Tampere light rail

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Tampere Tram
Hameenkatu tram 3.jpg
Tram on Hämeenkatu
Overview
Native nameTampereen Ratikka
Area served Tampere, Finland
Transit type Light rail
Number of lines2
Number of stops33
Annual ridership16.6 million (2024) [1]
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Operation
Began operationAugust 9, 2021;4 years ago (2021-08-09) [2]
Operator(s) VR
Technical
System length24 km (14.9 mi) (phases 1 and 2)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 750 V DC overhead
Average speed19–22 km/h (12–14 mph)
Top speed70 km/h (43 mph)
Map of the Tampere tram network from January 2025 Tram map of Tampere.svg
Map of the Tampere tram network from January 2025
A tram on line 1 at its end stop at Sorin aukio square in central Tampere. The tracks physically end at this stop and the trams have to switch direction to continue their journey. Tampere tram at end of track at Sorin aukio.jpg
A tram on line 1 at its end stop at Sorin aukio square in central Tampere. The tracks physically end at this stop and the trams have to switch direction to continue their journey.

The Tampere light rail (Finnish : Tampereen raitiotie), branded as Tampere Tram (Finnish: Tampereen Ratikka), is a public transport system in Tampere, Finland. In November 2016, the Tampere city council approved plans to construct a 330-million-euro light rail system on the route from the city centre to Hervanta and to the Tampere University Hospital. Traffic on the first two lines of the route (lines 1 and 3) began on 9 August 2021. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

An extension from the city centre to Lentävänniemi, passing through the artificial island Näsisaari that serves the structure of light rail, [5] opened in two parts in 2023 [4] and 2025.

Unlike Turku, another Finnish city that is planning a new light rail system (see Turku light rail), Tampere had not had a previously existing tram or light rail system. The construction of a tram system in Tampere was seriously studied between the years 1907 and 1929, but left unrealised due to the high price of constructing such a system. [6]

Tampere is the fourth city in Finland to have a tram system, but one of only two to still have trams in service, as Turku discontinued tram service in 1972 and Vyborg (already part of the Soviet Union at the time) did so in 1957.

Traffic

Tram tracks on the grass on Sammonkatu in autumn 2019 Kaleva ratikka.jpg
Tram tracks on the grass on Sammonkatu in autumn 2019

After negotiations, the VR Group was chosen as the operator of the Tampere light rail in 2019. The agreement includes traffic operations and traffic direction. The company Tampereen Raitiotie Oy (TRO), owned by the city of Tampere, is responsible for the vehicle stock and infrastructure. The traffic is commissioned by the Tampere Regional Transport Authority. [7] Commercial test traffic started on 10 May 2021 and traffic proper started on 9 August 2021. [8]

Lines

LineRouteStopsExpansions in planning or under construction
1 Kauppi - Lentävänniemi 20Kauppi - Niihama (scheduled completion in 2028) [9]
3 Hervantajärvi - Sorin aukio 17Sorin aukio - Partola, Pirkkala (scheduled completion in 2028) [9]

The Tampere light rail operates two lines, 1 and 3. The numbering of the lines is in accordance with the rest of the public transport in Tampere so that line numbers between trams and buses are not duplicated. [10]

At the start of operations, line 3 replaced the old bus lines 3 and 4 and ran from Pyynikki via Sammonaukio, Hakametsä and Hervanta to Hervantajärvi. Line 1, formed from the middle part of the old bus line 1, started from Sorin aukio and traveled along the tracks used by line 3 from Koskipuisto to Sammonaukio, where it branched off via the Tampere University Hospital to Kauppi. The travel time from Pyynikki to Hervantajärvi was about 29 minutes.[ citation needed ] The individual routes run up to every six minutes during the week. [11]

An extension of the line from Pyynikki to Santalahti opened in 2023 [12] and in June 2024 the lines were reorganised with line 1 running from Santalahti to Kauppi and Line 3 from Sorin Aukio to Hervantajärvi. [13] Since January 2025 line 1 has been extended from Santalahti to Lentävänniemi. [14] Both lines have several shared stops where it is possible to switch lines at the same platform. It is planned that after the extensions are completed the lines will be changed back to their original routes.

