Results from the comparison of alternatives for the city tramway to be presented at a public meeting

02.09.2011 12:41

A preliminary evaluation of the significant effects of the adjusted alternatives for the Hervanta-City Centre-Lentävänniemi city tramway in Tampere has been carried out. The results as well as the planning maps will be presented at a public meeting to be held on Monday 5 September 2011 in room K103 of the University of Tampere Library Building Linna (address: Kalevantie 5) from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in Finnish.

More information regarding the project can also be found on the city’s website (in Finnish) at www.tampere.fi/kaupunkiraitiotie:

The city tramway options which have been researched are:

Option 1 Lentävänniemi – Niemenranta – Lielahti – Paasikiventie – Hämeenkatu – Itsenäisyydenkatu – Sammonkatu – Hallila – Hervanta

Option 2 Lentävänniemi – Niemenranta – Lielahti – Pispalan valtatie – Hämeenkatu – Itsenäisyydenkatu – Sammonkatu – Hallila – Hervanta

Option 3 Lentävänniemi – Niemenranta – Lielahti – Paasikiventie – Hämeenkatu – Kalevantie – Sammonkatu – Hallila – Hervanta

Option 4 Lentävänniemi – Niemenranta – Lielahti – Paasikiventie – Hämeenkatu – Itsenäisyydenkatu – TAYS – Hallila – Hervanta

The Hervanta-City Centre-Lentävänniemi city tramway will be between 20 and 22 kilometres in length, depending on the option selected. The lines will include between 33 and 38 stops, meaning that the average distance between stops will be about 600 metres. The distance between stops will be smaller in the city centre and the ends of the lines than in the transitional portions.

The estimated construction costs of the Hervanta-City Centre-Lentävänniemi city tramline are between EUR 176 and 184 million depending on the option chosen, which includes the construction of the lines and the depot as well as the arrangements required during the construction period, construction development costs and planning expenses. The estimated costs include the changes required for the city tramway, but not, for instance, the improvement of the street area levels or street structures and transport arrangements that would be carried out regardless of the city tramway.

City tramway linescompared with bus options

The alternatives for the city tramway were compared in terms of the transport situation of 2020 with two bus-based public transport options, the so-called zero option and the developed bus option. In the zero option, the bus network would be developed slightly based on the current situation. In the developed bus option, significant improvements would be made to the service level of the current bus line network, so that there would be enough buses to correspond with the increase in travelling.

The city tramway would increase the number of trips made using public transport by 4 to 6 percent in the whole region and by 9 to 11 percent in the area impacted by the city railway. The option for developing bus transport, on the other hand, would increase the number of trips made using public transport by about 2 percent.

The city tramway is estimated to have about 40,000 passengers on winter weekdays. Approximately 60,000–67,000 residents and 42,000–48,000 workplaces are located within a 500 metre radius of the city tramway stops. The option with the most residents is option 2, which runs via Pispalan valtatie, and the one with the most workplaces is number 4, which runs via TAYS.

The travel times on the city tramway from one end of the line to the other are approximately 48 to 57 minutes. The travel times are generally slightly faster or about the same as in the developed bus option. The reliability of the travel times is better than with buses, because the tramway runs in its own lane for the majority of the trip and it allows for more effective traffic light advantages at junctions than with buses.

Changes in the number of vehicles do not have a significant effect on the functionality of the transport, but accidents resulting in personal injury would be decreased by about 1.5 per year with the city tramway option and about 0.3 per year with the developed bus option.

The operating costs of public transport using the city tramway option are 4 to 9 percent (EUR 2.5 to 5.4 million/year) lower than with the zero option. The operating costs of the developed bus option are 6 percent (EUR 3.8 million/year) greater than the zero option.

The city tramway is worthwhile in terms of social economy

The cost-benefit ratio of the city tramway options is approximately 1.1 - 1.4.
When the cost-benefit ratio is over one, the project is profitable from a social economic point of view, or in other words, the benefits outweigh the costs.

The investment costs of the city tramway options are between EUR 176 and 184 million, and the benefits are approximately EUR 180-240 million. Out of the city tramway options option 1 and option 4 are the best in terms of their benefits and cost-benefit ratios. The changes in real estate value are not included in the cost-benefit calculation.

The increase in density of land use made possible by the city tramway raises the value of the properties in the vicinity of the stops. The increase in value of the existing residential property volume is at least EUR 200 million and the value of the residential construction rights added by the increase in density of land use is between EUR 90 and 120 million. The changes in value for workplaces and business construction are at least as great as those of residential property.

With the carrying out of the city tramway, the urban nature of the area can be highlighted, the public transit-orientation of the street can be made known and the requirements for the continuous development of the street area in a more entertaining and less automobile-oriented direction can be created.

The preliminary general plan for the city tramway will be ready at the end of September. After this, the plans will be brought to council, and a decision will be made regarding further actions.

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