Implementation planning of tramway to Pirkkala and Linnainmaa progressing on schedule – tramway and street plans to be presented during the spring
The development phase of the Tampere Tram’s Pirkkala–Linnainmaa alliance, which started at the end of last year, is progressing as planned. During the development phase that will continue until October 2024, the alliance will plan the tramway and related street, stop and traffic arrangements from Hatanpään valtatie to Suuppa in Pirkkala and from the Tays area to Linnainmaa.
The street and tramway plans will be presented to stakeholders during the spring.
“During the spring, we will organise several public and stakeholder events in which people can familiarise themselves with the plans. The aim is to have the street plan drafts published on the alliance’s website (https://pirkkalalinnainmaa.fi/in-english/ in March–April, where you can leave comments on the plans for further planning,” says Sari Valjus, Project Manager of the Tampere Tram’s Pirkkala–Linnainmaa alliance.
Later in the spring, probably in April-May, the actual street plan proposals will be displayed on the websites and bulletin boards of the City of Tampere and the Municipality of Pirkkala. Comments on the proposals can still be submitted at this stage.
“The tramway is being constructed for the municipal residents, so it is important that we get a broad spectrum of views on plans from various stakeholders for the implementation phase. One of the most important starting points of the project is active and genuine dialogue and cooperation between different parties,” says Jouni Sivenius, Head of Planning of the City of Tampere.
On the alliance’s website, you can also find more detailed participation and evaluation plans, which describe the opportunities for participation, the influence of municipal residents and the progress of the plans.
Pirkkala and Tampere councils will decide on possible construction in the autumn
The starting point for the implementation plan of the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tramway is the project plan approved by the Pirkkala and Tampere councils in April last year, which has an investment cost estimate of EUR 335 million.
“Simultaneously with the development phase, the City of Tampere and the Municipality of Pirkkala will draw up city plans required for the implementation of the tramway. The goal is that the city and street plans required for the implementation of the tramway will have been approved by the City of Tampere and the Municipality of Pirkkala by September 2024,” says Ville-Mikael Tuominen, Development Director of Tampere Tramway Ltd.
During the development phase, different options will be reviewed as necessary to select the best implementation solution. The alliance will prepare three implementation options concerning the Pirkkala tramway section to be decided by the Pirkkala council.
“The options are the alliance building the tramway at once all the way to Suuppa or, as the second option, in stages first to Partola and by the same alliance later to Suuppa. The third option is that the same alliance will build a tramway all the way to Partola,” says Jouni Korhonen, Urban Development Director of Pirkkala.
In the development phase, the impact assessments, which were previously carried out at the project planning stage and were targeted, among other things, at traffic, land use, the environment and landscape, business and services as well as noise and vibration, will also be refined and updated.
When the development phase ends in October 2024, the Tampere and Pirkkala councils can decide on the construction of the tramway, the scope of construction and the possible gradual implementation of the tramway, based on the results of the alliance’s implementation planning.
The planning of the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tramway described in several channels
Information on the planning of the tramway between Pirkkala and Linnainmaa is available in many channels. Tampere Tram’s Pirkkala–Linnainmaa alliance has its own website, https://pirkkalalinnainmaa.fi/in-english/ and social media channels (Facebook, X, Instagram), which will provide information on the progress of the project and plans as well as the public events to be arranged in the future.
Tampere Tram also shares information on its future plans through its own channels. The City of Tampere and the Municipality of Pirkkala provide information on street plans and decision-making phases in their respective channels.
Measurement and ground surveys to continue throughout the planning area
Since the end of last year, location-specific soil and drilling surveys and terrain measurements have been carried out for the planning of the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa section of the tramway in the entire planning area, that is, the Tays–Linnainmaa section and between Hatanpään valtatie and Suuppa in Pirkkala. The soil surveys will continue during the development phase of the project, as necessary, until October.
