Helsinki abandons proposed aerial tramway link to Laajasalo

In the future, residents of Kruunuvuorenranta will go to the city centre by tram, Metro, or water-bus.

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As things stand, an aerial tramway with cable-cars will not be one of the options to connect the planned new seafront housing district of Kruunuvuorenranta with the city centre.
      The fact is indicated by the first part of the environmental impact assessment of the planned venture, commissioned by the City of Helsinki. The report will be on display from the middle of September onwards.
     
The assessment called for by the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment has discusssed several different alternatives to organise public transport in the new area.
      Juha-Pekka Turunen, who is responsible for coordination of planning and construction in Helsinki’s City Planning Department, says that a total of seven alternatives have been under debate. One of them has been the possibility of developing the east-bound bus transport system towards the district of Herttoniemi.
      ”In addition, a number of various tram and Metro options have been discussed. Even ferry services have been put forward for consideration”, Turunen reports.
     
In addition to the planned bridge for tram and light traffic across the stretch of water known as Kruunuvuorenselkä to Laajasalo, with a projected cost of EUR 190 million, another alternative for public transport could be a Metro line that could at least partly run in an underwater tunnel.
      ”However, the Metro would probably be technically very challenging and even more expensive than the bridge”, Turunen argues.
      ”The Metro alternative would hardly be feasible unless a new residential area is set up in Santahamina”, he adds.
      The alternative to build a cable-car connection across Kruunuvuorenselkä seems to have been buried once and for all.
     
”At this point, the environmental impact assessment indicates which alternatives will be on the table when the issue is discussed further”, Juha-Pekka Turunen notes.
      ”On the basis of the assessments we have made, the capacity of the proposed aerial tramway system would not have been sufficient for a total of 23,000 daily trips, which is why the plan has been abandoned”, Turunen adds.
     
As a result of the City of Helsinki’s cost-cutting measures, the plans for a ferry connection across Kruunuvuornselkä have been dug up again.
      The idea of a ferry connection has been promoted particularly by Rantaryhmä (”Beach Group”), a group formed by some residential associations and non-governmental organisations.
     
According to investigations conducted by Rantaryhmä, the ferry connection together with the abandoned cable-car alternative would be considerably more economically attractive choices than the other options.
      ”The ferry connection would cost around EUR 10 million”, says Heikki Kukkonen, the representative of Rantaryhmä, who is also the chairman of the residential association Kulosaarelaiset.
      According to Kukkonen, further costs would accrue from the connection of the ferry with the public transport system.
      According to Juha-Pekka Turunen, the City of Helsinki now plans to investigate whether it could be possible for a bus or a tram to drive straight into a ferry.
      ”All these details as well as the total expenditure are still fully open and will become more precise later on”, says Turunen.
     
When it comes to the budget, the cable-car system that the city has already rejected would be one of the most inexpensive options - comparable with the ferry connection.
      On the basis of the given estimates, an aerial tramway like this would cost around EUR 15 million at its cheapest.
     
In addition to the inexpensive price, the cable-car alternative has been supported because of the "Wow" image it would give to the city. In many cities worldwide, the cableway is a tourist attraction and a significant part of the city landscape.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kruunuvuorenranta is Helsinki´s new seafront housing district (16.12.2008)
  Helsinki City Council approves plan for 900-metre bridge across Kruunuvuorenselkä to Laajasalo (13.11.2008)
  Cable car planned to link Katajanokka and Laajasalo districts (2.11.2006)

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