Holmenkolbanen
Encyclopedia
A/S Holmenkolbanen was a company that owned and operated part of the Oslo Tramway and Oslo Metro in Norway
from 1898 until 1975 when services were taken over by the majority owner Oslo Sporveier
. Holmenkolbanen opened the Holmenkoll Line in 1898, and expanded it to become the first Nordic underground railway in 1928. The company took over operations of the Smestad Line in 1933, the Sognsvann Line in 1934. The company was merged into Oslo Sporveier in 1992.
—the Holmenkoll Line—from the Holmenkollen
neighborhood in northwestern Oslo to the end of the street tramway at Majorstuen
. The line opened first to Besserud (at the time called Holmenkolen) on 31 May 1898 and then to Frognerseteren
on 15 May 1916. The second part of the line was constructed by its subsidiary A/S Tryvandsbanen, and included a single track
cargo line to Tryvandshøiden
. It was established on 4 January 1912 and disestablished on 1 January 1920.
To offer direct services into the city center, the company started the construction a tunnel to the underground Nationaltheatret Station
. Construction started in 1912, but had to commence in October 1914 after about thirty properties had received massive damage from the construction; some even had to be razed. A settlement was not reached until 1925, and construction started again in 1926, with the line opening on 28 June 1928. However, the real estate owners were not satisfied with the settlement and it ended in court, with the property owners gaining additional claims.
The cost of the tunnel was too high for the company to bear, and by 1932 it could not handle its interest. To save the company, the municipal owned Akersbanerne
agreed to a merger between A/S Holmenkolbanen and two of Akersbanerne's three lines—the Smestad Line and the under construction Sognsvann Line that would both share the tunnel into the center, with the transaction taking place on 16 November 1933.
In 1942 the Kolsås Line was rebuilt to terminate through the Smestad Line, and in 1944 the owner Bærumsbanen
was bought by Oslo Sporveier
. After the municipal merger between Aker
and Oslo on 1 January 1948, the two municipal tram companies Akersbanerne and Oslo Sporveier merged; due to this the operation of all the four western lines were collected in A/S Holmenkolbanen. Operation was transferred to Oslo Sporveier on 1 August 1975, after it had bough almost all the shares in the company, and it had been delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange
. A/S Holmenkolbanen remained a separate company until 6 May 1992, when it was fully merged with Oslo Sporveier.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 1898 until 1975 when services were taken over by the majority owner Oslo Sporveier
Oslo Sporveier
Kollektivtransportproduksjon AS is a municipal owned public transport operator of Oslo, Norway, the name meaning simply "public transportation producer". It operates the trackage and maintains the stock of the Oslo Metro and Oslo Tramway, as well as owning eight operating subsidiaries...
. Holmenkolbanen opened the Holmenkoll Line in 1898, and expanded it to become the first Nordic underground railway in 1928. The company took over operations of the Smestad Line in 1933, the Sognsvann Line in 1934. The company was merged into Oslo Sporveier in 1992.
History
The company was founded on 17 February 1896 by H. M. Heyerdahl and Albert Fenger Krog as the leading executives. The goal was to build a suburban tramwayLight rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
—the Holmenkoll Line—from the Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen
Holmenkollen is a neighborhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous, eponymous, ski jump arena hosting competitions since 1892...
neighborhood in northwestern Oslo to the end of the street tramway at Majorstuen
Majorstuen (station)
Majorstuen is a subway station on the Oslo Metro and a light rail station on the Briskeby Line of the Oslo Tramway. It is located in the Majorstuen neighborhood in the Frogner borough....
. The line opened first to Besserud (at the time called Holmenkolen) on 31 May 1898 and then to Frognerseteren
Frognerseteren (station)
Frognerseteren is the end station of the Holmenkollen Line of the Oslo Metro, located in the Marka section of Oslo, the capital city of Norway. It is the station after Voksenkollen. The line to Frognerseteren was completed on 16 May 1916. The station has two platforms which, like other stations on...
on 15 May 1916. The second part of the line was constructed by its subsidiary A/S Tryvandsbanen, and included a single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
cargo line to Tryvandshøiden
Tryvandshøiden (station)
Tryvandshøiden was a planned station on the Holmenkollen Line in Oslo, Norway. It was planned by the company Tryvandsbanen in the early 1910s and partly constructed in 1916 at the end of a single-tracked line from Frognerseteren. A red signalman's house named "Norden" was the station's only facility...
. It was established on 4 January 1912 and disestablished on 1 January 1920.
Nationaltheatret (station)
Nationaltheatret is an underground metro station and tram stop serving Vika and the city center of Oslo, Norway. It is located on the Common Tunnel of the Oslo Metro and on the Briskeby Line of the Oslo Tramway. Also located at the same place is Nationaltheatret Station of the Drammen Line. The...
. Construction started in 1912, but had to commence in October 1914 after about thirty properties had received massive damage from the construction; some even had to be razed. A settlement was not reached until 1925, and construction started again in 1926, with the line opening on 28 June 1928. However, the real estate owners were not satisfied with the settlement and it ended in court, with the property owners gaining additional claims.
The cost of the tunnel was too high for the company to bear, and by 1932 it could not handle its interest. To save the company, the municipal owned Akersbanerne
Akersbanerne
A/S Akersbanerne was a municipal owned company that operated tramways in the former Municipality of Aker in current Oslo, Norway. The company was established in 1917, and opened the suburban Østensjø Line tramway in 1926; it took over the majority ownership of Holmenkolbanen in 1933, that owned the...
agreed to a merger between A/S Holmenkolbanen and two of Akersbanerne's three lines—the Smestad Line and the under construction Sognsvann Line that would both share the tunnel into the center, with the transaction taking place on 16 November 1933.
In 1942 the Kolsås Line was rebuilt to terminate through the Smestad Line, and in 1944 the owner Bærumsbanen
Bærumsbanen
A/S Bærumsbanen was a tram company that operated the Lillaker-, Kolsås and Østensjø Line of the Oslo Tramway, Norway, from 1924 to 1971 when the company became part of Oslo Sporveier.-History:...
was bought by Oslo Sporveier
Oslo Sporveier
Kollektivtransportproduksjon AS is a municipal owned public transport operator of Oslo, Norway, the name meaning simply "public transportation producer". It operates the trackage and maintains the stock of the Oslo Metro and Oslo Tramway, as well as owning eight operating subsidiaries...
. After the municipal merger between Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
and Oslo on 1 January 1948, the two municipal tram companies Akersbanerne and Oslo Sporveier merged; due to this the operation of all the four western lines were collected in A/S Holmenkolbanen. Operation was transferred to Oslo Sporveier on 1 August 1975, after it had bough almost all the shares in the company, and it had been delisted from the Oslo Stock Exchange
Oslo Stock Exchange
The Oslo Stock Exchange serves as the main market for trading in the shares of Norwegian companies. It opens at 9:00am and closes 5:30pm local time...
. A/S Holmenkolbanen remained a separate company until 6 May 1992, when it was fully merged with Oslo Sporveier.