Bybanen tunnel debate

The Bergen / Vestland news of the past 48 hours covers a substantive debate on the Bybanen route to Åsane, mobilisation around local shops in Vestland county, and the opening of the largest competition law trial ever held in a Norwegian court. The two regional sources also report a broad controversy over hotel plans in Bergen.

Bybanen: the Åsane tunnel debated

The question of the Bybanen route to Åsane remains lively in Bergen. The proposed tunnel to run the line behind the UNESCO-listed buildings at Bryggen would lose 32,500 daily passengers compared with an open-air route, according to figures reported by Bergens Tidende and picked up by NRK Bergen / Vestland. But the public broadcaster has highlighted other data: the tunnel solution would deprive only 2,000 additional people of reasonable walking access to a Bybanen stop.

The file goes back to spring 2023, when Bergen city council voted for a route along the front of Bryggen. The same year, the local right won the municipal elections and reversed that promise, preferring a passage behind the historic buildings. Since then, figures and counter-figures have followed one another in the public debate, something that NRK Bergen / Vestland itself describes as "confusing".

The stake concerns the real accessibility of the future line for residents of northern Bergen. The number of passengers, walking distance to stops, and the preservation of the Bryggen heritage site are the three parameters shaping the controversy. No definitive decision on the route is announced in the sources consulted.

Local shops: 39.3 million cut in Vestland

The Merkur programme, which supports local shops, would drop by 3,930,000 NOK in the draft national budget for next year (NRK Bergen / Vestland). Several rural municipalities in Vestland fear a gradual disappearance of these outlets, which often serve as the last local meeting place.

In Naustedalen, Laila Lien sums up the stake to NRK Bergen / Vestland: "If we lose the shop, we lose our most important gathering place." She stresses that the shop is not just a place to buy things: it is also where Ann Karin works and where the attached café is located. In Evanger, in Voss municipality, operator Monika Bjørsvik says she is convinced the drop in support will have direct effects on the shop's survival.

The debate therefore pits a national budgetary logic against the reality of Vestland villages, where a single shop can serve as a workplace and meeting point. The sources do not indicate any parliamentary decision timetable.

Førdefjorden: a new temporary permit contested

In Førdefjorden, the government is targeting the start of 2027 to have an assessment of Nordic Mining's long-term operations (NRK Bergen / Vestland). Last month, a new temporary permit was granted to the group to discharge mining waste into the fjord, which triggered protests.

Activists from Natur og ungdom took down their camp on Nordic Mining's industrial site this weekend. The Supreme Court had ruled this summer that the previous permit did not comply with the law. In a letter addressed to Nordic Mining, the Ministry of Climate and Environment states that water quality will be a central criterion, weighed against access to critical minerals such as titanium and rutile. The Naturvernforbundet says it is concerned about the procedure.

Food prices: the trial opens in Bergen

The Gulating Court of Appeal, in Bergen, opened on Monday 12 October the hearing of the so-called "price hunters" case (NRK Bergen / Vestland). The Norwegian Competition Authority argues that the major food chains compared their prices in a way harmful to market competition. The chains contest this and maintain that no illegal collaboration took place.

The file dates back about fifteen years, when the chains agreed on the transmission of their price records. Several of the country's top lawyers are taking part in what is described as the largest competition law trial ever held in Norway. The central questions concern the exact content of the agreement, the existence of harm to consumers, and the date of the final decision.

Science and society

Bergens Tidende yesterday published a new study on breast milk conducted in Bergen, described by its authors as "motivating" regarding breastfeeding habits. The regional daily also reports a controversy over hotel plans in Bergen, described as "vulgar" by opponents, as well as investigative work on the most absent pupils in the region's schools.

📌 Local briefs

A Norwegian aircraft en route to Bergen turned back on Tuesday 12 October and landed at Flesland at 16:16 after a technical signal detected in the cockpit, one engine having been shut down by the crew (NRK Bergen / Vestland). Numerous fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles were sent to the scene; police had initially mentioned a distress call, which the company denied.

The TV-aksjonen auction remains open until Sunday 18 October at 23:00, with objects signed by the national football team, including a drum used during the World Cup in the United States (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Sources: NRK Bergen / Vestland, Bergens Tidende, The Local Norway — Period: 12 October 2026 and 13 October 2026