Storgata tram stop

Storgata was opened on the 21st of June, 2021, and was accompanied by the closure of Lilletorget (a temporary tram station to replace the old station of Brugata).[3] Storgata was constructed near the defunct tram station of Brugata, which closed in late 2019 for repairs. Trams first ran through the street of Storgata in October 1875, as part of the Gamlebyen Line to Gronland.[4] These were horse-powered trams, the earliest type of tram. These preceded the electric trams that started operating in Oslo in the late 19th and early 20th century. Trams only went up to towards the north (i.e. Grünerløkka, Rodeløkka and Sinsen), after the Gamlebyen Line was shifted to run through Biskop Gunnerus gate in 1960.

The street of Storgata was renovated and rebuilt between November 2018 and June 2021, spanning a three year period. The causes for this is the quality of the street, with narrow sidewalks and poor road surface. It is also heavily trafficked and is prone to vehicle accidents. An example of this is that in 2014, a tram collided into a person. The injuries were fatal and the person died.[5][6] In May 2018, the City Council approved the regulation plan to improve Storgata. Another factor, is that throughout the city, various projects were adopted to improve the tracks in time for the new trams. A temporary tram route was established to bypass Storgata, this involved trams running through Hausmanns gate, Christian Kroghs gate and Stenersgata, with a temporary stop at Lilletorget. Then they would reconnect with the existing tracks in front of the Oslo City shopping centre. [7]