became popular among the middle class, while the lower class started to settle further north. In particular the areas around Nadderud and Presterud received working-class populations. The construction of the settlements were often organized by trade unions. Local investors applied in 1897 to establish a tramway that would run parallel to the Drammen Line from Oslo to Sandvika—which at the time was steam-hauled, narrow gauge and single tracked and suffered from low regularity. The application was rejected by the Ministry of Labour in 1906 to avoid competition with the railway. Instead, the state started to modernize the Drammen Line by converting it to standard gauge, electrifying it and building double track. Two proposals were issued in 1917 for a suburban tram line further north. The southern proposal was to build the line as an extension of the Lilleaker Line, which would open in 1919. The line would go from the initial terminus at Lilleaker and extend towards Jar and Nadderud to Haslum. The northern proposal was for an extension of the Røa Line (at the time called the Smestad Line) via Røa to Hosle, Haslum and Fleskum to Kolsås. The latter was essentially a combination of the current Røa and Kolsås Lines. The two proposals caused local debate; generally people in western Bærum in general supported the northern line and people in eastern Bærum supported the southern line. An agreement was quickly reached with Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei (KES), the owner of the Lilleaker Line. The municipal council voted in favor of the southern line in 1921 after first rejecting a proposal to negotiate trackage rights with Holmenkolbanen. The main argument for the southern alternative was that the municipality would not have to pay any of the investment costs for the section of the line that would be localed within Aker. KES' operations in Oslo were municipalized in 1924 and became Oslo Sporveier. However, the Lilleaker Line was kept outside the expropriation. The expansion to Bærum was financed in part by the cash from the sale of the rest of the company and in part from free land from the municipality. Concession from Lilleaker to Bekkestua was granted in 1922, and on 28 December Bærum Municipal Council approved to extend the line from Bekkestua to Haslum. The line to Bekkestua opened on 1 July 1924 and the extension to Hslum on 4 November. KES rebranded itself and became Bærumsbanen. The company