Carnival atmosphere to come to Espoo on 21 October as light rail begins operating

The first light rail line in the Helsinki region will start operating on Saturday 21 October. During the opening day, various celebrations will be held for the new tramway along the track. The main festivities will take place in the form of a morning carnival near the Aalto University stop in Otaniemi, Espoo.

The first tram will depart from the Aalto University stop towards Itäkeskus at 9.20am. The first trams from the termini in Itäkeskus and Keilaniemi will depart at 9.30am, after which the trams will run every 12 minutes until approximately 8pm. After 8pm, the trams will run less frequent but services will continue to run until approximately 2am.

You can get on and off the light rail at every stop along the route. However, we would like to remind you that the number of passengers is expected to be high on the opening day. The first services in particular may get too crowded to accommodate all passengers on board the trams.

The timetables for the light rail are already available on HSL’s Journey Planner.

Espoo celebrates the new light rail line in Otaniemi

Espoo, together with Helsinki Region Transport (HSL), Aalto University and the Aalto University Student Union (AYY), invites all residents to celebrate the opening of the light rail line. The first tram will depart from the Aalto University stop towards Helsinki at 9:20, accompanied by the Retuperän WBK band.

The Otaniemi campus will be full of carnival atmosphere, including music by Retuperän WBK, a band known for its wild performances, as well as Aalto DJs and Hovimuusikko Ilkka. The programme also includes the student union’s playful naming contest to find a name for the Espoo light rail. Open campus tours allow the public to visit the Väre building and Harald Herlin Learning Centre.

In Espoo, we believe in the power of cooperation. Otaniemi is an internationally significant research and innovation community formed by the city, the university, businesses and other organisations. In 2023, Otaniemi was selected as District of the Year. The local community spirit based on the unique student culture enriches the lives of residents in Otaniemi and the surrounding areas.

HSL to set up service points along the light rail line

HSL will set up service points in Keilaniemi, at the Aalto University, in Leppävaara, at Oulunkylä station, at Viikki Science Park and in Itäkeskus. The service points are located near the light rail stops. You can visit the service points between 9.30am and 3pm to learn more about the light rail and to ask other travel-related questions. At the service points, there are experts available from both HSL and the operator Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd.