The alternatives discussed include, e.g. renewing only the access control system, in which case drivers would drive the trains as at present, or a so called semi-automation, in which case the trains would be driven by an automatic system but drivers would still be needed to control the doors and other vehicle functions.

New, high-quality bus stops will be built on Fredrikinkatu next to the Kamppi metro station entrance next year when Helsinki will be World Design Capital.
 

The new stops are designed by Stefan Lindfors. The new stops have a larger covered area than the current stops, and more possibilities for providing electronic information. Special attention has been paid on accessibility of the stops.  

More design stops may later be built at other busy interchange hubs. The project to develop high-quality stops is part of the official program of World Design Capital 2012 in Helsinki. Modernization of bus shelters makes design part of the residents’ everyday life, which is one of the focal themes of the World Design Capital year.

The new ticket hall at Kulosaari metro station will be opened on Saturday 10 September. 
 

The station will again be accessible as the new lift is brought into use. The emergency exit at the eastern end of the platform will be closed in the coming days after which access to the station is only via the main ticket hall.

The planning of the project has not progressed as scheduled. In addition, the platform screen door trial at Vuosaari metro station has been repeatedly postponed.

The automation of the metro is commissioned by HKL.

Kulosaari metro station reopens on Monday the 6th of June. Bus 16X, which has been running between Herttoniemi and Kulosaari, is withdrawn as the station reopens.

The opening of the station was confirmed on Friday the 3rd of June after the authorities had finished their inspection of the station.

The metrostation opens while the renovation is still underway. Thus during the summer the entrance to the station is through the emergency exit at the eastern end of the station. The lift is still out of use. The renovation work will be completely finished in the fall.

The opening of the station was confirmed on Friday the 3rd of June after the authorities had finished their inspection of the station.

At its meeting on 2 December the board of Helsinki City Transport (HKL) selected Transtech Ltd, a Finnish manufacturer of rolling stock, to supply HKL's new trams. In the tendering process Transtech was judged to offer a more economical package and higher quality than the other bidders, Bombardier and CAF. The invitation to tender emphasized the new tram's adaptability to Helsinki's demanding conditions. 

Transtech is presently filling a contract for 192 double-decker passenger coaches that have been ordered by VR, Finland's main railway operator. In the past the company has taken care of renovating  articulated trams and metro cars for HKL.

Kulosaari metro station will open to passengers in June. The final renovation work will be completed by the end of summer 2011.  During the early summer passengers will be instructed to use the emergency exit at the eastern end of the station, which means that the station will not be fully accessible for passengers travelling with pushchairs or wheelchairs.
 

HKL apologizes for any inconvenience caused to passengers.

Platform screen doors are being installed on the departure platform at the Vuosaari metro station in connection with the automation of the metro. The doors will be tested in passenger traffic in Vuosaari prior to the installation of platform screen doors at all metro stations in 2013. It is also important to see how well the doors function in winter conditions.

The installation of platform screen doors on the departure platform at the Vuosaari metro station will take place in stages. During the first stage platform screen doors will be installed adjacent to the spot where the last pair of cars stops. From this stage passengers will not be able to board the last pair of cars in Vuosaari, since this part of the platform will be fenced in. All cars will be in use as normal from Rastila to downtown.

Next platform screen doors will also be installed where the middle pair of cars stops. From this stage passengers will only be able to board the first pair of cars in Vuosaari. All cars will again be in use as normal from Rastila to downtown.

Whenever possible the opposite platform will be used for both arrivals and departures. In this case passengers will be able to board all cars in Vuosaari. As a rule the construction of platform screen doors will take place in the evening and at night between 7.15 pm and 4.40 am from Sunday evening to Friday morning, at which time the departure platform will not be in use. Instead trains will use the other platform for both arrivals and departures.

During construction noise from metro traffic will increase temporarily on the western side of the station in the evening after 10 pm, since trains will not be able to use the turnaround track on the east side of the station.

Platform screen doors will go into operation in Vuosaari as soon as the installation work is finished. Departing metro trains will stop so that train doors are precisely aligned with the doors on the platform. During the trial stage the driver will open and close the doors on the platform as well as the train.

