The Kaisantunneli tunnel is 220 metres long, about 8 metres wide and 3 metres high. The bicycle lane is 4 metres wide and the pedestrian lane 3.5 metres wide. The lanes will be separated with kerbs.
To the tunnel will be connected a bicycle centre owned by Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne Oy and about 1,500 parking spaces for bicycles.
The tunnel will be built north of the current pedestrian tunnel and the tunnels will be connected with a passageway. The construction started in early 2021 and is estimated to continue until February 2024.
The contractor is Destia.
Information about the progress of the worksite:
Frequently asked questions concerning the Kaisantunneli tunnel
The Kaisantunneli tunnel provides cyclists with a new and fast connection that goes under the railway station. It will streamline the east–west bicycle traffic considerably as there will be a direct connection from Baana to the tunnel and Kaisaniemenpuisto. The pedestrian connections will also be improved and the number of pedestrians and cyclists using Kaivokatu will decrease.
The underpass will shorten the travel from one side of the rails to the other by 600 metres in comparison to the route that runs via Kaivokatu. The current route runs through Elielinaukio, the busiest pedestrian square in Helsinki, and through the intersecting pedestrian traffic on Kaivokatu. The current route also includes four intersections that have traffic lights that cause delays.
The bicycle traffic prediction model estimates that on a weekday in October 2025, 4,900 cyclists will go through the Kaisantunneli tunnel in a day. At the peak of bicycling season, there will be as many as 10,000 cyclists in a day. Even in winter, the underpass is expected to be one of the busiest connections for bicycle traffic in the Helsinki region.
City residents could participate in the planning of the tunnel at different stages of the process. Feedback on the general plan for the tunnel was collected via an online survey in 2018. Furthermore, a meeting between city residents and the designers was held in Kaisaniemenpuisto. The participants could also give feedback on the deviation to the detailed plan that the design of the tunnel requires. The street and park designs of the tunnel were officially open for reviewing and commenting in early 2020.
The interaction yielded a lot of constructive feedback on both the overall solution and its details, and the feedback was used to adjust the solutions related to the tunnel. The things adjusted during the general planning stage included making the curved ramp of the western end straighter and streamlining the tunnel geometry.
During the development stage of the project, city residents also informed us of their opinions on and expectations for the coming tunnel. During the development stage, city residents were also asked to propose a name for the tunnel and the name selected was among these proposals.
To the tunnel will be connected a bicycle centre owned by Metropolitan Area Transport and about 1,370 parking spaces for bicycles. The bicycle centre will be located between the new underpass and the old pedestrian tunnel, and it can be accessed by lift, bicycle and on foot.
The eastern end of the Kaisantunneli tunnel will be designed to suit the landscape in Kaisaniemenpuisto. The new tunnel and the pedestrian tunnel already in use will have a joint entrance. There will be 80 above-ground bicycle parking spaces on the northern side of the entrance. The new city bike station will be located on the southern side of the entrance.
The tunnel is designed to be accessible, and the western end of the tunnel (the Töölönlahdenkatu side) will also be equipped with a lift to make moving easier. There is an accessible passageway from the railway station to the Kaisantunneli tunnel.
The Kaisantunneli tunnel and the bicycle parking are well illuminated. The premises in the tunnel are covered by the same supervision as the railway station, which means that there will be guards ensuring that there is no loitering. The supervision is supported with security cameras. The bicycle parking will also have access control.