News

Turku Tramway Alliance gets the go-ahead to build a 12-kilometre tramway line in Turku – tram services will resume in Turku in 2033

Turku City Council has decided to commission the Turku Tramway Alliance to build a tramway in Turku. The tramway will be constructed in accordance with the Alliance’s implementation plan and a binding target cost. The decision is contingent on securing state funding in the upcoming negotiations on land use, housing and transport agreements. The Turku Tramway Alliance is due to renovate Tuomiokirkkosilta (Cathedral Bridge) and the surrounding streets and to conduct archaeological trial excavations in the area between 2026 and 2028. 

Turku City Council decided at its meeting on 18 May to commission the Turku Tramway Alliance to build a 12-kilometre tramway line from the Port of Turku to Varissuo via the city centre and Kupittaa. The decision is contingent on securing state funding in the upcoming negotiations on land use, housing and transport agreements. The railway project includes a comprehensive reconstruction of all streets along the route, meaning that, in addition to the tracks, the Alliance will build 12 kilometres of new bicycle lanes and pavements, green infrastructure and street landscaping, municipal utilities, and carry out subgrade stabilisation. 

‘We at the Turku Tramway Alliance are thrilled with the City Council’s decision! The two-year implementation planning phase had the Alliance’s more than 200 employees working tirelessly to design a tramway that will serve the people of Turku in the best possible way for decades to come while being in keeping with the city’s 800-year history. We are proud to have been able to convince the city’s decision-makers of our plans and expertise,’ says Juha Saarikoski, CEO of Turku Tramway Ltd and Chair of the Turku Tramway Alliance’s Executive Committee.  

What happens next

In accordance with the City Council’s decision, the first phase of the tramway project from 2026 to 2028 sees the Alliance building a public transport corridor in historic Turku. This involves renovating Tuomiokirkkosilta and the adjacent streets between Hämeenkatu and Eerikinkatu as well as conducting extensive archaeological excavations in the area.  

The budget for the initial phase of construction works is EUR 33.3 million, towards which the Finnish government has already allocated EUR 10 million. The archaeological excavations add another EUR 15.1 million to the budget. These costs are part of the tramway’s total cost estimate of EUR 465.2 million. 

Work on the tramway itself will begin once state funding is secured in connection with the next round of negotiations on land use, housing and transport agreements. The tramway is due to be completed in 2032 and commissioned in the autumn of 2033 once track testing and trial runs have taken place. Residents will be able to enjoy the renewed streetscape as each street is completed. 

‘Getting the go-ahead is really exciting for us at the Alliance! We have been itching to get to work. The first phase of construction works in the Tuomiokirkkosilta area and the adjacent streets is due to begin in 2027. We can now turn our attention to drawing up detailed construction plans which, once completed, will determine a more detailed schedule,’ says NRC Group’s Kari-Pekka Lumme, Project Manager of the Turku Tramway Alliance. 

The City Council’s decision gives Turku Tramway Ltd the green light to proceed with the procurement of tram vehicles, for which the City of Turku has initially earmarked EUR 2.5 million of the total estimated procurement cost of EUR 65 to 75 million. Because the tram procurement is a long-term process, it must be pursued in parallel with the infrastructure project to ensure that the vehicles are delivered on time and that operations can begin according to the planned timetable. 

‘Like all major transformations, this one, too, has been hotly debated. The tramway is going to become part of Turku’s long history. Tram services will resume here in 2033, after a break of 61 years. We cherish the relationship that we have built with the people of Turku during the planning phase and hope to make the community proud and excited about their city’s development even before the works are completed,’ says Juha Saarikoski. 

Enquiries

• Juha Saarikoski, CEO of Turku Tramway Ltd and Chair of Turku Tramway Alliance’s Executive Committee (available May 19, between 10.30-11.30, please book a time for an interview through Communications Manager of Turku Tramway Ltd, Laura Klefbohm, tel. +358 (0)40 702 0292)
• Kari-Pekka Lumme, Project Manager of the Turku Tramway Alliance (available May 19, between 10.30-11.30 and 12.30-14.30, please book a time for an interview through Communications Manager of Turku Tramway Ltd, Laura Klefbohm, tel. +358 (0)40 702 0292)
• The City of Turku’s press release regarding the City Council’s decision: turku.fi/en/current-news 

The Turku Tramway Alliance has been commissioned to build a 12-kilometre tramway line in Turku between 2026 and 2033. The Alliance is made up of the City of Turku and Turku Tramway Ltd as clients, Ramboll Finland Ltd and Sweco Finland Ltd as developers and GRK Suomi Oy and NRC Group Finland Oy as contractors.