Helsinki opens tram line 13

12 August saw the inauguration of passenger service on Helsinki’s new tram line 13.  

 

This 4.5km new line permits the introduction of a service linking the existing network at Pasila railway station (Maistraatintori) and Kalasatama (Nihti) with an end-to-end journey time of 12 minutes. 

 

Trams run every 10 minutes between 05.30-24.00 and the new service is needed as Kalasatamat is being redeveloped into a smart city, with more than 10 000 jobs by 2040. The project includes enhancement of the road network and pedestrian and cycle ways.  

 

The new tramway runs mostly on reserved tracks in the highway median, though there is some street track in Junonkatu and Leonkatu. 

 

The target for the the tramway is an average speed of 20km/h with stops set 525m apart. Initially service will be provided from within the existing tram fleet, so there are loop at each terminus, but in 2027 34m Skoda Transtech Smart Artic X54 double-ended cars will be used.  

 

The construction programme included 11.989km of new tram track, 34 points, 56km of cables and four sub-stations. 

 

Between four and five million passengers/year are expected to use the new line, that has come in under the budget of EUR 78M. 

 

The number of passengers will increase in 2027 when the Three Crown Bridges tramline is opened, providing interchange at the southern end of loine 13 (Nihti).