Trondheim Tramway controversy
Encyclopedia
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
, Norway
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...
, should have a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way.
The first debate came after the 1956 Dalsenget fire
Dalsenget fire
The Dalsenget fire was a disaster where the Dalsenget Depot of Trondheim Sporvei burnt down, destroying almost all of the modern tram fleet. 26 trams, 16 trailers and one working tram were destroyed, and three cleaners lost their lives...
, when most of the city's tram fleet was destroyed; a proposal to replace the tramway with a trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
line was rejected. In 1968, the Singsaker Line was closed, and replaced by a bus route. From the merger of all bus and tram companies into Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap or TT was the city public transport company for Trondheim, Norway between 1974 and 2001. It operated both the city buses, and the Trondheim Tramway until 1988. The company was owned by the city council....
in 1974, the debate was intensified. In 1984, the Elgeseter Line was closed, but a new depot was built, and eleven new trams delivered.
In 1988, the last tram line, from Lian to Lade
Lade, Trondheim
Lade is a community in Trondheim, Norway. It is located on a peninsula north-east of the city centre, north of the community of Lademoen. It was the site of the historic Lade farm.-History:...
, was terminated. The tracks in the city center and to Lade were removed, but the Gråkallen Line was kept to run heritage trams
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
. By 1990, the trams were still not sold. Instead, the private company Gråkallbanen took over operations and seven trams, and have operated the Gråkallen Line since. The process cost two mayors their jobs.
Merger
After the city owned both tramway companies, Graakalbanen and Trondheim SporveiTrondheim Sporvei
Trondheim Sporvei was a municipally owned tram operator in Trondheim, Norway that existed between 1936 and 1974. The company operated the municipal parts of the Trondheim Tramway until it was merged with A/S Graakalbanen and Trondheim Bilruter to create Trondheim Trafikkselskap...
, after 1966, it was decided in 1969 to merge them as well as the newly purchased Bynesruten
Bynesruten
A/S Bynesruten was a bus company that operated in Trondheim, Norway. From 1924 to 1972, it operated a 30-kilometer bus route from Trondheim to Byneset and Spongdal....
into Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Trondheim Trafikkselskap or TT was the city public transport company for Trondheim, Norway between 1974 and 2001. It operated both the city buses, and the Trondheim Tramway until 1988. The company was owned by the city council....
(TT). Organized as a limited company, the merger took effect on 1 January 1972. However, this occurred just while public transport was becoming commercially unprofitable, and the city had was forced to give subsidies for the first time. Two years later, the private bus company Trondheim Bilruter
Trondheim Bilruter
Trondheim Bilruter or TBR was a municapally owned bus company in Trondheim, Norway between 1951 and 1974. It was merged with the tram operators Trondheim Sporvei and A/S Graakalbanen in 1974 to form Trondheim Trafikkselskap...
was nationalized along with the Trondheim operations of Klæburuten
Klæburuten
Klæburuten is a Norwegian bus company located in Trondheim. It operates the regional buses in Klæbu and to Trondheim in addition to the Airport Bus from Trondheim to Trondheim Airport, Værnes....
and NSB Bilruter
Nettbuss
Nettbuss AS is the largest bus company in Norway owned by the Norwegian State Railways . It was until 2000 known as NSB Biltrafikk. The company has 14 operating subsidiaries throughout Norway and in Denmark and Sweden....
. On 1 January 1974, all the bus and tram transport throughout the city was organized in one entity.
Arne Watle
Arne Watle
Arne Watle was a Norwegian businessperson. He was hired as CEO of the bus company Trondheim Bilruter in 1951, and also became CEO of Trondheim Trafikkselskap after the merger. He was replaced by Jan Reinås in 1983.-References:...
, since 1951 CEO of Trondheim Bilruter, was appointed CEO of the new company. Odd Hovdenak
Odd Hovdenak
Odd A. Hovdenak is a Norwegian civil servant, and between 1959 and 1974 director of the Trondheim Tramway.Educated in business administration, Hovdenak worked in the city administration in Trondheim from 1938. In 1953, he worked under the chief administrative officer of finance, and was acting in...
