Public transport | The night tram started in Helsinki – This is how the first shift went

Shut up whispers and tired revelers. On the first shift of Helsinki’s first night tram 9N on the night between Friday and Saturday, the atmosphere is calm. The new line will run from Länsistamata to Ensi Linja to Kallio until October, after which the line will continue to Ilmalaa after the road works in Pasila are completed.

A 15-year-old is the first to get on the tram in Länsisatama Mark Ikonen. He has come from North The Hague just to travel on the new line.

“For the past three years, I have tested all the new lines in the capital region on the first shift,” says Ikonen.

The hobby includes an adventure in the capital region and Tallinn using public transport. He usually travels alone.

“Mother won’t be angry if I wake up in the morning to go to school.”

The Yöratikka runs every 20 minutes on the nights between Friday and Saturday and Saturday and Sunday from around 2:30 AM to 5:00 AM.

Traveling from the railway station to Sörnäis By Rigmor Hagert I think it’s great that in Helsinki you can travel by public transport at night.

“There are fewer fights on the night lines and they don’t discriminate against anyone. Taxis don’t always pick me up because of my looks, even if I show them I have money,” says Hagert.

Yöratikka 9N replaces night bus line 23N completely in October. Until then, 23N runs at night from Rautatientori via Pasila to Ilmala.

After October, the route of the night bus is almost the same as the previous route of the night bus from Jätkäsaari to Ilmala. Only between Kampi and Hietalahti does 9N run on a different route, as there are no tracks from Kampi to Boulevard.

Yöratikka 9N runs on weekends from Jätkäsaari to Kallio. In October, the route will be extended to Ilmala. Picture: Kari Pullinen

Public transport planner for HSL’s tram transport Alexandra Arppe says that the reason behind the night shift is a colleague’s insight.

“The line was invented by chance. The service contract for lines 23 and 23N was coming to an end and we were thinking about its high costs. My colleague asked how much a night trolley would cost. It turned out that the trolley was cheaper than the bus.”

According to Arppe, this was made possible by the fact that, with the soon-to-be-started express tram line 15, the tram traffic control center will start working around the clock.

“Now tram traffic is possible 24 hours a day for the first time.”

Helsinki, dozens of bus lines operate in the Vantaa and Espoo area at night. According to Arppe, night lines in the capital region are desirable.

“The classic feedback for us is that the subways should run longer. But that is not possible, because the extended opening of metro stations would result in costs in addition to operating compensation. The track and carriages also have to be maintained at night.”

It’s also about the subway’s unnecessarily large capacity. According to Arppe, there are usually not so many people moving at night that the subway is needed. Metro schedules can also be extended if necessary.

According to Arppe, even the night bus can accommodate many times the number of passengers compared to the bus.

“The tram was not chosen for the 9N route because of capacity, because night buses and extended metro lines are sufficient. No other night trolleys are planned at this stage.”

According to Jarkko Huovinen, the driver of the first night trolley shift, the night trolley can become popular. “At least it might be lively after the bars close.”

First the round of the night trolley is over and the trolley has returned to Länsistatama.

Driver Jarkko Huovinen according to the trip went smoothly and there were quite a lot of passengers. There was still a little uncertainty among passengers about the terminus, and many did not even know that it was a new night line.

“We’ll see how popular the line becomes when the route is extended to Ilmala. At least it might be lively after the bars close.”