The planning manager in Bergen is not allowed to plan a light rail tunnel – wants to hire planners – NRK Vestland

– The city council leader is going to become historic in this case, because she gets to end this argument. This happens through strong political governance, and that the light rail goes in a tunnel.

This is predicted by Trond Tystad, head of The Bergen list.

Together with the Pensioners’ Party and the INP, he has for the past six months held the Bergen city council in its hands in the dispute over where the light rail should go.

With the usual big words from Bergen, the plan to build the Bybanen on to Åsane has been called, on occasion, “the best transport project in the country” and “a disaster for the world cultural heritage at Bryggen”.

Front or back?

The nearly twenty-year-long dispute is about the 500-metre stretch where the light rail route is planned along Torget and Bryggen in Bergen.

The professionals at the Planning and Building Agency have recommended this solution after years of analyzing various alternatives. Last spring, the city council approved the route.

But in the autumn, Bergenslisten got a total of four seats in the city council, in protest against the decision. The party would rather have the track in a tunnel behind The brewery.

The urban rail case became the basis for the cooperation agreement between six parties. The agreement secures the city council parties Høgre, Frp and the Center Party in power in the city.

In return, the city council had to promise Bergenslisten, the Industry and Business Party (INP) and the Pensioners’ Party to create a new tunnel clearance.

Tightens the political grip

Now the city council has decided that the director of planning in the planning and building agency in Bergen cannot work on the report.

He has previously spoken out in favor of the Bryggen alternative, group leader Trond Tystad points out in Bergenslisten.

Instead, city development councilor Christine Kahrs (H) tightens her political grip and will hire the job herself, in her own city council department for urban development.

But because she doesn’t have the professionals she needs there, she has to “recruit, hire or acquire expertise”.

– This is so important to the city council that we want to take care of it ourselves. There should be no criticism of the Planning and Building Agency that they do not have the necessary legitimacy. This is the kind of criticism they received last time, and I want to shield them from that, says Kahrs to NRK.

Celebrate with dime balls

The new tunnel solution has created uncertainty and frustration among the government and county politicians. Because a rematch for the route towards Åsane can also mean that government billions, and thus construction of the entire project, will be delayed.

But in Bergen there was a shillingsball atmosphere when the tunnel comrades in Bergenspolitiken met to celebrate on Wednesday.

They are very satisfied that the promised tunnel solution is now in the works. For the urban development board, a seven-page city council case has been submitted.

– Theyn the most important issue for this collaboration is the light rail and the light rail solution, says Chris Jørgen Rødland in Høgre.

Tystad takes far more in:

– We think that this solution lands very safely in the tunnel, he says to NRK.

The Urban Development Board itself holds back more:

– The point is to see if it is possible to have a route that is a real alternative to the route out “today”. Now I will arrive at a realistic tunnel alternative, and I am optimistic about that. Then it is up to the city council to make a choice, says Kahrs.

In the case, she outlines a timetable for a preliminary project and two subsequent phases for the analysis.

The report must be submitted to the city council for a political decision in autumn 2025.

But the city council still knows little about costs and who will do the work.

– Political overdrive

The opposition is critical of the Director of the Planning and Building Agency being “seen on the sidelines”.

– This is political overriding of professional expertise, said VEnstre politician Per-Arne Larsen in the city council hall on Wednesday.

– Trust is something you have to build up, answered Kahrs, and stated from the same lectern:

– In the past, we have not had the necessary legitimacy for the light rail process in the population.

The Director of Planning: – Special

To BT, Kahrs has stated that the planning and building agency “did not want to carry out this investigation”.

– It is not relevant. We would of course have done it, if we had been told about it, answers Frthe country director himself, Tarje Wanvik, to NRK

Wanvik points out that the tunnel alternative has worked out several times in the past. He calls it “special” that the city council will make the report in its own department.

– How can you sit as planning director if you are not allowed to plan the biggest project in the city?

– We already have the tunnel out. There are many other things to plan in this city. It has also been announced for a long time that the city council wants to take another look at this project, says Wanvik.

– You are not considering your position?

– Far from it, says the director of planning.

He has no idea what the investigation will cost, and has not heard anything about the extent to which the city council will bring in professionals from his department.

In front of NRK, the city council opens Kahrs to do just that.

– Dit may well happen that we will bring in people from the rest of the organisation. Or we bring in external consultants who are with us, or they do it externally. But it has not been decided yet, she says.

Kahrs emphasizes that she has no distrust of any of her agencies. At the same time, she agrees with Wanvik that the whole thing is “special”.

– He is, of course, absolutely right. But we are doing it this time because it is important to us, says the city council.

– Because it is important for the city council to survive?

– Those are your words.

Fearing a new light rail election

The Green Party’s Thor Haakon Bakke is upset and believes that too little has been done in the last six months.

– The investigation still lacks both a plan, funding and personnel resources, Bakke points out.

– This is a victory for those who want to train and who don’t want urban rail at all, he believes.

In addition, he fears that the tunnel solution will delay the entire light rail system, and once again end up as an important issue in the municipal elections. – i.e. in 2027.

– I sincerely hope not. It’s not that important with this tiny stretch. The county has said that they can start building a town other than in the middle of the city centre, city ​​development council Kahrs says to NRK.