, former CEO of both Trondheim Sporvei and Graakalbanen, became CFO. In the beginning there was also problems with two very different corporate cultures. TT established itself at Sorgenfri
Sorgenfri
Sorgenfri is a neighbourhood in Lyngby-Taarbæk municipality in Greater Copenhagen lying just north of Kongens Lyngby. It is the site of Sorgenfri Palace....
, after the administration of the former companies had been scattered around town. Trondheim Sporvei had long had ambitions to also become a bus company; while it had captured a few routes, this ambition was merged into the new company culture.
During 1973 and 1974, the oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
had encouraged people to start taking more public transport. With high capacity, the trams were better suited than buses to cope with the 10% ridership increase, in particular on car-free Sundays. Other new concepts were monthly passes and senior discounts. During the early 1970s, the interest for environmentalism and people-friendly cities grew. Some politicians and activists demanded that decision processes be made open, and to reduce the massive plans for motorway construction throughout the municipality. In 1976, ridership increased by 12%. 6 million people were transport by two tram lines, while 14 million were transported on 38 bus lines.
Reports
First report
In 1975, the city council decided to order a report to consider the future of the tram. The work was done by the Norwegian Institute of TechnologyNorwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
and Arne R. Reinertsen. In particular, it look at how a new line could be built to Valentinlyst
Valentinlyst
Valentinlyst is a neighborhood in Trondheim, Norway. It is located south of Persaunet, north of Moholt, west of Tunga and east of Tyholt....
and onwards to the University of Trondheim campus at Dragvoll
Dragvoll
Dragvoll is a location in Trondheim, Norway, where several parts of the buildings and campus of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are located. It may also refer to the university campus itself. At Dragvoll the faculties of social sciences and humanities are located, consisting of...
. Alternative 1 followed an at-grade route, along Innherredsveien to Strindheim, and along Bromstadveien, Kong Øysteins veg and Jonsvannsveien, and would cost NOK 68 million. The second alternative involved a 1.7 km (1.1 mi) tunnel from Bakkegate to Valentinlyst; this would cost NOK 209 million. Alternative 3 ran along Høyskoleveien from Studentersamfundet to Klæbuveien, and into a tunnel to Valentinlyst; this would cost NOK 116. All the sections were dimensioned for 70 km/h (43.5 mph), and were inspired by the new rapid transit
Oslo T-bane
The Oslo Metro is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Oslo T-banedrift on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of six lines that all run through the city centre, with a total length of . It has a daily ridership of 268,000 with 105 stations of which 16...
in Oslo. Alternative 1 was recommended, but would give an annual increase in operation costs of NOK 6.8 million.
The report was then considered by the politicians on 28 April 1977. The Socialist Left Party
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
supported alternative 1, while Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum
Odd Einar Dørum is a Norwegian politician and former member of parliament, representing The Liberal Party.Dørum was Minister of Transport and Communications from 17 October 1997 to 15 March 1999, then Minister of Justice until 3 March 2000. He was again Minister of Justice in the second government...
from the Liberal Party wanted new articulated trams. Both suggestions were only supported by the two respective parties. The Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
was split, and decided to win time by ordering a new report. Mayor Axel Busch from the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
said that the report gave just the conclusion he wanted. The first report was criticized for not considering the economic impact of replacing trams and trailers with new articulated trams, that would have lower operating costs. It also failed to take into consideration the increased ridership that the higher comfort of trams give.
Change of operation
During 1978, the Ministry of Transport and CommunicationsNorwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
required all public transport companies to reduce their costs. TT announced that they wanted to close the Voldsminde Loop on the Lademoen Line. Instead, a 7.5-minute headway would be introduced from Lade to the Elgeseter Line/Ila Line intersection in Prinsens gate, and both the Gråkallen Line and the Elgeseter line would get a 15-minute headway. This schedule would be able to operate with one less tram in service, and would give a significant reduction in costs. However, Chairman Jens Trøtteberg from the Conservatives chose to present this suggestion in the newspaper along with that he personally felt that in the long run the whole network should be closed. The deputy chairman Eigil Gullvåg and the labor unions chose to criticize the who suggestion, saying that it would not be beneficial to close parts of the network. The city council rejected the proposal on 20 December 1979.
