On Sunday, 60,000 spectators will attend the biggest stadium concert of all time in Norway. Routes warn of traffic chaos.
60,000 people are expected in Oslo and for Norway’s biggest arena concert with German Rammstein on Sunday. Ruter warns that public transport in the area is not equipped for such large crowds.
– The mood is bra. The air is trembling! People are looking forward to it, notes Geir Smaadal.
The security guard has been at Bjerke track since 07:00 on Saturday morning. On Sunday afternoon, around 60,000 people are expected to enter the track.
The German band Rammstein, a group known for their spectacular stage shows and not least pyrotechnics, will enter the stage at 8 p.m.
The concert in Oslo, which was originally supposed to take place in Trondheim, but was postponed due to corona, will be the biggest stadium concert in Norway with ticket sales.
A total of 108 trailers have transported the equipment to Bjerke trotting track. The rigging of the enormous stage began on July 15, and it will not be fully dismantled until two weeks later.
The concert has long since sold out, despite the fact that the ticket price is around NOK 1,700.
– Lower your shoulders
Smaadal feels that many people want to do preparatory work. He guides fans from both home and abroad.
– What is the most important thing people should know?
– People must not be stressed. Take it easy and lower your shoulders. Even if it will be a bit noisy and full of people. It’s a festival. Just join the party!
If all the ticket holders come, almost twice as many people who live in the Bjerke district will gather.
The transport of so many people will be a big challenge, Ruter believes, even though organizing All things live has set up shuttle buses from central Oslo and to and from Bjerke.
The collective offer has been strengthened
– We believe that the area has no infrastructure and is sized for so many audiences, says Øystein Dahl Johansen, communications advisor at Ruter.
– What do you mean by there being no infrastructure in the area?
– It is only possible to drive close to Bjerke by bus. Basically, many buses are needed to be able to transport 60,000 people. An articulated bus takes approx. 100 passengers. A quick mental calculation shows that 600 bus departures are needed to transport everyone, says Dahl Johansen.
Ruter states that they have strengthened the public transport options in connection with the Rammstein concert.
– We have strengthened line 5, and then we run line 4 a little differently where Vollebekk and Linderud are the closest subway stations to Bjerke. And then we have rearranged part of the ordinary public transport that runs in the area with a slightly different route. But there are no alternative ways of traveling to the concert. So the call to the concert audience is to use the shuttle buses that the organizers have set up. Or use the subway at the nearest stations, says Dahl Johansen.
It is also possible to take a tram to and from Sinsenkrysset.
The main road is blocked
Ruter also urges people to be patient. And follow recommendations from security guards and other government officials. Who are there to make the concert a safe and good experience for everyone.
– Do you fear chaotic conditions if people do not follow the advice?
– What we have said is that the area is not suitable for such large crowds. Simply because of infrastructure, he says.
During national football matches at the Ullevaal stadium, just under 30,000 spectators are transported to and from the arena.
– But the subway is in the immediate vicinity, says Øystein Dahl Johansen in Ruter.
Highway 4, which passes Bjerke, will be partially closed. One northbound lane is closed from 9pm on Sunday, according to the Norwegian Road Administration.
“Only drive if absolutely necessary”, they report in one traffic announcement.
I think they have a robust traffic system
Security manager for the concert, Jørgen Aass of S Plan AS, believes they have it under control.
– Yes, we work based on the plan that has been put together with Ruter, the police, Unibus and of course others involved in the local area. Because the public transport in the vicinity of the event is not designed for such large crowds, we have to compensate by setting up many buses that will transport people the quickest way from the center to the concert and back to the centre, says Aass.
He believes they have a robust plan for the giant concert.
– When it comes to 60,000 people, people have to spend a little more time. It’s not like being at a cinema or smaller concert. Here we are talking about such a large crowd that you have to be a little more patient, he says.
The alternatives they have for the public are shuttle buses. These will run continuously before and after the concert. The public can also go to the nearest subway stations or use regular bus transport.
– We also depend on someone picking up their feet and leaving the area when the concert is over. Or wait at the arena until it has calmed down somewhat. My message is that we have a good plan that we believe in. Which we have created together with the other actors involved. And which we believe is sufficient. We have independent contingency plans if we perceive that things are running too late, says Jørgen Aass.
A number of posters and banners have been put up in the neighborhood to prepare the neighbors for what is to come. The German heavy metal band aren’t exactly known for keeping the volume down. On 26 June, Rammstein held a concert in Coventry, England. The sound from the concert could be heard 18 km, according to the British newspaper Coventry Telegraph.