Planned extension of the Helsinki tram network

Decided and proposed expansions to the Helsinki tram network. Existing tracks in dark green and grey.

Helsinki Transport Council have made plans for a radical expansion of the tram network within the next 20–30 years. Below is a list of confirmed and proposed future expansions of the network. The construction of some of the expansions listed below as trolleybus lines was studied in a 2009 report by Helsinki City Transport,[1][2][3] but the city decided to drop the trolleybus plans for the foreseeable future in 2011.

Jätkäsaari and Munkkisaari

The freight harbour area in Jätkäsaari was freed for residential construction in late 2008 when the new Vuosaari Harbour opened for freight traffic. During the planning of the new district, the city decided to base the public transit in the area on extensions of the tram network. In the proposal approved by the public transport council on 11 December 2008, line 8 will be expanded into the new area from the north and another line (possibly line 9) from the east via Kamppi. By 2025 line 6 will be rerouted from its current terminus at Hietalahti south to Munkkisaari.[4][5] An earlier proposal featured the extension of lines 6, 8 and 9 into Jätkäsaari, but this was subsequently altered.[6][7] As of 2012, new tracks are being built as housing construction in the area advances.[4][8][9] The use of bi-directional trams was considered for the extensions,[10] but in the end, HKL decided to build the tracks with conventional return loops. The approximately 1 km long first phase of the extension of line 8 from Ruoholahti over a new bridge to Saukonpaasi in Jätkäsaari was completed in 2011 and opened for passenger traffic on 1 January 2012. In the second phase, the extension of line 9 from Kamppi to the ferry terminal in Jätkäsaari was opened on 13 August 2012. The final phase, planned to connect the two lines, is estimated to be complete by 2025.

Laajasalo

New residential areas are to be constructed to the island of Laajasalo, to the east of Helsinki city center, between 2010 and 2025. Following a recommendation by the public transport committee,[11][12] the Helsinki city council decided on 12 November 2008 that the new residential areas would be linked to the Helsinki city center by a tram connection built on bridges from Kruununhaka via Tervasaari, Sompasaari and Korkeasaari across the Kruunuvuorenselkä sea area and into Kruunuvuorenranta.[13] Three tram lines are projected to be constructed into Laajasalo; one will terminate in the residential development area of Kruunuvuorenranta, a second will extend into Yliskylä and a third line run into the southern central part of Laajasalo.[11]

The main competing alternative, an extension of Helsinki Metro, was found to be notably more expensive to construct and was projected to attract smaller passenger numbers than the tram.[14][15]

In addition to the approved three lines into Laajasalo, the city council approved a motion that in the further planning of the Laajasalo area tram, expanding the tram network to the Herttoniemi metro station should be investigated.[13] Additionally, in case that the military base in Santahamina will be freed for residential construction in the future, provisions will be made for converting the tram lines into a light rail system that would extend into Santahamina in the south and travel in a tunnel from Korkeasaari to Katajanokka, linking with the planned North-South line of the Helsinki Metro.[11]

Extensions to line 9

Line number 9, opened in August 2008, was originally planned as early as 1990 to link Ilmala with Merikatu in southern Ullanlinna. However, in the first phase of construction, the northern part of the route was truncated into Itä-Pasila in order to cut costs, while the southern terminus was placed in Kolmikulma due to opposition to tram tracks by people living along the planned new line.[10] The connection to Ilmala in the north was planned in 2008 to be completed in 2013,[9] but as of 2012, current projections have postponed the completion to 2017.

Although shortly before the opening of line 9 HKL stated the continuation to Merikatu had been abandoned permanently,[16] within weeks of the opening of the line, extending the route to Merikatu was again proposed, due to complaints from inhabitants of Ullanlinna following the termination of bus line 17. Subsequently the HKL stated they would be "actively acting to expand the tramline to Merikatu".[17] Interlacing the tracks on some sections on Korkeavuorenkatu is under consideration as a space-saving measure, allowing a larger amount of parking space to be maintained along the street.[18] At the time in 2008, HKL stated that a different line would be routed to Merikatu in the case that line 9 would go to Jätkäsaari instead.[19] The southern terminus of line 9 was ultimately extended to the West Harbour ferry terminal in Jätkäsaari and opened for traffic on 13 August 2012.

In addition to lengthening the line, moving the line from Kaarlenkatu and Helsinginkatu to Fleminginkatu in Kallio was proposed on 10 October 2008.[9]

Kalasatama

Like the harbour areas in Jätkäsaari and Kruunuvuorenranta, the freight harbour in Kalasatama was freed for residential construction in late 2008 when the new harbour in Vuosaari opened. The construction of new housing in Kalasatama is under way as of 2012, and the city plans to extend tram network into the area. A large shopping center complex with a number of residential towers is being planned at the existing Kalasatama metro station. The complex will have both a tramway and a metro line running through it. The tram tracks will be on a car-free, covered street, and the existing metro line and station on an above-grade level. Two tram lines are planned to be extended into the Kalasatama area, one from the west via Merihaka and another from the south, utilizing the Tervasaari-Sompasaari bridge that will be built for the Laajasalo tram connection.[11][14][15]

Munkkiniemi–Arabia/Kalasatama line

A private group consisting of members of the Finnish Tramway Society and students of Helsinki University of Technology drew up plans for a new tram line linking Arabia to Pasila railway station in order to improve the public transport connections of Kumpula.[20] Many consider the existing public transport connections sparse and unreliable. The proposed line, provisionally numbered line 5,[21] could either utilise the disused freight railway line in Southern Kumpula[20] or only existing tram tracks, including a stretch on Sturenkatu between Mäkelänkatu and Hämeentie that is only used for depot movements presently.[21] The proposal gained public interest,[22] and on 4 April 2009 the City Planning Board of Helsinki mandated that an official study would be made on a tram line linking Munkkiniemi to Arabia or Kalasatama via Pasila and Kumpula, with proviosions made for further lengthening the line to Otaniemi (in Espoo) in the west and to Viikki in the east.[23]

Munkkivuori

Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) has prepared plans for an extension to the residential area of Munkkivuori. The extension has been debated since the district was built in the 1950s. The bus lines that serve the area carry about 5 million passengers per year as of 2012, which is a sufficient ridership for a tram line. The bus lines have been criticised for being slow and having unpredictable running times. HSL collected comments from the public on several different alignment options in March and April 2012.[24] However, there is no decision on the funding or construction of the extension.