Proposal for expansion
The second report was initiated by a committee in January 1978. When presented in nine volumes in March 1979, it recommended two new tramways: Lade–MidtbyenMidtbyen, Trondheim
Midtbyen is a borough and comprises much of the city centre of Trondheim, Norway. Midtbyen proper is located north and east of the river Nidelva, south of the Trondheim Canal and east of Ila, thus being north of Øya and Elgeseter, east of Bakklandet and south of Brattøra...
–NTH
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
–Risvollan–Heimdal
Heimdal
Heimdal is the southernmost borough in Trondheim, Norway named after the god Heimdall in Norse mythology. The area has been continuously inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and is rich in archaeological sites....
sbyen and Lian–Midtbyen–NTH–Nardo–Moholt
Moholt
Moholt is an area of Trondheim, Norway south of Tyholt and north of Loholt. The area is dominated by housing, including a lot of student housing. There are also some supermarkets and commercial enterprises in the area, primarily because of the proximity to European route E6...
–Stokkan. By 1990, this would capture 90% of the public transport in the municipality. Investments would be NOK 340 million and annual operating costs would be NOK 103–106 million. A diesel bus system would cost 81 million annually, while a trolleybus network would cost 87 million annually. The report recommended the diesel bus alternative. An information office was established by the city in Hornemannsgården in the city square. The information brochure made by the city announced that the investment costs were equal to five new schools, ten new kindergartens, two swimming halls, a library and 1,000 new housing lots. The report was considered by the city council on 29 March. After a long debate, the council decided to keep the existing network, and upgrade the rolling stock and tracks. This was again stated in a new vote on 24 August.
Due to this decision, 700 m (2,296.6 ft) of track were replaced in 1979 in Strandveien, Innherredsveien and Mellomvien. At Buran, the trams to Lade and Voldsminde got each their own track, so they could pass each other in case of red light. In 1980–82, the whole Ila Line was renovated; Nordre Ilevolden was transformed into a pure public transport road, and the tram was given its own road from Ila
Ila (station)
Ila, formerly Ilevolden, is a tram stop on the Trondheim Tramway, located at Ila, Trondheim in Trondheim, Norway. It was the original terminus of Ilalinjen, the first tramway and opened in 1901. In 1924 it also became a stop for the private Gråkallbanen that ran to Lian. The station featured at...
to Bergsli gate. On the Gråkallen Line, wooden sleepers were replaced with concrete, and the track weight was increased from 35 to 41 kg/m, and the tracks were welded.
Political circus
During 1979, state subsidies became part of the debate. The 1970s saw a large increase in state subsidiesSubsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
to bus operations. Mayor Olav Gjærevoll
Olav Gjærevoll
Olav Gjærevoll was a Norwegian botanist and politician for the Labour Party. Gjærevoll was a professor of botany at the University of Trondheim from 1958 to 1986, and was a specialist in alpine plants....
had contacted the state to investigate if the tram could receive the same subsidy level as an equivalent bus route, but this had been rejected by the department, even though Minister of Transport, Ronald Bye
Ronald Bye
Ronald Joseph Bye is a former Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was Minister of Transport and Communications 1978-1981.-References:...
of the Labour Party, was positive. Chief of Administration Odd Sagør suggested during the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications
Standing Committee on Transport and Communications
The Standing Committee on Transport and Communications is a standing committee of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for policies relating to transport, postal services, telecommunications, electronic communication and the responsibilities of the Norwegian National Coastal Administration...
of the Norwegian Parliament's visit to Trondheim the same year, that state road funds could be used on tramway infrastructure, but this was rejected. He argued that not only did the trams not receive state subsidies for operation, but they were also responsible for covering the costs for their infrastructure.
The Labour Party had lost the election in 1975, and Axel Buch from the Conservatives had become mayor. During the 1979 election, the Labour Party had chosen the slogan "rather tram than Buch". They increased from 34 to 36 seats, but the right-winged parties claimed 43 mandates, and the Conservatives had doen their best election ever. Hildur Karsesten, a woman tram driver, had the decisive vote. Members of the labour union organized a secret meeting between Karstensen and Olav Gjørevoll, the Labour mayor candidate, to secure the political foundation. During the council meeting, roomers spread that the right-winged coalition would not hold. During a pause, a hunt for Kristiansen started, who had to hind in a group room of Labour politicians. Conservative Hans Sørum tried to get into the room, and took a grip of Kristian Dimmen's tie. This is the closest there has been to a direct fight in the city council. Gjærevoll was elected mayor.
