FINLAND: The first Smart Artic X54 tram for the future Raide-Jokeri orbital light rail line linking Helsinki and Espoo was delivered by Škoda Transtech on April 9.
The company is supplying 29 ForCity Smart Artic XL vehicles for the line under a €95·2m contract which Helsinki operator HKL placed in 2016, exercising an option on a 2010 order for 40 shorter Artic trams.
The five-section 1 000 m gauge 100% low floor bidirectional vehicles for the Raide-Jokeri line are 34·5 m long with a capacity of 214 passengers including 82 seated and the rest standing at 4/m2. All four bogies are powered with two 105 kW motors, and the maximum speed is 80 km/h.
The 25 km largely segregated Raide-Jokeri line linking Itäkeskus in eastern Helsinki to Keilaniemi in Espoo with 33 stops is expected to open in June 2024, replacing the busy bus Route 550.
