Bergen - Transport

Transport

Bergen Airport, Flesland is located 18 kilometers (11 mi) from the city center, at Flesland. In 2011 the Avinor-operated airport served 5.6 million passengers. The airport serves as a hub for Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Widerøe; there are direct flights to 20 domestic and 53 international destinations. Bergen Port, operated by Bergen Port Authority, is the largest seaport in Norway. In 2011, the port saw 264 cruise calls with 350,248 visitors, In 2009, the port handled 56 million tonnes of cargo, making it the ninth-busiest cargo port in Europe. There are plans to relocate the port out of the city center, but no location has been chosen. Fjord Line operates a cruiseferry service to Hirtshals, Denmark. Bergen is the southern terminus of the Coastal Express, which operates with daily services along the coast to Kirkenes. Passenger catamarans run from Bergen south to Haugesund and Stavanger, and north to Sognefjorden and Nordfjord.

The city center is surrounded by an electronic toll collection ring using the Autopass system. The main motorways consist of E39, which runs north–south through the municipality, E16, which runs eastwards, and National Road 555, which runs westwards. There are four major bridges connecting Bergen to neighboring municipalities: the Nordhordland Bridge, the Askøy Bridge, the Sotra Bridge and the Osterøy Bridge. Bergen connects to the island of Bjorøy via the subsea Bjorøy Tunnel.

Bergen Station is the terminus of the Bergen Line, which runs 496 kilometers (308 mi) to Oslo. The Norwegian State Railways operates express trains to Oslo and the Bergen Commuter Rail to Voss. Between Bergen and Arna Station, the train runs every 30 minutes through the Ulriken Tunnel; there is no corresponding road tunnel, forcing road vehicles to travel via Åsane. Public transport in Hordaland is managed by Skyss, which operates an extensive city bus network in Bergen and to many neighboring municipalities, including one bus route which operates as a trolleybus. Bergen Light Rail opened between the city center and Nestun in 2010, and is scheduled to open to Rådal in 2013 and the airport in 2015. Extensions to other boroughs may occur afterwards. Fløibanen is a funicular which runs from the city center to Fløyen and Ulriksbanen is an aerial tramway which runs to Ulriken.