New trams
In 1979, TT started working on the process of ordering new trams. The whole fleet of Class 7TS Class 7
TS Class 6 was a series of 28 trams and 15 trailers built by Strømmens Værksted for Trondheim Sporvei. They were delivered in two slightly different batches; ten in 1948–49 and six in 1955....
trams was from 1958, and these would soon need replacement. Invitations to tenders were sent in July 1980. A study trip was taken by seven people to the factories of ČKD Tatra in Czechoslovakia and Düwag in Germany. They also looked at the tramways in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
and Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
. By 1 December, eight bids had come in from La Brugeoise et Nivelles
La Brugeoise et Nivelles SA.
La Brugeoise et Nivelles SA , later BN Constructions Ferroviaries et Métalliques was a Belgian manufacturer of railway locomotives and other rolling stock; it was formed by a merger of two companies La Brugeoise et Nicaise et Delcuve and Les Ateliers Métallurgiques de Nivelles.The Bruges factory...
(BN), Linke-Hofmann-Busch (LHB), Strømmens Værksted
Strømmens Værksted
Strømmens Værksted A/S was an industrial company based in Skedsmo, Norway, specializing in the production of rolling stock. Founded in 1873, it remains as a part of Bombardier Transportation...
, Düwag, Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft , or SIG, is the former name of SIG Holding AG, a Swiss company that has been active in various businesses during its more than 150 years of operation. Since the year 2000 the Society has undergone strategic refocus, concentrating on its core compentence in...
, Valmet
Valmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
, Waggon Union
Waggon Union
Waggon Union was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles and bus bodies, that was also known as Deutsche Waggon und Maschinenfabrik or DWM....
and Pragoinvest/Tatra.
Only LHB and Valmet would deliver the special 260 cm (102.4 in) wide trams used in Trondheim. The bid from Tatra was the cheapest (at NOK 2.2 million per tram), but 33 units would be needed, since they would have to run as double units. An alternative with using ten of the newest trailers. The committee instead chose to the articulated, six-axle, tram from LHB as the Class 8
TT Class 8
TT Class 8 are the only remaining trams used on the Trondheim Tramway. Built by Linke-Hofmann-Busch in 1984–85, they replaced the aging Class 7 trams used by Trondheim Trafikkselskap...
. For both lines, trams would be needed, costing NOK 80 million. Various suggestions were made to avoid a full load financing. This included using NOK 20 million from the parking fund, but despite the matter being considered by the government, the money was never used.
Only one line
Voldsminde (station)
Voldsminde was a tram stop on the Lade Line of the Trondheim Tramway. It was operational between 1936 and 1988 and was the site of a tram depot since 1913...
to Elgeseter. To save the line, Ulf Ulseth suggested using the old stock on line 2.
The chief of administration made a proposal to close line 2. The overlapping traffic could be taken over by the trams, and the traffic to Elgeseter could be taken over by southbound buses. This would force the main depot, located at Dalsenget, to be closed. The depot at Munkvoll
Munkvoll Depot
Munkvoll Depot is the only remaining depot of the Trondheim Tramway, Norway.The depot was first built in 1924 for Graakalbanen. Located beside the transformer station , It was located at Munkvoll, the then terminus of the Gråkallen Line. In 1953, a second hangar-style depot building was built on...
was suggested rebuilt for NOK 34 million, including NOK 11 for machines. Dalsenget was valuated at NOK 15 million, and proposed sold. Ulseth's proposal would require five trams in route, demanding ten in total. This would also require NOK 6.5 million upgrade to the Elgeseter Line, plus new trams for line 2 around 1990. The new trams would increase the annual capital costs with 1.6 million, but reduce operating costs with NOK 1.2 million. One line would cost NOK 2.9 million per year, with investments of NOK 19.3 million. Two lines would cost 5.7 million to operate, and require investments of NOK 22 million. The labor union supported two lines, noting that expansion southwards and eastwards would be impossible with the lines abandoned, and that there would be no excess capacity in the new depot at Dalsenget. They also claimed operation could be rationalized by NOK 4.4 million at Dalsenget, and that old trams could be operated beyond 1990.