Rolling stock

Artic X34 prototype on test drive Articx34.jpg
Artic X34 prototype on test drive
Inside a Skoda Artic X34 tram Skoda Artic inside.jpg
Inside a Škoda Artic X34 tram

After a bidding process, the Kajaani-based company Škoda Transtech was selected as the supplier of the rolling stock in October 2016. [15] A competing bidder lodged a complaint with the market court, but the complaint was rejected in October 2017. Following the decision, Transtech and the city of Tampere signed an agreement for the delivery of the Artic X34 tram vehicles. The tram design was finalised in 2018. [16]

Nineteen vehicles were delivered for the opening of the first phase of the tramway. The contract also included options for up to 46 additional vehicles and for extra modules to extend tram length. The first vehicles were test-driven in 2020. [17] [18] In 2022, an agreement was made to assemble a sixth additional vehicle from spare parts, followed by further orders for five and then three more trams. [19] [20] This brought the total of 28 vehicles for the first and second stages, with a price per vehicle of 3.2 to 3.8 million euro and the price for the entire order of about 97.5 million euro. [21]

In September 2024, an agreement was made for Transtech to extend eleven trams with an additional 10-metre long module, increasing capacity by 30%. The first extended tram is expected to be ready for testing in 2026. [22] A further order was placed in December 2024 for additional seven three-section trams and eight extension modules for existing vehicles, with deliveries scheduled for 2027–2028. [23]

The model used on the Tampere tram is the ForCity Smart Artic X34 and they are 37.3 metres long, low-floored and bidirectional. The contract includes an option to lengthen the vehicles to 47 metres. The industrial design company Idis Design was selected to design the vehicles in January 2018. Core design solutions were developed in early 2018, followed by refinement using a life-size mock-up to finalise details. The first raw model tram was completed in March 2018 and the finished model was presented to Tampere citizens in February 2019. Construction of the vehicles began at Transtech's Otanmäki facility in Kajaani in October 2018; the first unit was completed and delivered to Tampere in May 2020. [24] In February 2020, Transtech had already provided a TW 6000 tram from 1981 to Tampere as a test vehicle. [25]

The vehicles have capacity for 264 passengers, including 104 seated. The The maximum operating speed is 70 km/h; the average speed is 19 to 22 km/h. Movement between the platform and the tram is level and accessible. [26] The final exterior design and color scheme were announced in October 2018, with brick red selected as the primary color. [27]

History

1907–1929: tram system planning

Official plans for a tram system in Tampere were initiated in 1907 when a committee was established to study its construction. The study, completed in 1909, found the construction of a tram system relatively expensive, but during the first years of the next decade, it seemed that Tampere would get a tram system. Eventually, the plans were shelved due to World War I. [6] Around the same time, plans for tram systems were also made in other Finnish cities. The Turku tram was opened in 1908 and the Vyborg tram in 1912; while Lahti (1907–17) and Riihimäki (1922) also made serious studies into the matter, though their systems, too, were left unbuilt. [28] After the war, subsequent plans for a tram system in Tampere were made as late as 1929, but these, again, were not realised. [6]

2001–2004: TramTrain proposal

The construction of a light rail system for Tampere had been discussed since the 1970s, but the decision-makers of the city were hesitant to make any decisions without collaboration with other cities in Finland to keep down costs. [29] In 2001, the city took the initiative in planning a light rail network when a rail traffic project group was formed to study the construction of such a system by the Finnish Ministry of Traffic & Communication, VR Group and various cities in the Greater Tampere area. The group completed its work in 2004, recommending a tram-train system utilising pre-existing railroad sections, newly built track and a tunnel section under central Tampere to avoid traffic jams. [30] The proposed system was named TamTrain as a pun on Tram-Train. [29]

The TamTrain proposal created some criticism as existing urban areas in the region are around major roads, not railroads, and the proposed system would have, in fact, worsened public transport connections in many areas. The tunnel under the center of the city was also found problematic, as constructing such a tunnel would have forced the light rail lines to completely bypass important traffic hubs such as TAYS (Tampere University Hospital). Additionally, the 1.5 km (0.93 mi) tunnel section, which would have included only three stops, would have constituted 29% of the total price of the 83 km (52 mi) system. [31] [29]

TASE 2025 light rail plan

The intermediary TASE 2025 report published in 2007 recommended the creation of a light rail system running alongside major roads linking central Tampere to the suburbs of Vuores and Hervanta in phase 1 (by 2015), Lielahti and Lentävänniemi in phase 2 (2015–25), with links to Koilliskeskus, Ojala-Lamminrahka and Pirkkala in phase 3 (after 2025). There are also plans to continue light rail to the town of Ylöjärvi. [32] In addition to the light rail system, the study recommended the creation of a commuter rail line utilising pre-existing railroad lines as well as improvements into pre-existing bus connections in areas not covered by either rail option. According to these recommendations, the initial parts of the light rail system would be opened in 2015. [33] Although technically a light rail system, the system proposed in TASE 2025 is referred to in Finnish as katuraitiotie, "street tramway", [34] as opposed to the term pikaraitiotie, literally "rapid tramway", which is a commonly used word for all kinds of light rail systems in Finnish, but which has been used almost exclusively for TramTrain-esque systems with a tunnel in the city centre in Tampere.

