The tramline is Tampere’s greatest investment
28.9.2015
Tampere is planning to construct a tramline. If the City Council decides next year that the tramline will be built, the first route would run from Hervanta and the Tampere University Hospital to the city centre.
– The tramline is the top project of Tampere Public Transport. It will allow the entire city to be developed sustainably and in accordance with high standards in order to respond to the growth in the city and the region in a controlled way, says Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, Mayor of Tampere.
At the moment, the first route is being planned, along with a tramline depot. The work is conducted by an alliance selected as the result of the tender organised last spring; the alliance is also preparing to build the tramline.
It is essential that the best possible implementable solutions are found. Detailed terrain surveys, follow-up plans and keeping track of the costs are also important to ensure that the costs of the project remain under the EUR 250 million limit set by the City Council.
– The tramline is the largest investment made by the city to date. The goal is to give Tampere the best possible tramline system. The inhabitants have high expectations for the project, too, explains Mayor Ikonen.
New homes by the tramline routes
Tampere has a need for new homes for some 2,000–3,000 new inhabitants every year. It will be possible to build new apartments along the first tramline routes to fulfil the needs of the next two decades. The costs of new construction projects in existing urban areas are reasonable, as many of the areas already have access to services and the city’s infrastructure.
A tramline exhibition has been built in Gallery Nottbeck in the Finlayson area. Along with information, the exhibition also offers experiences, such as sitting at the city’s first tram stop and building your own tram car. The exhibition contains items received from Helsinki, where a tramline has served passengers for over 120 years. The exhibition will be open on weekday afternoons. The space is also used for public events related to the tramline and other urban planning-related matters.
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The article was first published on Tampere-lehti (3/2015)