On 27 May 1982, the board of TT voted five against two for Ulseth's suggestion to keep to lines, and change the trams to run Lian–Lade and Elgeseter–Voldsminde. The votes for a single line were by Conservative Jens Trøtteberg and Liberal Merie Widerøe. In July, the executive committee of the city council voted to have only one new line, buy eleven trams and build a new depot. On 26 August 1982, the city council considered the matter. With 43 against 42 votes the city council voted to close down the whole tram line. However, since that proposal was not on the protocol, the matter would have to be voted over a second time. It turned out that two members of the Socialist Left Party, Sigrid Irtun and Petra Johansen, had been away during the first voting. Irtun had been told by the party leadership to stay home, while Johansen had left the party and did not meet on a regular basis. Both women met to the final voting, and with 44 against 41 votes the city council decided to keep the tramway, but close the Elgeseter Line. Eleven trams were ordered, and a new depot was to be built. The executive committee agreed to the NOK 62 million contract with LHB on 29 September.
Intermesso
With the delivery of new trams, operational costs would be reduced. A new washing hall would replace cleaners; combined with reduced maintenance on new trams, it would give a reduction from 40 to 13 depot employees. Line employees would be reduced from 27 to 5–6 after the upgrade to concrete sleepers was finished on the Gråkallen Line. The articulated trams would not need conductors used in the trailers, and an additional 20 jobs could be removed.
Due to errors in the decision documents regarding the cost of the new depot. Instead of a net cost of NOK 21 million, it increased to NOK 40 million—several costs had been forgotten, and NOK 9.7 million in new machinery had to be dropped. This showed that it would have been cheaper to keep the depot at Dalsenget, and just use the tracks to Elgeseter for transport to the depot. However, on 16 August 1984, the city council decided to transfer Dalsenget to a municipal property company, and develop it as a "techno stable" for new ventures. Therefore the possible sales price would not go to reducing the debt to finance the new depot at Munkvoll. Combined with the unwillingness to use the parking funds, this resulted in 100% loan financing of the depot and the trams, the most expensive method. The new depot at Munkvoll opened 6 June 1984.
The first articulated tram came to Trondheim on 29 July 1984. It was stored at Voldsminde, while part of the track through the city center was removed for maintenance. The first test run was on 22 August, and the last tram was delivered on 4 January 1985. The track on the Gråkallen Line was replaced, and a new packing machine was bought. The platforms on the Gråkallen Line had to be rebuilt to a lower platform height. On 28 March 1985, the city council voted to transform TT into a limited company
Aksjeselskap
Aksjeselskap is the Norwegian term for a stock-based company. It is usually abbreviated AS or A/S, especially when used in company names. An AS is always a limited company, i.e. the owners cannot be held liable for any debt beyond the stock capital...
. In 1986, tram ridership increased by 2.4%.
Sale of trams?
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...
was considered as a possible purchaser, but then the trams would have to be rebuilt, costing NOK 1.9 million per unit. Also, Oslo Sporveier had slightly larger trams, and felt the Class 8 was too small for their needs. Conservative chair of Oslo Sporveier, Haakon Magnus Preus said live at a public meeting for the labor union in January that they did not want the trams. TT still felt that it would be possible to sell the trams for NOK 45 million.
Another problem was how to serve the population along the Gråkallen Line by bus. While there were roads to Lade, they were not suitable in Byåsen. Uglaveien would have to be upgraded for NOK 12.6 million, and new road following the right-of-way, and a rebuilding of the intersection with General Bangs vei. Total costs would be NOK 17 million. Costs were reduced to NOK 6.3 by only building a single lane road from Kyvannet to Lian. In addition, NOK 6 million was estimated as income from sale of the right-of-way. TT suggested two new bus routes: Lian–Munkvoll–Bøckmans vei–Stavne
Stavne
Stavne is a neighborhood in Trondheim, Norway. It is located on the west shore of the river Nidelva, east of Byåsen. It lays across the river from Elgeseter....
–Midtbyen–Lade and Breidablikk–Byåsenveien–Midtbyen–Lade. TT claimed they could save NOK 19 million by closing down the tramway.
