Oslo Marathon draws seas of people to the capital – Ruter warns of delays

Over 23,000 participants will run through Oslo’s streets. The start line, and the finish line, are located at Rådhusplassen. The 21.1 kilometer long route stretches through several of the capital’s more popular streets.

The runners will, among other things, visit Karl Johans gate, Prinsens gate and Grensen.

Race leader Edwin Ingebrigtsen can inform NTB that they expect around 100,000 people to stay in and around Rådhusplassen in connection with the race.

– Leave the car standing

This naturally affects traffic in the capital. Ingebrigtsen states that they have tried as best they can to inform about the deviations in traffic, and that they have sent out over 100,000 messages to those who are directly or indirectly affected by the road closures.

– We encourage people to familiarize themselves with the deviations and leave the car on Saturday if possible, says Ingebrigtsen.

He points out that it could be extra challenging this year, now that Ring 1 is closed.

– It is clear that it can probably be experienced as demanding to travel in Oslo by car if you have to. Therefore, we encourage as many people as possible to use their legs, cycle, or check the Ruter app. The subway runs as normal, so it’s probably the smartest thing to do, says the race director.

– Will have an impact

A total of six tram lines and twelve city bus lines will be diverted, in addition to two regional buses. The changes are set in motion as early as 5 o’clock in the morning, and will not return to normal until 10 p.m. Saturday evening. In addition to the detours, you have to expect that things will go a little slower than usual.

– There can very quickly be delays. There will be a lot of people in the city and it will have an impact, says spokesperson Øystein Dahl Johansen in Ruter to NTB.

He encourages, like Ingebrigtsen, to take the subway if you have the opportunity, as all subway lines will run as normal. However, no extra subway departures have been put in to relieve traffic, he says.

At the same time, he recommends keeping up-to-date in the Ruter app on which changes apply and whether your stop is serviced.

– You should also perhaps calculate a little extra time. A good number of people are expected, so the journey may take a little longer than usual, he concludes.