After the trial stage doors will remain in use in Vuosaari and will also be installed at other metro stations. Platform screen doors for the existing metro will be constructed in a wall with a height of about 170 cm, which will also be equipped with emergency exits.

The construction of platform screen doors is connected to the modernization of the Helsinki metro and its expansion to the rest of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The traffic control system for the metro will be automated, platform screen doors will be installed at stations, metro cars will be equipped with surveillance cameras and guards will be added at stations. As a result safety will improve on trains and at stations. At the end of 2015 traffic will begin on an extension of the metro from Ruoholahti to Matinkylä.

Platform screen doors are a necessary safety investment on the new metro, since they will prevent access to tracks. They will also make metro stations more pleasant for passengers.

The lifts at the Central Railway Station’s metro station have been out of service for over half a year. The lifts were badly damaged due to water damage in November 2009 and had to be replaced.

The renovation of escalators at the station continues as planned until the end of this year. The escalators are repaired one by one so that three out of four escalators are in use all the time.

Renovation of Kulosaari metro station begins in June. Due to the renovation, the station will be closed from 7 June onwards. The renovation will be completed in early 2011. However, the station might be partially reopened for passengers already in October/November 2010.

During the renovation, the ticket hall will be expanded and escalators will be installed. Also the platform shelter will be replaced and extended. The metro station which has been in use for nearly 30 years will get a new refreshed look.

The renovation also includes reorganization of the premises. The kiosk, control room and public toilets will be renovated and worn surfaces will be replaced. The stairs between the ticket hall and platforms will be replaced by escalators and the lift will be renewed. The old platform shelter will be dismantled and replaced with a new longer one. In addition, a new exit stair will be constructed on the east side of the platform. The renovation not only improves the functionality of the station but also enhances comfort and safety.  

The renovation will be completed in early 2011. However, the station might be partially reopened for passengers already in October/November 2010.

During the renovation the metro will mainly operate normally but metro trains will not stop at Kulosaari metro station. In June, the metro will run at 12-minute intervals over two weekends, Saturday 12 June – Sunday 13 June and Saturday 19 June – Sunday 20 June.

While the station is closed, a replacement bus service 16X will operate between Herttoniemi metro station and Kulosaari. The bus will run at 8-15 minute intervals during the metro service hours.

The renovation is estimated to cost six million euros.  The renovation is financed by HKL and carried out by HKR-Rakennuttaja.

This phase of the project, i.e. the first phase of the construction of the health centre, is due for completion in autumn 2010.

Developer: PWD Construction Management
Contractor: SRV Toimitilat Oy

HKL, who is responsible for the automation of the metro, organizes a residents’ meeting about the auto-mation and the platform screen door trial due to begin at Vuosaari metro station. In the meeting, the res-idents can view  the plans and get further information from the experts of HKL and Helsinki Region Transport (HSL).

The residents’ meeting takes place on Tuesday 16 February at 6pm-7.30pm at Tehtaanpuisto school in Vuosaari, the plans can be viewed from 5.30pm. HKL organizes the meeting in cooperation with HSL and Vuosaari residents’ association. Similar meetings will be held also in Mellunmäki and Itäkeskus in the spring and in Herttoniemi and Hakaniemi-Kallio in the autumn.

The platform screen doors are a necessary investment in safety as they prevent access to the tracks.  The doors also improve comfort at the stations.

The trial use of the platform screen doors at the Vuosaari station due to begin in autumn 2010 is con-ducted in order to test the performance of the doors in a real environment, as well as  in winter conditions. The groundwork begins in the spring and the doors will be constructed in the summer. After the trial phase, the doors will remain in use.  

There will be platform changes due to the construction of the doors.

Background

The metro control system needs to be renewed due to its age. The current system does not, e.g. enable extension of the metro line.  

The upgrading of the control system includes conversion to driverless operation, construction of platform screen doors also at old metro stations, as well as instalment of surveillance cameras in all metro cars.  In future, HKL staff will be seen more at the stations as metro drivers are trained to become train super-visors. More than anything, the upgrading of the control system is an investment in safety: the risk of human error is reduced and passenger safety improves.