The length of the proposed light rail system would be 17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi) in phase 1, 24.2 km (15.0 mi) in phase 2 and 43 km (27 mi) in phase 3. The total cost of the system would be €298 million. [33] The light rail system is projected to make approximately €10 million of yearly profit, whereas the current all-bus based system generates average losses of €10 million every year. [34] A subsequent intermediary report submitted on 5 March 2009 proposed four different alternatives for the future development of public transport in Tampere, all of which included the realisation of a light rail system. The initial phase in all four alternatives was the same, but the precise routes and lengths of the subsequent extensions were different. [35]

Construction

The city of Tampere asked for tenders from consultants with experience in designing light rail/tram systems during the summer of 2010. The deadline for submitting tenders was on 16 August 2010, after which a consultant was chosen. The plan was that the consultant's report should be ready by the end of April 2011, after which the city council will make the decision on whether or not to proceed with the construction of a light rail system. [36]

Tram rail construction in Hervanta Hervanta tram construction.jpg
Tram rail construction in Hervanta

A final decision was made in the city council on 7 November 2016 to start construction and to purchase trams. The tram supplier will be Transtech, a Finnish subsidiary of Škoda Transportation. [15] The rail gauge is 1435 mm, which makes vehicle purchase easier, because producers generally have developed trams for this gauge. Construction commenced in 2017 and the first phase (city centre to TAYS and Hervanta) was opened in 2021. The cost, including rolling stock, was estimated at €330 million. After construction of the first phase was completed, the Tampere municipal council announced that the final cost of the project was €34 million under the revised budget of €300 million. [37] [4]

Keolis, Länsilinjat and VR were shortlisted to operate the tramway, with the contract awarded to VR in April 2019 for a period of 10 years, with an option to extend for a further three years. [38]

Operations

The light rail began operating in August 2021. In the first year of operations, around 10 million trips were made using the system, accounting for around a quarter of all public transport trips during the period. [39]

The first part of Phase 2, a 2-km, 3-station extension to Santalahti, opened on 7 August 2023. [12] The full Phase 2 extension to Lentävänniemi opened in January 2025. [14]

Extensions from Kauppi to Niihama and from Sorin aukio to Partola in the neighbouring municipality of Pirkkala were approved by the Tampere city and Pirkkala municipal councils in October 2024. Construction began in late 2024 and is due to be completed in 2028. [9] [40]

