Accessibility issues and the light rail project of Bergen, Norway: Bybanen

摘要

Currently, the first phase of the Bergen Light Rail system, officially called and registered as Bybanen: Bergen Light Rail, is under construction. Once completed, the 9.8 km line between Bergen city centre and the centre of the suburb Nesttun is expected to serve 26,000 passengers each weekday. Public hearings have already started for an initial 3 km extension to the system and plans are being advanced for other extensions and lines. A city-wide network of about 50 km is envisaged, pending approvals. In this article, the challenges faced by the designers of the Bergen Light Rail system with regard to accessibility, specifically the challenges arising from the overall goal of universal design, are addressed.