More reports
An alternative report was launched by business administration student Knut Myhre. It showed that the TT report had false premises, since it had calculated the amortization from 1987 to 2000, instead of to the end of the economic lifetime of the trams around 2020. Also other parts of the methodology were criticized. The chair of TT, Ove Dalheim (Labour), and chief of administration, Axel Buch, both supported the closing of the tram. Dahlheim, a railway employee and a former member of the Communist Party, had been an eager supporter of the tramway, but has since changed his mind.Rolv Sverre Fostervold from the Labour Party suggested new expansions of the tramway. Parts of the Labour Party, as well as the Centre
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
, Liberal and Socialist Left Party agreed to demand a new report, based on extending the tramway from Munkvoll to Vikåsen and Heimdal. TT came with a report in 1986, but this was criticized, and another had to be published in 1987, made by the external consultants A. R. Reinertsen
Reinertsen
Reinertsen is a Norwegian construction and civil engineering company. The group has activities in Trondheim, Orkanger, Oslo, Bergen, Bodø, Stenungsund, Göteborg, Malmö, Stockholm, Murmansk, Russia and Szczecin, Poland . The group is 6-th biggest construction company in Norway with turnover in 2010...
, Asplan and Vattbyggnadsbyrået. In the fall of 1986, Gjærevoll and Fostervold had had a meeting with Reinertsen, and this was brought to the front page of the newspapers on 5 November.
The report proposed two new routes: Munkvoll–Saupstadringen–Kattem
Kattem
Kattem is a neighborhood in Trondheim, Norway. The area is located south of Lundåsen and southwest of Heimdal. The residential areas were built during the 1970s. The sports team Kattem IL is located there....
(9.8 km (6.1 mi)) and Mellomveien/Buran–Strindheim–Brundalen–Dragvoll
Dragvoll
Dragvoll is a location in Trondheim, Norway, where several parts of the buildings and campus of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology are located. It may also refer to the university campus itself. At Dragvoll the faculties of social sciences and humanities are located, consisting of...
–Nedre Vikåsen (11.1 km (6.9 mi)). The lines would cost NOK 393 million, divided equally between the two lines, and including NOK 15 million upgrade to the track through the city center. Also a tunnel to Valentinlyst was again considered, and a better and cheaper route was found than had been proposed in 1977. 19 new trams would need to be ordered to operate the lines. The report claimed that it would costs 78 million more to operate than by bus, but would give a noticeable difference in pollution. The models did not presume higher traffic for tram than for buses, despite previous evidence of the opposite, and most of the cost difference was related to the tramway having to carry its own cost for the tracks, while the buses would use existing roadways.
The report was criticized by the committee member Sivert Schevig, the representative from the employees, who felt that the conclusion had been given to begin with, and the underlying material made to support it. An opposing report was made by Knut Myhre and Rune Kjenstad, who claimed that the line would be built after too expensive standards. They claimed costs could be reduced by 30%. While they agreed that a full expansion was not feasible, they felt that shorter expansions should be considered more carefully. The opposing report claimed that closing the tramway would save NOK 6–7.8 million, while the initial report claimed that 19 million could be saved.
Closure
From 1983 to 1987, municipal subsidies to the tramway were reduced from NOK 18 to 15 million. However, the capital costs were NOK 23 million, so the tram had an operating profit of 8 million. The public debate had shifted from having a wide range of arguments, to being a fully economic debate. The Labour Party was in the decisive position, and in May 1987, its general meeting voted 71 against 25 to keep the tramway—but this time the council members were not bound to vote with the party. When the matter was decided in the city council on 18 July, nine Labour politicians chose vote for closure. Also members of the Socialist Left Party voted against the tramway, and with 53 votes against 32, the city council decided to abandon the cities whole tramway network. A memo from TT had circulated among the politicians, showing that the sales price for the trams and depot would increase, giving a saving of NOK 30 million if the tramway was closed. On 6 August, a haste paragraph was used by the executive committee to grant NOK 7.5 million to build a bus road from Ugla, and TT ordered 20 new buses for NOK 19.1 million.A new political party
Many tram-friendly politicians were disappointed about how the Labour and Socialist Left Party had not been able to secure the tramway, despite a left-winged majority in the city council. Labour politician Asle B. Bjørgen and Centre politician Steinar Nygård founded a new part, the City List, that would found its political basis on support for the tram. Several other politicians from the Labour, Centre and Socialist Left parties also joined it. Following the 1987 election, the City List won six seats, and was larger than the Christian Democrats, the Liberals, the Centre Party and Red Electoral AllianceRed Electoral Alliance
Red Electoral Alliance was an alliance of left-wing groups formed into a Norwegian political party to promote revolutionary far-left ideals into the Norwegian parliament...