References

  1. ↑ Nysse: Nysselle ennätysmäärä asiakkaita (in Finnish)
  2. 1 2 HS: Tampereen ratikka aloittaa liikennöinnin – Näin hanke pysyi jatkuvasti jopa aikataulua edellä ja alitti budjetin Archived 2021-08-09 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish)
  3. ↑ "Suora lähetys kello 4.15: Aamulehti mukana Tampereen ensimmäisellä virallisella ratikkamatkalla - Tampere - Aamulehti". 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Koskinen, Anu Leena (13 August 2021). "Jopa sää oli Tampereen ratikan puolella, kun rakentaminen tuli 34 miljoonaa luultua halvemmaksi: kaupunkilaisten ei kannata vielä nuolaista" (in Finnish). YLE Uutiset. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Koskinen, Anu Leena; Siltanen, Mari (16 December 2021). "Historiallinen päätös: Tampereella aletaan rakentaa Näsijärveen tekosaarta, josta pääsee ratikalla yli – myöhemmin saareen muuttaa tuhansia ihmisiä". YLE (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 Sirkiä, Hanna (2003). Hyvästi ny sitt – Raitsikat: Turun raitiovaunuliikenteen lakkautus 1961-1972 (PDF) (in Finnish). Turku: University of Turku. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  7. ↑ VR-Yhtymä liikennöimään Tampereen Ratikkaa, Tampereen Ratikka. Accessed on 26 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Katso video: Tampereen ratikka otti kyytiin ensimmäiset maksavat asiakkaat, YLE. Accessed on 11 May 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Grönroos, Reija (7 October 2024). "Tampereen ratikka etenee pätkissä – Pirkkalassa ei petytty, vaikka ratikka ei tule heti keskustaan asti". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Linjasto2021, Tampere Regional Transport Authority. Accessed on 27 February 2021.
  11. ↑ Mäkinen, Petteri (6 October 2025). "Aikataulut menossa uusiksi – Ratikat kuuden minuutin välein myös arkiaamuisin". Tamperelainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  12. 1 2 "First phase of Tampere tramway extension opens". Railway Gazette International . 14 August 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Many route changes for the Nysse summer season". Tampere Regional Transport Authority. 13 May 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  14. 1 2 Nieminen, Elina (5 January 2025). "Tampereen uusin ratikkalinja on valmis – kävimme koeajelulla". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  15. 1 2 Transtech to supply Tampere trams Archived 2016-11-07 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International 3 October 2016
  16. ↑ "Unpretentious, authentic and pragmatic" Tampere tram styling revealed Archived 2018-10-21 at the Wayback Machine Metro Report International 15 October 2018
  17. ↑ Tampere ja Transtech allekirjoittivat sopimuksen raitiovaunuista – Vuoden viivästys ei vaaranna aikataulua, YLE. Accessed on 29 June 2018.
  18. ↑ "First tram delivered to Tampere for tests and training". RailTech.com. 25 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "More Artic Trams For Tampere". Railvolution. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  20. ↑ Hinčica, Libor (27 December 2022). "Finské Tampere objednalo další tři tramvaje Škoda Artic" [Finnish Tampere orders three more Škoda Artic trams]. Československý Dopravák (in Czech). Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  21. ↑ Ala-Heikkilä, Minna: Ratikkatoimittaja Transtech: Raitiovaunut eivät välttämättä valmistu samaan aikaan raitiotien kanssa Archived 29 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine , Aamulehti 6 October 2017 (updated on 9 October 2017). Accessed on 29 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "Extension of Tampere's trams". Railvolution. 25 October 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  23. ↑ "Tampere orders new tram fleet". Railway Pro . 13 December 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  24. ↑ Tampereen Ratikka on Pohjoismaiden suurin ja tamperelaisten kanssa suunniteltu, Tampereen Ratikka 8 June 2020. Accessed on 3 July 2020.
  25. ↑ Tampereen raitiotien testaukseen Saksassa käytössä ollut raitiovaunu, Tampereen Raitiotie Oy 4 May 2020. Accessed on 23 February 2020.
  26. ↑ Tampereen raitiotie, Raitiotieallianssi. Accessed on 20 October 2019.
  27. ↑ Tamperelaiset valitsivat punaisen raitiovaunun, city of Tampere. Accessed on 1 October 2018.
  28. ↑ Hirvonen, Sauli (17 March 2008). "Suomen raitioteiden alkutaival". Pikaraitiotie (in Finnish). Lahen Lehti. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  29. 1 2 3 Alku, Antero (2002). Raitiovaunu tulee taas (in Finnish). Jyväskylä: Kustantaja Laaksonen. pp. 95–96. ISBN   951-98475-3-7.
  30. ↑ Hirvonen, Sauli (17 March 2008). "Pikaraitiotiesuunnitelmat Suomessa". Pikaraitiotie (in Finnish). Lahen Lehti. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  31. ↑ Alku, Antero (18 April 2004). "Pikaraitiotie kannattava Tampereella". Kaupunkiliikenne.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  32. ↑ YLE: Runsaan 30 000 asukkaan kunnassa toivotaan kansanäänestystä ratikasta – liikennekysymys kuumentaa tunteita Archived 2021-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish)
  33. 1 2 "Tampereen kaupunkiseudun joukkoliikennejärjestelmävaihtoehtojen vertailu" (PDF). TASE 2025 (in Finnish). City of Tampere. March 2007. pp. 62–68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  34. 1 2 Alku, Antero (12 September 2006). "Pikaraitiotie etenee Tampereella". Kaupunkiliikenne.net (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  35. ↑ "Rakennemallivaihtoehdot ja niiden vaikutusten arviointi" (PDF). TASE 2025 (in Finnish). City of Tampere. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  36. ↑ Niemelä, Jari (8 August 2010). "Ratikasta päätös keväällä" (in Finnish). Tamperelainen. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  37. ↑ Husu, Elisa (8 August 2021). "Hyppää liikennöinnin aloittavan Tampereen ratikan kyytiin – rakennustyöt valmistuivat alle budjetin" (in Finnish). MTV Uutiset. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  38. ↑ VR Group to operate Tampere tramway Archived 2019-05-02 at the Wayback Machine Metro Report International 29 April 2019
  39. ↑ "10 million trips made during Tampere tram's inaugural year". Yle. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  40. ↑ Ketonen, Petra (20 December 2024). "Pirkkala-Linnainmaan raitiotien rakentaminen on alkanut – liikennejärjestelyt vaativat totuttelemista Härmälässä". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 January 2025.
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