After more than 13 years of quarreling, local government officials in and around Bergen have finally agreed to extend the West Coast city’s modern tram line known as Bybanen. The city’s new Conservatives-led government and officials in Vestland county both managed to secure a majority for the plan with help from a wide range of other parties.
They both settled on plans to extend the tram line to the suburban area of Åsane by building a tunnel through the hillside behind Bergen’s historic wharf known as Bryggen. The alternative was to run the tram line in front of Bryggen, where buses and other traffic currently run, but that has met strong opposition.
County officials have also declared that Bybanen will be extended to Åsane, even if the tunnel solution proves to be impossible to carry out because of technical, practical or economic reasons. City officials have no alternative other than the disputed plan to run the line in front of the wharves that date back hundreds of years. The area is also subject to flooding after storms and especially because of rising seas caused by climate change.
The pacts reached this week have nonetheless been branded as “historic” if long overdue. Both the city and county achieved a majority for the also-controversial tunnel solution and some politicians were euphoric. “I’m absolutely overjoyed,”said Trond Tystad of the so-called “protest party,” Bergenslisten, which campaigned vigorously to stop plans to send Bybanen over Bryggen.
“In the county and in the city council, we have managed to land our most important issue,” Tystad told state broadcaster NRK. “Now Bybanen will run through a tunnel.”
The Labour Party played a key role in the county’s decision to vote for a tunnel: “We agree with (city officials in) Bergen on the main points,” acting county mayor Stian Davies of Labour told NRK, “and that means we can work further on building Bybanen by building a tunnel to Åsane.” He added that “we are very glad we have come to this.”
In the city, the Conservatives even came to terms with the far-left Reds Party with a majority that also included the right-wing Progress Party, the Center Party, Bergenslisten, INP, the Pensjonist party and the Christian Democrats.
It remains unclear, meanwhile, how the state government and parliament will react to some ongoing mixed signals from the city and county officials. The city officials think the tram will be now be built even if a tunnel proves to be impossible,by reverting to the Bryggen plan. For now, though, there were lots of smiles and relief among weary commuters. Work will now move forward on details of the route and where stations can be placed.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