. In particular, the party had received many votes from areas that were served by the tram, such as Byåsen
Byåsen
Byåsen is a district in the city of Trondheim, Norway, situated to the west of the city centre. This is mainly a residential area, with 32 136 residents as of January 1, 2003. The name Byåsen can be translated into "City Hill", which describes its elevated position, overlooking the rest of...
, Lademoen
Lademoen
Lademoen is a residential area in Trondheim, Norway about two kilometers east of the city centre located just east of Nedre Elvehavn, west of Leangen, south of Nyhavna and north of Rosenborg....
and Lade. The Labour Party was reduced from 35 to 31 councilors, while the Conservatives dropped from 28 to 21.
After the election, the City List made a committee to find ways to rationalize operations, led by engineer Arne Vidar Hesjedal. Among the findings, was that while the trams were responsible for 15% of the traffic, they were paying 30% of the administrative overhead
Overhead (business)
In business, overhead or overhead expense refers to an ongoing expense of operating a business...
, and they were charged NOK 10 in administration per route kilometer. He also identified ways to reduce costs at the depot and with the infrastructure. It was also pointed out that since 1983, Oslo Sporveier had received state support for the tramway in Oslo on the same basis as the buses; Hesjedal presumed that such an agreement would now also be possible for Trondheim. If granted equal as buses per kilometer, this would give NOK 3 million in subsidies. Hesjedal claimed that the tramway could operate NOK 15 million cheaper than with the current cost structure, but this would require that it become a separate business unit within TT—just like Oslo Sporveier had done. The new CEO of TT, Arne J. Nymo, claimed that the result was not correct.
In January, after the chief of administration had let the matter of the tramway again be voted over by the city council, the board of TT voted, with one vote's majority, in favor of keeping the trams. The board members from the City List and the Progress Party as well as the labor union's two members were sufficient to secure a majority. The City List had been part of the basis for the left-winged majority in the city council, and had supported Per Berge as major. They now threatened that if Berge and the Labour Party voted in disfavor of keeping the tram, they would not support his reelection for major in 1989. Given that the City List had the decisive vote in the council, this was a credible threat. During the proceedings in the city council on 27 May 1988, CEO Nymo chose to argue along the line of the administration, and not the company's board. With 50 votes against 35, the city council finally voted to abandon the tramway. Due to Nymo's disloyalty to the board, either he or the board had to retire. On 8 August, a new board was appointed, without members from the City List.
The last tram runs
The last tram ran on 12 June, carrying about 20,000 passengers. All the trams were then parked in Voldsminde Depot, while the heritage trams were moved to Munkvoll. The Gråkallen Line, including the Ila Line and the St. Olavs gate loop, would be spared, and would become a heritage tramwayHeritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
, with a tramway museum at Munkvoll. The Class 8 trams would be stored at Voldsminde until a suitable purchaser could be found. At Voldsminde, located just beside the Nordland Line, they could be freighted away by train. With the start of roadworks in Prinsens gate on 14 June, a section of track through the city center was removed, making the tracks east of that point unusable, and the overhead wiring
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
was soon removed over the entire city centre–Lade section.
Reincarnation
On 22 June 1989, the city council voted to re-open the line from St. Olavs Gate to Lian. After the matter was re-considered on 31 August, it passed with 42 votes against 40. The company was free to receive subsidies from the county and the state. The new company started negotiating with TT about the details of the take-over. In particular, the number of trams to be used was a difficult matter. Gråkallbanen wanted all eleven, while TT only would give up six. In the end the politicians voted to give seven to the new company. Since the tram lines were presumed to be kept for the museum line, Gråkallbanen was not charged the extra NOK 135,000 for maintaining the tracks on the roads. The city also accepted to take economic responsibility for the heritage trams. During the discussions, TT demanded that the municipality pay NOK 23.8 million for the trams, depots and other material, but this was rejected by the city. The city also chose to give NOK 5 million to Gråkallbanen as a one-time payment, equal to the subsidies they were giving TT to operate the new bus routes in Byåsen. The negotiated agreement was passed with 51 against 34 votes in the city council.
