Ruter is planning transport projects as far ahead as 2060 as it looks to cope with population increases projected over the next 50 years.
Over the last few years, Oslo has experienced a significant population increase compared to other European cities, with a 2.35 % rise in 2011 alone. According to several studies, the population of the Oslo-Akershus region could rise to 2.5 million by 2060, compared to 1.2 million today. Meanwhile, public transport demand is expected to grow threefold over the same period, and that has prompted the local public transport authority, Ruter, to take the bull by the horns. Their solution has been to introduce the K2012 action plan, a strategy addressing the years 2012 to 2060, with the goal being to cope with the increased demand while also encouraging people to leave their cars at home.
Top of the list of measures being devised is a plan to renovate Oslo’s Central Station, which is used by 50 million passengers every year – a figure expected to double in in the next two decades. The project, drawn up by the Space Group architectural firm, will result in a complete design revamp of the building in order to make it more identifiable, while allowing it to cope with the 100 million passengers per year eventually expected to be passing through. The work is due to be completed in 2017.
In addition, tentative plans exist for a 30,000 m2 intermodal bus terminal at the Central Station, which would double the current infrastructure’s passenger capacity. This would feature a bus station on the highest floor and, thanks to its several different levels, give direct access to the underground and trains – all for an estimated cost of 4.7bn NOK. "We’ve worked on this project for several years, but we’re still at the beginning," commented Ola Skar, Ruter’s Principal Planner. "We still need to figure out how to finance it."
Ruter is planning the construction of two train and tram tunnels, expected to be ready for operation in 2030. These would increase the frequency of vehicles from today’s level of one every ten minutes to one every five or six minutes, with the project set to cost around 10bn NOK. The public transport authority likewise wants to improve its tram service by upgrading its rolling stock and increasing the capacity of its vehicles by acquiring 84 new light-rail transit systems for an investment cost of 3.5bn NOK.