After 10 years of deliberation and talk, the Bergen City Council has finally taken a decision over the Bybanen (Bergen Light Rail) extension to Åsane. The city council has chosen the tunnel option over the overground option of light rail going along the iconic world heritage Bryggen.

This is a defeat for the Labor-led city council. Labour wanted to build Bybanen over Bryggen, but their coalition party Rødt has opted for the tunnel option. After this defeat, the Labour councilor has resigned from his post.

This has been a difficult vote for the city council, given that the tunnel option costs have been estimated to be three times more than the over-the-land option. By latest estimates the tunnel option would cost NOK 3.4 billion while the overground option along Bryggen would cost only NOK 1.2 billion.  Also the tunnel option would take up to 3-4 years longer to build. For both options, there is a real risk of cultural monuments endangered.

There is no doubt, there will be a long study on how to implement the tunnel option to keep the city council busy in the near future and nobody knows how long it will last...

https://e24.no/naeringsliv/i/y4VOm2/bystyret-i-bergen-vedtok-aa-bygge-bybanen-i-tunnel-byraadet-gaar-av