Billions demanded for Bybanen

The Bergen / Vestland news from the past 48 hours: Miljøpartiet De Grønne (MDG) in Bergen is demanding several billion kroner from the State to widen the E39 motorway and free up space for the Bybanen. At the same time, police are evacuating Natur og Ungdom activists from the conveyor at the Nordic Mining site in Vevring, in Vestland county. A company from Askøy has secured 244 million kroner for a new project.

MDG demands billions for the Bybanen

Two Miljøpartiet De Grønne (MDG) representatives set up on the pedestrian footbridge over the E39, near the Norges Handelshøyskole (NHH) in Bergen. The party is calling for several billion kroner in public funding to build a longer four-lane motorway, including an extension of the Fløyfjell tunnel. « Forlenga Fløyfjelltunnel er eit av dei viktigaste samferdselsprosjekta vi har her i byen », says young Storting member Frøya Skjold Sjursæther (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

The party says it will table this demand in the State budget negotiations opening this autumn. The MDG group on the city council embraces the apparent paradox: the Greens are asking for more asphalt in order to make room for the Bybanen, pedestrians and cyclists in the Sandviken neighbourhood, and to extend the tram to Åsane. « Det er fordi vi skal lage plass til Bybanen, fotgjengarar og syklistar her i Sandviken. Og få Bybanen bygd til Åsane », explains city council group leader Katrine Berg Nødtvedt (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Under the reference plan, the four-lane section is to be built on this busy northern entry route into Bergen.

Police evacuate Natur og Ungdom activists in Vevring

On Tuesday, police once again evacuated Natur og Ungdom activists from the Nordic Mining site in Vevring, in Sunnfjord municipality (Vestland county), north of Bergen. Since Friday, demonstrators have been blocking the conveyor that carries extracted ore. Two people sitting on the belt were removed, and six in total were escorted off the site, banned from returning for twelve hours. Police estimate around forty activists are present in the area (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

At the end of last week, Nordic Mining threatened Natur og Ungdom and several activists with legal action and damages, citing lost revenue. The company operates under a temporary state permit allowing it to dump its mining waste in the Førdefjord. « Vi meiner denne saka er såpass viktig at vi ser oss villige til å ta konsekvensane av eit eventuelt søksmål », says Eirin Støfringsdal of Natur og Ungdom (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

The organisation's vice-chair, Ada Skjensvold, says around ten people are taking part in the blockade, while others are occupying the main entrance and the road leading to the site. A police patrol remains in place to allow production to resume and prevent anyone from returning to the conveyor.

Economy and public services: NOK 244 M for Askøy, new fire trucks in Bergen

A company based in Askøy, in Vestland, has been awarded 244 million kroner for a new project, reports Bergens Tidende (6 October). The regional daily does not detail, in its announcement, the exact nature of the funding or the content of the project.

In Bergen, four years of waiting have come to an end: the Bergen municipal fire service's new fire trucks are ready, according to Bergens Tidende (7 October). The announcement comes after two night-time emergency callouts in the city, also reported by the regional daily.

Nationally, the government is proposing to raise the trigger threshold for the « norgespris » electricity scheme. Under the 2027 budget, the State would cover the price from 45 øre per kWh excluding VAT, up from 40 øre currently, i.e. 56.25 øre including VAT instead of 50 øre. The increase represents 12.5%, well above inflation, estimated at around 3%. For the current offer, a signature binds the subscriber until 31 December 2026 (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

📌 Local briefs

Among the other Bergen / Vestland stories noted over the past 48 hours:

Off the Stadlandet peninsula, a retired couple — Rita Borgund, 66, and Ole, 73 — had a dramatic day at sea. Police were alerted at 12:48 after their boat struck a reef following a speed-system failure. The vessel drifted towards the coast and ran aground near Korholmen. Rita Borgund tried to reach the rock, but a wave pushed the boat back and she fell back on board (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

In Øygarden, an island municipality west of Bergen, a man in his sixties reported himself as the owner of a boat found empty on Tuesday evening at 18:42, with its engine running. A search operation had involved the Coast Guard, three rescue boats and a Red Cross vessel (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

A fire broke out in the refrigerator of a flat in a building in Sædalen, Bergen, on Monday at 20:56. No one was at the address. The nearest neighbours were evacuated and later allowed to return to their homes (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

On the island of Osterøy, north-east of Bergen, farmer Anders Hauge, active since the 1980s, has recorded the birth of three calves from a single cow. « Det er veldig sjelden. Jeg har egentlig aldri opplevd det », he says (NRK Bergen / Vestland).

Sources: NRK Bergen / Vestland, Bergens Tidende, The Local Norway — Period: 06 October 2026 and 07 October 2026