From passengers’ point of view, another significant change is the speeding up of metro services for the automation enables introduction of shorter service intervals. According to current plans, in 2014 metros will run at two and half minute intervals during peak hours.

Metro trains will again stop at the Central Railway Station metro station from 15 February.  However, the repair work will continue and the lifts at the station will remain out of service. The station does not for the present serve passengers traveling with wheelchairs and prams or other passengers who need to use the lifts.

The Central Railway Station metro station has been closed since last November due to water damage caused by a burst pipe. This busiest metro station in Helsinki is used by about 50,000 passengers on a normal weekday.

The planned renovation of the long escalators between the Kompassitaso and metro platforms will be carried out earlier than planned due to the water damage. The renovation had been scheduled for 2011 but it will now be started already this year.  Respectively, the renovation at Hakaniemi metro station is postponed to 2011.

The escalators are repaired one by one so that three out of four escalators will be in use. For this reason the escalators may be jammed during the rush hours. All in all the renovation of the escalators will take about a year.  

Also the short escalators between the Kompassitaso and the Asematunneli tunnel will be renovated.  The escalators situated on the side of Rautatientori will be repaired first.

From the start of 2010 HKL will be the operator responsible for running Helsinki’s trams and metro and will also be the owner of public transport infrastructure, responsible for maintenance of track, stations and depots.

Traffic planning and commissioning as well as passenger communications and ticket inspections will become the responsibility of HSL Helsinki Region Transport, which starts its operations on 1.1.2010. The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council’s Transport Department (YTV Liikenne), HKL’s planning and com-missioning functions and ticket inspection will be transferred from the current Helsinki metropolitan area organisations to HSL, the new regional transport authority. YTV will cease operations at the end of the year and in the future its transport duties will be taken over by HSL while water and waste management services will be the responsibility of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority, HSY.

HKL has been responsible for organising public transport within Helsinki since 1945. During this period the Helsinki metro has been planned and constructed and the city’s tram network extensively developed. This persistent work over the past decades has seen Helsinki become a European public transport role model, whose reputation attracts experts in the sector from across the world to draw on Helsinki’s public transport expertise.

As a track-based transport operator, HKL is now concentrating on producing environmentally friendly, reliable and high-quality tram and metro services for passengers. Maintenance and development of track and stations are key to providing a high-quality public transport service. From the start of 2010 HKL will also be responsible for transport to and from the island of Suomenlinna, run by HKL’s subsidiary Suomenlinnan Liikenne Oy.

HKL’s phone numbers, website and e-mail addresses will remain the same. From now on, timetable and ticket information as well as other passenger information will be provided on HSL’s website at www.hsl.fi.

Rautatientori metro station will re-open on 15 February 2010. Refurbishment of the public areas of the station will be complete by then. Work on the rest of the station will still continue after that date.

The exhibition is part of the Future Public Transport for All project run by the Aalto University.

- When using public transport, easy access should benefit those with strollers or walkers, as well as those with heavy shopping, says project leader Ira Verma from the Aalto University.

At Helsinki City Transport, accessibility has been promoted through a variety of means. The city Metro network is practically free of hindrances to access, and the proportion of trams designed with ease of access in mind is ever increasing.

Helsinki City Transport has around 40 trams with low-level floors throughout, and in future all of the trams acquired will offer easy access.

Furthermore, there is a project to fit out all of the jointed trams with a low-floored midsection to promote the travellers’ ease of access. A midsection has already been added to some 20 trams.

The interior of the tram with its special seating and lighting was made at the HKL depot in Vallila. Before any interior work the chassis was thoroughly overhauled. The depot workers did very well in a job that called for special skills.

The culture tram provides an opportunity to both cheer up passengers and promote artists and cultural institutes. In addition, the tram offers tourists a novel cultural attraction in Helsinki, a place with character that is constantly on the move. The tram is also available for private charter.

You can read more about the Culture Tram at HSL’s website at  www.hsl.fi . The Korjaamo Culture Factory provides the programme for the Tram.