On November 18, Helsinki and Espoo, Finland’s second largest city, inaugurated the first phase of West Metro, linking Ruoholahti, in Helsinki and Matinkylä, in Espoo. According to Helsinki City Transport’s estimation, during the opening day, 220,000 passengers used the metro services.
With a length of 14 km, the line has 8 stations, of which two stations in Helsinki and six stations in Espoo.
Starting November, the metro operates on two lines: Matinkylä–Vuosaari and Tapiola–Mellunmäki. On the shared section of line between Tapiola and Itäkeskus, the headways are 2.5 minutes at peak times during the daytime and early evening as well as on Saturdays, the headways are 3-4 minutes.
The metro line will attract 45,000 additional passengers per day and according to preliminary forecast, 180,000 passengers per day will travel on this metro section
The line forms the backbone of east to west transport links in the capital region and provides a frequent service with long operating hours.
HKL is responsible for operation as well as the servicing and maintenance of the track and stations and Länsimetro retains ownership of eight stations and the track.
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