Oslo has bought 20 new subway cars – this is what they look like on the inside

Oslo is preparing for more people to travel by subway in the coming years when the Fornebubanen is ready. The city’s new carriages get a little fewer seats than today.

In the coming years, the subway in Oslo will have even more departures. Actually 20 percent more. And the number of travelers is to be increased to 140 million a year. There are 30 million more travelers than today.

Therefore, Oslo needs more carriages to run with – in addition to the 115 we already have.

Oslo municipality has now purchased 20 new sets of subway cars.

They look pretty much the same as today’s subways on the outside, but there will be a lot of new things on the inside.

– More modern

The new carriages will therefore be used as a supplement to the current subway carriages, which are between 10-18 years old.

– I think the people of Oslo will be very happy with the new subway cars. They are more modern, offer new functionality, but primarily give the subway sufficient capacity to meet the traffic growth that will come in the next few years, says Sporveissäf Birte Sjule.

On Wednesday, the city council, Ruter and Sporveien will present the new trolley sets.

The supplier of the new subway cars is Spanish CAF – the same company that has supplied the new trams that have gradually been put into operation in Oslo in recent years.

So what’s new?

The doors become wider. The aim of this is to get off and on faster. Passengers must be able to get off the subway at the same time as new passengers get on board.

In addition, the doors get red and green light in a strip. These must notify of the opening and closing of the doors.

On the inside, above the doors, hangs today’s painted route map showing the entire subway network. In the new subways, however, there will be digital screens both above the door and elsewhere in the carriage showing the subway’s route.

In addition, security is improved. The new carriages have better brakes. It will particularly increase safety on the lines with height differences, such as the line to Sognsvann and the Holmenkoll line.

It will be too a little fewer seats. Where today’s carriages have 44 seats, the new carriages have 41 seats per wagon. The new subways come in three-car sets. Therefore, there will be 180 fewer seats in total in the 20 new carriages than in the current subway carriages.

There will probably also be slightly larger areas where wheelchairs, prams and bicycles can be parked.

– A boost for the passengers

The subway increased the number of travelers from 101 to 112 million in 2023, and strong growth is expected until 2030. There are three reasons for this:

• New Fornebubanen FornebubanenThe Fornebubanen is a new subway line between Fornebu and Majorstuen of approx. 7.7 kilometers. The entire section goes through a tunnel. Six new subway stations will be built. The track is to be completed in 2029.
• New signaling system New signaling system The new signaling system is based on CBTC technology (Communication Based Train Control), which is the industry standard for new subways and is used in cities such as Copenhagen, London, New York and Shanghai. It will help to increase capacity in the subway network. Today’s system is from the 1960s. for the subway
• That Majorstuen station is to be upgraded

– Oslo people are well aware of both the Røabanen, Grorudbanen and Østensjøbanen – and soon we can add the Fornebubanen with its six new stations and 7.7 kilometers of double track in the tunnel, says Sjule in Sporveien.

Ruter manager Bernt Reitan Jenssen is convinced that new carriages will be a boost for passengers.

– We at Ruter are looking forward to the passengers being able to board the new subway cars, he says.

Some of the carriages will arrive in the city in 2027 and 12 of them will be put into operation in 2029. The purchase of the new carriages is now expected to cost the municipality of Oslo NOK 3.2 billion.