In Meilahti and Ruskeasuo, the Jalavatie, Kuusitie and Tilkka stop platforms in the northern part of Mannerheimintie will be extended and widened.
In Alppiharju, the Sturenkatu shared stop located on Aleksis Kiven katu will be extended to accommodate a tram and a trunk line bus at the same time. In addition, the narrow platforms of the Alppila stop on Porvoonkatu will be widened and raised.
The Kolmikulma stop located in Kaartinkaupunki will be widened and raised.
Raising and widening the stops will make it easier for people with reduced mobility to access them. The changes to be made in Meilahti and Ruskeasuo will also enable light-rail cars to run to the new tram depot. The depot is currently under construction in Ruskeasuo.
The stop extensions and alterations will be carried out in 2023–2024.
Eight little-used stops to be decommissioned in 2024
Eight little-used tram stops will be completely decommissioned. The stops will be removed in 2024. Until then, they will continue to be in use as normal.
The stops to be decommissioned are located close to another stop. They will be completely dismantled and all structures will be removed. Depending on the location, the stops will be replaced by street-side parking, pavement or planting lane.
The stops to be decommissioned are Hietalahdenkatu, Köydenpunojankatu, Kirurgi, Mastokatu, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ stop platform to the direction of the city centre, Kellosilta and Velodrome. The Eira Hospital platform, which is currently not in use, will also be removed.
Three of the stops to be removed (Hietalahdenkatu, Köydenpunojankatu and Eira Hospital platform) are not currently used by tram line traffic.
Decommissioning these stops will slightly reduce travel times and cut the rail traffic maintenance and operating costs. Even after the changes, the stop network in the inner city will remain dense and easily accessible. The goal is to have tram stops in the city centre at approximately every 300–500 metres.
The changes are part of the development programme for tram traffic that has been implemented since 2018, and they are based on the development measures approved by the Urban Environment Committee in 2021.
The changes to the tram stops are based on the office holder decision taken by the Head of Traffic and Street Planning on 10 March 2023. Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd will renovate the relevant stops in 2023. The decommissioned stops will be dismantled in 2024.