West Metro ready for trial operation in January 2017 – No major changes to Espoo bus network on 15 August

The schedule for the opening of the West Metro has been revised. Construction work and test runs of various systems at stations will be completed in October after which the systems will be tested together to ensure compatibility along with safety. According to current estimates, trial operation with passengers could begin at the latest in January 2017. A more detailed schedule will be available in October once enough test data is available.

 “The West Metro project is a large undertaking. All systems must be operational to enable safe operation of the Metro. We want to make sure there is enough time for the tests,” says the CEO on Länsimetro Oy Matti Kokkinen.

Once the tests have been completed, the Rescue Departments of the Cities of Espoo and Helsinki will approve the safety systems, after which the construction supervisory authorities of the cities can approve the opening of the stations and tunnels. In addition, Helsinki City Transport HKL needs to set a date for the safe commencement of services, while HSL will decide when trial operation with passengers will begin. After this, HSL will decide when the full Metro service and operation of feeder bus services will begin.

The West Metro is the largest infrastructure project in Finland. It consists of over 270 separate sub-projects and has employed in total 15,800 construction workers.

No major changes to bus network in Espoo in the autumn – new bus routes for Lauttasaari

There will be no major changes to public transport services in Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi on 15 August 2016. By contrast, bus routes in Lauttasaari will change but there will be direct bus links to Kamppi and the city center from all parts of the island. HSL has reached an agreement on the operation of the routes with bus companies following negotiations.

The routes will operate at least until the end of 2016. If the West Metro is not running by that time, bus services will continue to run.

 “For us the most important thing was to find a solution that would serve our customers as well as possible. Now most of the routes are familiar to people and the level of public transport service remains good. We appreciate the flexibility and cooperation of the bus operators,” says HSL Executive Director Suvi Rihtniemi.  

The biggest changes to bus routes will be seen in Lauttasaari, where the route network will be a combination of the current network and planned feeder services. However, direct and frequently running services will be provided from around Lauttasaari to Kamppi.

In Lehtisaari and Kuusisaari, the route network will remain the same with the exception of route 506, which will run only between Viikki and Meilahti from 15 August.

Bus routes renumbered in North Espoo

In South Espoo, the route numbers will not change. In North Espoo, the route numbers will change as planned on 15 August. Stop signs are being changed during the summer so that information at stops would be up-to-date when the changes take place.

In addition, service routes in Espoo will be converted into neighborhood routes from 15 August.

New timetables in the Journey Planner in July

The routes and timetables of the bus services from 15 August will be available in the Journey Planner in mid-July. In addition, information about the arrangements related to the delayed opening of the West Metro is provided at hsl.fi.

Bus network in a nutshell

There are no changes to bus routes in Espoo on 15 August, with the following exceptions:

  • Bus routes are renumbered in North Espoo
  • Routes 206, 212 and 213 are extended from Meilahti to Kamppi.
  • A new route, 224 (Leppävaara-Kauniainen-Espoon keskus-Tuomarila), starts operating. It replaces route 51, which is discontinued.
  • Route 506 is shortened to run between Viikki and Meilahti. Route 501 is withdrawn.
  • Espoo service routes are converted into neighborhood routes and renumbered.

Changes in Lauttasaari from 15 August:

  • T services and route 21V continue to run. New routes, 20X Kamppi–Katajaharju, and 21BX (Kamppi–Vattuniemi) start to run.
  • Routes 65A and 66A are renumbered 65 and 66 and no longer serve Lauttasaari. Route 20 is replaced by route 20X.
  • At night time, Lauttasaari is served by route 20N (Asema-aukio-Vattuniemi-Katajaharju), as at present.
  • Route 501 is withdrawn.

Espoo bus routes from 15 August 2016

Lauttasaari bus routes from 15 August 2016

Lauttasaaren bussilinjasto 15.8.2016 alkaen