Bergen Light Rail (Norwegian: Bybanen i Bergen) is a light rail
system under construction in Bergen, Norway. The first stage of the
project is a fifteen-station, 9.8-kilometre (6.1 mi) stretch
between the city center and Nesttun, scheduled to open on 22 June
2010. Construction will continue from Nesttun to Rådal in August
2010; further plans for the project involve three lines, stretching
to Bergen Airport, Flesland; Åsane and Storavatnet.
Plans for rail transit have existed since the 1970s, following the
1965 closing of the Bergen Tramway. A rapid transit design was
first discarded, and in the 1990s a light rail was proposed. The
final decision to start construction was made in 2005. The first
stage of the line is being built by the municipality, with
financing from the state and the toll road ring, based on the
Bergen Program. Ownership, maintenance and further extensions of
lines and vehicles will be the responsibility of Hordaland County
Municipality through their wholly-owned limited company Bybanen AS.
Operation is done after public service obligation contracts issued
by the county public transport authority Skyss. From 2010 to 2017,
the system will be operated by Fjord1 Partner, who will operate the
system's twelve Variotrams.