Helsinki City Transport HKL exercised an option for twenty low-floor trams for Helsinki city traffic, and signed a Letter of Intent for purchasing further 29 trams for the new “Raide-Jokeri“ line connecting the cities of Helsinki and Espoo. The total price for both contracts is over 150 million EUR.
Of the sixty ordered ForCity Smart Artic trams for Helsinki City traffic, there are currently fourteen vehicles in service. The first two trams were delivered back in 2013, and they were subjected to rigorous tests in operation. Other vehicles bear since 2015 the logo of Škoda Transportation, which purchased a controlling interest in Transtech.
The new ”Raide-Jokeri” line will be 25 kilometers long and it will connect the eastern part of Helsinki and Espoo. The new bi-directional vehicles for this route will be 34 meters long. The first prototype shall be delivered in summer 2019.