After all the agreements were in place, TT announced on 30 December 1989 that it had found a new buyer for the trams. An agreement had been made with the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
-based Unimex Engineering, who would sell the eleven trams to the Cairo Tramway. On 2 January 1990, TT sent a letter to Gråkallbanen giving them the option to purchase the trams for the same price as the Egyptions, at an estimated NOK 17–20 million. However, Gråkallbanen pointed out to the politicians that is was possible to purchase used articulated trams for DEM 20,000 from the Stuttgart Stadtbahn
Stuttgart Stadtbahn
The Stuttgart Stadtbahn is a light rail system in Stuttgart, Germany. It is operated by the Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG , which also operates the bus systems in that city...
. The company took the press with it to Stuttgart to negotiate the agreement, and the following Adresseavisen
Adresseavisen
Adresseavisen is a regional newspaper published daily, except Sundays, in Trondheim, Norway. It is an independent, conservative newspaper with a daily circulation of approximately 85,000. It is also informally known as Adressa. The newspaper covers the areas of Trøndelag and Nordmøre.Adresseavisen...
presented the cities new trams to the people. However, by the time the delegation had returned, they were informed that the deal had been annulled. Adresseavisen tried to locate Unimex in Copenhagen, but it turned out to be a company that had never sold a tram. At a press conference in Trondheim, the director of TT blamed Arbeider-Avisa
Arbeider-Avisa
Arbeider-Avisa was a daily newspaper published in Trondheim, Norway, started in 1924 and defunct in 1996...
's journalists for the deal not going through. When asked about the matter, representatives from the tramway company in Kairo said that the deal did not go through because the trams did not fit.
Reopening
The final decision to restart the trams was made by the city council on 29 March 1990. In the mean time, the City List had changed their political support for the 1989 mayor election. Instead of supporting the Labour candidate Per Berge, they instead chose to support the Conservative Marvin WisethMarvin Wiseth
Marvin Wiseth is a Norwegian politician from the Conservative Party.He is known as the former mayor of Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway, from 1990 to 1998. He had been a member of the city council since 1976. During his period as mayor the city hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski...
—who took over as mayor 1 January 1990. The Conservative Party was more than willing to support any suggestions that involved privatization. After this, the right-winged parties succeeded at keeping the mayor until 2003.
On 9 June the overhead wires were powered up, and from 3 July there were test-runs with some of the historic trams. Tracks and substructure were replaced between Nyveibakken and Bergsli gate. A ballast tamper
Ballast tamper
A ballast tamper or tamping machine is a machine used to pack the track ballast under railway tracks to make the tracks more durable. Prior to the introduction of mechanical tampers, this task was done by manual labour with the help of beaters...
was rented from Germany, and the asphalt from Kyvannet to Herlofsonløypa was removed. Part of the work was done by volunteers. The night before 6 July, seven of the trams (no. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11) were taken out of the depot at Lademoen, and moved by truck to Kongens gate, where they were put onto the Gråkall Line. They were then hauled by the working machine to Munkvoll. At noon the next day the first tram took a trial run in the city streets. They kept the TT colors, but were given the GB logo. At the same time they were renumbered (90–99, with holes). The official opening was on 18 August 1990, with a parade of historic trams leading the way.
The traffic the first full year was 900,000 passengers annually, which is 20% higher than with the buses. Passenger numbers decreased until 1997, when they started rising somewhat. That year a bus corresponds with the tram at Breidablikk, and offers a correspondence with Marienborg
Marienborg Station
Marienborg is a railway station located at Marienborg in Trondheim, Norway. The station is located on the Dovre Line at the point where the Stavne–Leangen Line branches off from the Dovre Line. The station has two platforms, one on each of the railway lines, the one track electrified and the other...
, St. Olavs Hospital and Øya
Øya
Øya is a location in Trondheim, Norway that is a peninsula in the river Nidelva, with Elgeseter to the east. The area is dominated by housing, but also features St. Olavs University Hospital as well as parts of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Sør-Trøndelag University College....
. During the 2000s the ridership stabilized somewhat at about 800,000. But in the latter part of the 2000s the ridership has begun to increase and is expected to continue to rise considerably as the city is introducing a more environmentally friendly scheme to reduce personal car use in the city (needs link to Miljøpakken).