Gaustad is a

rapid transit station A metro station or subway station is a train station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the syste ...

of the

Oslo Metro The Oslo Metro ( or or simply ) is the rapid transit system of Oslo, Norway, operated by Sporveien T-banen on contract from the transit authority Ruter. The network consists of five lines that all run through the city centre, with a total leng ...

Holmenkollen Line The Holmenkollen Line () is an Oslo Metro line which runs between Majorstuen and Nordmarka in Oslo, Norway. Operating as Metro Line 1, it is the route with the fewest passengers and the only one still to have level crossings and short station ...

. It is situated

Gaustad Gaustad is a neighborhood in Nordre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located between Vinderen and Kringsjå. At Gaustad are The National Hospital and Gaustad Hospital, as well as residential areas that border to Nordmarka. The area is serv ...

neighborhood of the

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, borough of

Vestre Aker Vestre Aker (Western Aker) is a List of boroughs of Oslo, borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. It has a population of 50,157 as of 2020. The previous Aker Municipality was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948. The borough of Vestre Aker was org ...

. Located from

Stortinget The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

, the station is served by Line 1 of the metro every fifteen minutes. Travel time to Stortinget is ten minutes. The National Hospital and several research institutes fall within the station's

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

. The station opened on 31 May 1898. A station building was constructed in 1903, and served as a waiting room until 1916. From then a waiting shed was used. The station is being considered for a lengthening of the platforms, but this is difficult due to it being located in a sharp curve.

History

Gaustad Station was opened along with the rest of the Holmenkollen Line on 31 May 1898. Villa Birkely was built in 1903, and functioned as a station building. At the time the platforms in both directions were located in front of the house. As part of a line-wide renovation, a standard waiting shed was built, designed by Erik Glosimodt, which was installed in 1916. The platform was at this time moved northwards and by then the indoor waiting room was closed. The arrival of the station spurred housing development in the area. After the 1940s the area also received some condominiums. The National Hospital was moved to Gaustad in 1999, falling within the catchment area of the station. The station closed in 2009 for the line to be upgraded, and opened again on 6 December 2010. There was not time for an outright upgrade to the stations, so Gaustad remains with its pre-upgrade platforms and amenities.

Service

The station is served by Line 1 of the Oslo Metro. During regular hours, it operates at a 15-minute headway. Travel time to Stortinget is ten minutes. Operations are carried out by

Sporveien T-banen Sporveien T-banen AS is a limited company that is responsible for operating Oslo Metro (), the rapid transit in Oslo, Norway. The company is owned by Sporveien, which is owned by the municipal Oslo. Sporveien operates on a contract with Ruter, ...

on contract with

Ruter Ruter AS is the public transport authority for Oslo and Akershus counties in Norway. Formally a limited company – 60% of its shares are owned by the Oslo county municipality and 40% by that of Akershus – it is responsible for the administrat ...

, the public transport authority in Oslo and Akershus. The infrastructure itself is owned by

Sporveien Sporveien Oslo AS is a municipally owned public transport operator in Oslo, Norway. It operates the trackage and maintains the stock of the Oslo Metro and Oslo Tramway. In 2022, its 3,306 employees transported 217 million passengers. Since 2008 ...

, a municipal company. Service is provided using

MX3000 MX3000 is an electric train used on Oslo Metro in Oslo, Norway. The multiple units are produced by Siemens Mobility, who started serial delivery in 2007. Seventy-eight three-car units were ordered by Sporveien, and five by Akershus County Muni ...

three-car trains. The station had an average 507 boarding passengers in 2008. Although mid-range for the Holmenkollen Line, this is low for the metro overall. Gaustad is located in fare zone 1. Unlike most of the stations on the Holmenkollen Line, Gaustad does not primarily serve a residential area. It is situated from the National Hospital and the research facilities in Forskningsveien. The station is located within walking distance to at least parts of the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

campus at

Blindern Blindern is the main campus of the University of Oslo, located in Nordre Aker in Oslo, Norway. Campus Most of the departments of the University of Oslo are located at Blindern; other, smaller campuses include Sentrum, Oslo, Sentrum (law), Gaust ...

, although these are much better served by the Sognsvann Line. The station is located adjacent to a bus stop with the same name on Ring 3, and as such is an important transfer station for the Holmenkollen Line.

Facilities

Gaustad is a rapid transit station situated on the Holmenkollen Line, from Stortinget in the city center. It is situated at an elevation of

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The station is situated in a sharp curve with a radius. The inbound platform is located to the north of the outbound platform, giving an asymmetrical layout. The platforms are much shorter than the norm for the metro and only have space for two cars. There is a waiting shed on the inbound platform designed by Erik Glosimodt. The original station building, Villa irkely, was a

Swiss chalet style Swiss chalet style (, ) is an architectural style of Historicism (art), Late Historicism, originally inspired by rural chalets in Switzerland and the Alps, Alpine (mountainous) regions of Central Europe. The style refers to traditional building d ...

residential house. The ground floor was initially a waiting room, while the upper stories had four apartments which were rented out. The building is paneled in wood and has a gabled roof. The building was manufactured by Strømmen Trævarefabrik. A similar station building was erected at Steinerud Station.

Future

There are plans to upgrade the Holmenkollen Line to full metro standard, which includes new platforms. Gaustad represents a conundrum for the planners. It is situated close to Vinderen and Ris; had it not been for it serving important working places this would have caused it to be closed. The station is also located on a curve. The new standard does not allow platforms to be situated on curves, to avoid a gap. There is also limited space in the area, making it difficult to widen the platforms. Should the line receive a further upgrade, both platforms will probably be extended southwards to reach a sufficient length. Another alternative is an outright closure of the station.

References

{{Oslo Metro Oslo Metro stations in Oslo Railway stations in Norway opened in 1898