Delivery took many years due to a magnitude of technical flaws, including high noise levels, freezing during the winter and corrosion.

The trams cost about 20 million kr each, but discounts were awarded after the delays and technical faults.

The company for a long time considered purchasing trams along with Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, who were needing new rolling stock for two light rail systems in Stockholm, Sweden.

Oslo Sporveier stated that although the tram had many nice features, it was too experimental for their liking.

The six-axle vehicle was not well-adapted for the Oslo system, since it was built after German light rail standards with high platforms and 25 metres (82 ft 0 in) curve radius, and could not be operated on the Briskeby Line and the loop at Jar on the Lilleaker Line.

[10] While Oslo Sporveier at first had planned to debt-finance the purchase, by 1999 it was decided that the trams would be leased from Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken.

[11] Due to a labor dispute about privatizing the operation of the tramway and the Oslo Metro, the ownership of all trams and metro trains, including the SL95, were transferred to the municipally owned limited company Oslo Vognselskap in 2007.

[13] On 10 February 1997, a mock-up of the driver's cab was made in Italy and sent to Oslo to try to optimize the layout.

[18] During periods from April through June, the voltage along sections of the Lilleaker Line was raised from 600 to 750 V; this included trials with the SL95 to ensure that it could operate under this current as well.

[9] Tram 141 was first used in scheduled traffic on 30 May, when it was put into service on the newly extended Ullevål Hageby Line.

Unlike all the other lines of the tramway, this terminus does not have a turning loop, so only bidirectional trams can operate.

Delays in the delivery caused the line to terminate at John Colletts plass, where there is a turning loop.

To be able to use the trams on the desired lines, Oslo Sporveier had to upgrade its infrastructure several places.

The SL95 need a vertical curve radius of 500 metres (1,600 ft), requiring upgrades at Wessels plass and Gamlebyen.

[21] Operation proved to give several major difficulties, and by March 2001, Oslo Sporveier was threatening to terminate the purchase agreement unless the manufacturer—who by then had merged to become AnsaldoBreda—fixed the problems.

These included the noise being 15 dB too loud, and trams being out of service during the January–February cold spell, when batteries and rectifiers would not operate.

By then, 27 of the SL95-trams had been delivered, and Oslo Sporveier was able to operate its entire network with only articulated trams.

[27] On 8 July 2004, a computer error caused tram 161 neither to be able to run nor open the doors, even with the emergency system.

This was caused by the computer indicating that the tram was running at 12.5 kilometres per hour (7.8 mph) while it stood still.

[29] The trams have also had problems with the air supply freezing during cold spells, making it impossible to retract the side mirrors when changing direction, and terminating the secondary suspension.

[30] SL95 is a bidirectional, eight-axle articulated tram built exclusively for the Oslo Tramway by Ansaldo of Italy.

They run on the Ullevål Hageby-, Ekeberg-, Sinsen-, Grünerløkka–Torshov-, Lilleaker- Skøyen, and rarely in the Homansbyen- Frogner lines.

Each service has a ten-minute headway, giving a five-minute interval on section that are served by two lines.

However, the company filed for bankruptcy, and as of October 2010 the trams were still not repaired or returned to Oslo.

[36] In 2010, Commissioner for Environmental Affairs and Transport Jøran Kallmyr (Progress Party) stated that the SL95 trams were being considered for replacement, at the same time as the much older SL79.

[39] Oslo Vognselskap announced in September 2012 that they were preparing a tender to receive bids for new trams, which would replace all SL79 and SL95 units.

In addition to procuring about seventy new units, Ruter initiated plans to upgrade the tramways for a combined NOK 4 billion.