Topeliuksenkatu

A tramway has been planned on the Topeliuksenkatu street in Töölö. The tracks would run along Topeliuksenkatu from Runeberginkatu to Mannerheimintie, in parallel to the tramway on Mannerheimintie. This would provide additional capacity and a faster route in the direction of Mannerheimintie. The Topeliuksenkatu tramway is widely considered to be a requirement for further extensions of lines 4 and 10, which include the Munkkivuori extension. This tramway was one of the proposals in a 2006 study named "Ratikka 2015" ("Tram 2015"). [7][14][25]

Trunk line 550 ("Jokeri")

In 1990, a plan was made for an orbital light rail route connecting Itäkeskus in the East to Leppävaara in the West, making stops at several rapid transit stations and various suburbs in eastern and northern Helsinki on the way. The planned line was named Jokeri ("The Joker", after the playing card). Due to small projected passenger numbers, the line was eventually realised in 2003 as a bus connection from Itäkeskus to Tapiola via Leppävaara, with an upgrade to light rail postponed to after 2030. The line makes connections with the commuter rail network at Oulunkylä, Huopalahti, Pitäjänmäki and Leppävaara, and with the Metro in Itäkeskus and, in the future, in Tapiola.

After the line was opened, passenger numbers exceeded expectations and available capacity. The planning process for converting Jokeri into a light rail line was started in 2008,[27] and the preliminary plan was completed in May 2009.[28][29] After multiple decisions to postpone the project,[30] the city eventually began detailed planning in the beginning of 2015. This planning stage is expected to take a year, after which the city council is to decide in 2016 on funding the construction. The stated aim is to have the light rail line operational in 2020-2022.[31]

The branding of the line was changed from Jokeri to simply trunk line 550 in 2013, as a part of introducing a common brand and livery for all bus trunk lines in the city.

The 550 light rail line is planned to be built either with a track gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in), making it compatible with the existing Helsinki tram network, or a gauge of 1,524 mm (5 ft), making it compatible with the Helsinki Metro and the Finnish railway network.[32] A 2003 study about the integration of a possible light rail system into the existing heavy rail Helsinki Metro concluded that such an integration would be difficult without implementing either large-scale changes to the Metro network, or impractical and expensive solutions for the light rail system.[33] In contrast, the current tram network could relatively easily be extended to connect with the Jokeri alignment at several locations by building short sections of new double track. In April 2012, the board of HKL (the operator of both the trams and the metro) expressed as their position that the Jokeri line should be built with 1,000 mm rail gauge.

Other possibilities

The possibility of extending line 1 (and 1A) to the Käpylä railway station (or further to Oulunkylä) in the north and rerouting the same line through the unused tracks on Linjat in Kallio have been brought up as possible future projects to improve passenger numbers on the unpopular line.[34] A 2012 proposal for the reorganization of surface traffic after the completion of the "Pisara" connection included an extension of line 1 to the Käpylä station, but for a different reason. The Helsinki City Rail Loop is an underground loop of the commuter railway network that would distribute passengers to three new underground stations in central Helsinki, instead of the existing Central railway station. The proposal for after the city rail loop construction for surface traffic includes a new bus terminal at Käpylä. Bus lines that currently continue to the city centre would terminate at the Käpylä station, where the passengers could make a connection to commuter trains or an extended tram line 1.

In addition to the above, expansion of the tram network from Arabia to Viikki, Käpylä to Koskela and Pikku-Huopalahti to Haaga have been mentioned as potential long-term projects.[14]

A construction of a light rail or tram system has also been proposed as a possible solution of arranging public transport in the Östersundom area annexed by Helsinki from Vantaa and Sipoo on 1 January 2009. An extension of the Helsinki Metro was originally planned as the main form of public transport for this area, but on 20 February 2009 a newspaper reported that a light rail system is being studied as an alternative to supplement or replace the Metro connection to this area due to the lower costs of a light rail link.[35][36] If built, the light rail link could be extended as far as the nearby city of Porvoo.[36] Östersundom is located in eastern Helsinki, and as such the proposed new system would be completely unconnected with the currently existing tram system. It could, however, connect with the future Jokeri line in Itäkeskus.

2012 funding plan

In April 2012, the city approved a plan for funding traffic infrastructure projects, including tram network projects, for 2013-2017.[37] These plans are subject to continuous reviews and changes. The allocations of funds are in millions of euros.

Project total, M€ 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Jätkäsaari, Kamppi - Länsiterminaali 6.5 6.5
Jätkäsaari, Telakkakatu 6.0 3.0 3.0
Kalasatama, phase 1 6.0 2.0 4.0
Kruunuvuorenranta, tramway bridge 200.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 65.0 65.0
Street rebuild at Market Square 10.0 10.0
Line 9 extension to Ilmala 13.4 0.9 1.8 2.7 4.0 4.0
Topeliuksenkatu 8.55 6.15 2.4
Jokeri (Helsinki only) 122.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 35.0 35.0

Notes:

See also

References

Bibliography

Helsinki City Transport

Finnish Tramway Society

Helsingin Sanomat

Miscellaneous

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Helsinki.