, the Drammen Line opened from Oslo West Station (Oslo V) to Drammen. This line, along with the section from Drammen to Kongsberg, were built with 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge and did not connect to the main station of Oslo Ø. The Gjøvik Line opened from Grefsen to Jaren on 20 December 1900, and from Oslo Ø to Grefsen and from Jaren to Gjøvik on 28 November 1902.

In 1903 and 1904, the Trunk Line was upgraded to double track. The section from Drammen to Kongsberg was converted to standard gauge on 1 November 1909. Between 1917 and 1920, dual gauge was laid between Oslo V and Drammen, and from 13 November 1922, the Drammen Line was entirely operated with standard gauge. The first electrification of NSB's lines was put into service on 26 October 1922 on the Drammen Line between Oslo V and Brakerøya. The section from Oslo V to Sandvika was upgraded to double track on 26 November 1922. From 1922, NSB introduced El 1-hauled passenger trains on the Drammen Line, and later other lines.

The next electrification occurred on the Trunk Line from Oslo Ø to Lillestrøm on 1 September 1927, the Randsfjord Line from Drammen to Kongsberg on 10 April 1929 and the Drammen Line from Drammen to Brakerøya on 6 May 1930. El 5 locomotives were acquired for the Trunk Line. Electric multiple units were put into service in 1931, with the delivery of four Class 62 units on the route from Oslo V to Sandvika. These proved not to be sufficiently powerful for the large traffic and were later moved to less used services from Oslo V to Asker or Heggedal. The class remained on the commuter rail service until 1953.

From 1936, NSB took delivery of Class 65 multiple units, replacing El 1 as the primary hauler on the electrified commuter rail network. Class 65 were the first that were optimized for local traffic, with wide doors and turnable seats. NSB took delivery of 49 units until 1952, although they were also used outside the commuter rail network. The Østfold Line was upgraded to double track and put into service in four sections: from Bekkelaget to Ljan on 1 June 1924, from Oslo Ø to Bekkelaget on 15 May 1929, from Ljan to Kolbotn on 15 December 1936 and from Kolbotn to Ski on 14 May 1939. The Østfold Line was also the next line to be electrified, which opened in sections between 1936 and 1940. NSB took into use El 8 locomotives on the line.

On 15 June 1953, the Trunk Line from Lillestrøm to Eidsvoll took electrification into use. Further upgrades on the Drammen Line installing double track were put into service on 24 July 1953 from Billingstad to Hvalstad, on 29 November 1955 from Hvalstad to Asker and on 9 November 1958 from Sandvika to Billingstad. Between 1953 and 1955, NSB took delivery of 18 Class 67 multiple units. While visually similar to Class 65, they had improved technology and reliability. On 1 February 1961, the Gjøvik Line from Oslo Ø to Tøyen was put into service with double track and the line from Oslo Ø to Jaren put into service as electrified. Double track from Tøyen to Grefsen opened on 27 May 1962 and the sections from Jaren to Gjøvik was electrified in 1963.

In the 1960s, NSB found the need for a new generation of trains. Class 69 was built in aluminum and were longer, allowing for more passengers per car. They had a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph); this had a significant cost impact, as it allowed not only faster travel time, but allowed the services from Oslo Ø to Lillestrøm and Ski to run fast enough to dispense with one third of the previous number of units. Combined with the increased size, NSB could replace three three-car trains with two two-car trains. At the same time, some smaller stops were terminated to allow faster travel time. Eighty-eight units were delivered in four series between 1970 and 1993, with later series having a three-car configuration. On 3 June 1973, the 10.7-kilometer (6.6 mi) long Lieråsen Tunnel opened, shortening the Drammen Line by 11.7 kilometers (7.3 mi). The 13.7-kilometer (8.5 mi) long section from Asker to Spikkestad was kept as a branch line, and named the Spikkestad Line, while the section from Spikkestad to Brakerøya was removed.

The Oslo Tunnel opened on 30 May 1980, connecting the Drammen Line to Oslo Ø. Initially, only the Lillestrøm– Drammen/Spikkestad lines used the tunnel, in addition to some services from Eidsvoll and Årnes to Skøyen. At the same time, Oslo Ø was rebuilt to the 19-platform Oslo S, which was put into service on 26 November 1986. Oslo V was closed on 27 May 1989.

In 1993, NSB received a large delivery of middle cars for the majority of the Class 69 units, allowing NSB to operate them as three-car trains. Between 1992 and 1996, a new, upgraded double track was put into service between Ski and Moss. The section is capable of speeds from 160 to 200 kilometres per hour (99 to 120 mph). The Gardermoen Line opened as Norway's first high-speed line on 8 October 1998. The line runs parallel to the Trunk Line from Oslo S to Eidsvoll, via Oslo Airport, Gardermoen—which opened the same day. The section from Oslo S to Lillestrøm, consisting mainly of the Romerike Tunnel, was delayed because of leaks in the tunnel, and opened on 22 August 1999. In 1997, NSB ordered 36 Class 72 multiple units to supplement and replace existing material. They were pained green and branded as part of the NSB Puls scheme, which was quickly abandoned. The four-car units were taken into service in 2002.

The ministry decided in the early 2000s to make the services on the Gjøvik Line subject to public service obligations, as a trial to privatize operation of all passenger train services in Norway. In the tender, NSB's subsidiary, NSB Anbud (since renamed NSB Gjøvikbanen) won the ten-year contract, after having underbid Veolia Transport Norway and DSB. Nine Class 69 trains were upgraded and designated 69G and will operate until 2015 on the Gjøvik Line. Because of a cabinet change in 2005, the PSO contracting was terminated. On 27 August 2005, the Asker Line opened between Sandvika and Asker, allowing trains to bypass the many local stations at 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph).