Versatile and modern stops for Tampere Tramway – Tampere University Hospital tram stop will be completed first, shelter installations at other stops begin in July

Versatile and modern stops for Tampere Tramway – Tampere University Hospital tram stop will be completed first, shelter installations at other stops begin in July

Along with the tram cars, Tampere Tramway’s stops will be a visible part of the cityscape A total of 24 stops will be built on section 1 of the tramway (City Centre-Hervanta, Tampere University Hospital-Hatanpään valtatie). Three tram stop reservations have been made to meet future needs.

 

Tampere Tramway’s tram stop shelter at Tampere University Hospital. Photo: Tampere Tramway Ltd/ Skyfox Marko Kallio

The first of Tampere Tramway’s stops and shelters will be completed at Elämänaukio Square at Tampere University Hospital.  The stop has been integrated with the Elämänaukio architecture so that it has two side-boarding platforms where the shelter elements have been implemented as a large shelter. There are also shelters leading from the stops to the main entrance of the hospital. Passenger information and advertising devices will be installed at the stop later in the autumn. The work to install shelters at other stops will begin at the end of June with the Sammonaukio Square stop, and next autumn and winter will be a particularly busy time in terms of installations.

– One guiding principle while designing the tram stop shelters was ensuring that they blend in with the Tampere cityscape. In addition to protecting passengers, the stops also provide important passenger information. Some of the stops will also become permanent elements in the art associated with the Tramway, transport and Tampere, states Track Manager Markus Keisala from Tampere Tramway Ltd.

Tampere Tramway Ltd will purchase the tram stop shelters and they will be supplied and maintained by JCDecaux Finland Oy. The costs of procuring and maintaining the shelters will be covered by advertising revenue. JCDecaux Finland Oy has a 15-year right-of-use agreement to the advertising surfaces of the shelters. The City of Tampere will receive 20% of the digital advertising time for city communications.

Shelters will provide passenger information and readiness for smart transport solutions

Tampere Tramway’s tram stop shelters are being designed to meet the information needs of passengers in the most versatile way possible. Readiness to provide smart transport information has also been taken into consideration when designing the shelters.

– The stops will have information screens and tram stop posters. These screens are double-sided and 32 inches in size. In addition to basic information, the screens will provide information on tram arrivals and exceptional situations. The screens will also make it possible to display information using images or videos. Tram stop posters will include static timetables, a map of the surrounding area, a route map and general information about the stop and public transport, explains Public Transport Planner Petri Hakala from the City of Tampere.

– A key part of our agreement with the tram stop shelter supplier involves developing the shelters to improve the passenger experience. This development work is still in progress, but it will include a quick feedback system related to tram stop maintenance, provision of transport information in the Braille language and utilisation of the stops as a channel for emergency information. The package includes options for green solutions, such as green roofs, use of solar energy in the ceiling lighting system at the stops, and monitoring the city’s air quality via sensors installed on the shelters. A wireless internet connection can also be installed at the stops, lists Markus Keisala.

The appearance of the tram stops was also an important element in design. The tram stop shelters have been designed to blend in with Tampere’s cityscape. Stops with side-boarding platforms have 1-3 shelter modules, meaning that the length of a shelter ranges between a little over 4 metres to 13 metres.

Incorporating art into tram stops

Tampere Tramway will use art in many ways as an element of the transport experience. As part of the Tramway Art project, some of the stops will have an artistic entity that highlights various art forms. The Hakametsä, Tulli, Opiskelija, Sorin aukio, Hervannan kampus, Hippos, Uintikeskus, and Pyynikintori stops have been designated as special art stops.

– The Tramway Art entity for tram stops consists of artwork that is located in the tram stop environments, their immediate vicinity or is part of the tram stop shelters. The tram stops will give Tampere residents the opportunity to enjoy forms of art that include light, video, sound, literary and comic strips, says Antti Haukka, a project manager in the City of Tampere’s Tramway Development Programme.

Prints designed by Artist Ville Andersson will also be added on the glass roofs of all tram stop shelters in the first section of Tampere Tramway The pattern of the print is a vibrant sketch-like line, which was designed to suit many different tram stop environments while still leaving space for other art. The City of Tampere’s Tramway Development Programme is responsible for the Tramway Art project.

Installation of tram stop shelters begins in July

After the University Hospital stop, the next shelter will be installed on the centre platform of the Sammonaukio tram stop on Itsenäisyydenkatu. This work will begin in week 27. Following installation of the shelters, the stone masonry work will be completed, probably at the beginning of August. Levelling and change work on the storm water lines are currently in progress at the Sammonaukio tram stop, which is why the stone masonry has been removed.

– During the winter, we noticed some challenges related to storm water drainage. This causes a risk of slipperiness, especially when the platform surface freezes. The repairs are being made for safety reasons, and it’s better to do this before operation begins so the work doesn’t affect passengers, explains Project Manager Sari Valjus from the Tramway Alliance.

No change needs related to levelling the tram stop surface have been observed at the other stops, but the platform surfaces will have to be partially opened in order to install storm water pipes and foundations for the tram stop shelters. When the other parts of the platforms were designed and built, the client didn’t have the final plans for the tram stop shelters. Integration work began during the spring, after the tram stop shelter supplier joined the project.

Section 1 of Tampere Tramway has a total of 24 tram stop pairs, one of which – Sammonaukio – is simply a centre platform stop for tram traffic. In addition, the Kaupin kampus, Hakametsä, Turtola, Opiskelija and Hervantakeskus stops will have common centre platform stops for tramway and bus traffic.

Tampere Tramway will have a total of 7 centre platforms and 40 side-boarding platforms. Shelters will not be installed at the Kaupin kampus and Hervantajärvi end stops, which are being built as passenger drop-off points.

Tampere Tramway stops

  • A tram stop or tram stop pair is a single entity, and section 1 of the tramway (City Centre–Hervanta, University Hospital–Hatanpää valtatie) will have 24 of these.
  • The names of the tram stops from Pyynikintori to Hervanta are: Pyynikintori, Tuulensuu, Keskustori, Koskipuisto, Rautatieasema, Tulli, Sammonaukio, Kaleva, Uintikeskus, Kalevanrinne, Hakametsä, Turtola, Hallila, Pohjois-Hervanta, Opiskelija, Hervantakeskus, Hervannan kampus, Etelä-Hervanta, Hervantajärvi.
  • The names of the tram stops from Tampere University Hospital to Hatanpää valtatie are: Kaupin kampus, TAYS, Hippos, Kalevan kirkko, Sammonaukio, Tulli, Rautatieasema, Koskipuisto, Sorin aukio.
  • Sammonaukio will only have a centre platform stop for tramway traffic.
  • The Kaupin kampus, Hakametsä, Turtola, Opiskelija and Hervantakeskus stops will have common centre platform stops for tramway and bus traffic. Shelters will not be installed at the Kaupin kampus and Hervantajärvi end stops, which are being built as passenger drop-off points.
  • A tram stop can have one or two platforms. Tampere Tramway will have 7 centre platforms and 40 side-boarding platforms.
  • Side-boarding platforms have 1-3 shelter modules, so the length of a shelter ranges between a little over 4 metres to 13 metres.

Further information:

Track Manager Markus Keisala
Tampere Tramway Ltd
Tel. +358 (0)40 334 7824
markus.keisala@tampereenraitiotie.fi

Tramway Art:

Project Manager Antti Haukka
City of Tampere, Tramway Development Programme
Tel. +358 (0)40 180 7096
antti.haukka@tampere.fi

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