Construction of the West-Helsinki Light Rail will begin on May 25

The West-Helsinki Light Rail project will begin actual construction work on Monday, 25 May. The tramway and urban development project, which focuses on western Helsinki, will significantly build and renew the tramway network and municipal engineering in the next few years, as well as implement changes in the street environment. With these changes, at the beginning of the 2030s, a new high-speed rail line 14 from Kannelmäki to the city center will start, and Huopalahdentie and Vihdintie will become inner-city city boulevards.

Construction will start in stages on several sites

Construction will begin in stages during May-June. On Monday, 25 May, the works will begin at the Turunväylä junction on Huopalahdentie. In the first construction phase of the area, the work area will be an interface leading from Huopalahdentie to Turunväylä. Both the connection from Turunväylä to Huopalahdentie and the connection from Huopalahdentie to Turunväylä will be transferred to the south side of Turunväylä. The northern interface is not in use when work begins, as it serves as a work area. In the construction site area, excavation and excavation work, renovation of municipal engineering, and construction of a pedestrian and cycling bridge across the Turunväylä road from Tieto alley to Ulvilantie will be carried out.

During week 23, work begins in the Töölö area. The renovation of the street will be started at Taka-Töölö Linnankoskenkatu, in connection with which bicycle paths will be built on both sides of the street. The works include municipal engineering work, mining, excavation work and the construction of surface structures. Linnankoskenkatu is cut off from the drive-through between Nordenskiöldinaukio – Stenbäckinkatu on 1.6.–9.8. The construction of parking arrangements on Messeniuskatu, Päivärinnankatu and Minna Canth street will begin in August 2026.

Construction in Etu-Töölö will begin at the beginning of June on Eteläinen Hesperiankatu, where excavation and pruning will be carried out during the summer to build a new water supply trench. At the same time, works related to parking arrangements will start at the intersection of Ilmarinkatu and Sammonkatu, and Ilmarinkatu will be made one-way between Arkadiankatu and Runeberginkatu. At the beginning of June, the construction of the extension of the Sea Canal will also begin in Taivallahti. At the end of July, municipal engineering work will be transferred from Southern Hesperiankatu to Northern Hesperiankatu.

At week 24, construction begins on Vihdintie between Vihdintie bridge – Haaga circle on the eastern edge of Vihdintie. Work begins with excavation and excavation work, after which it is possible to get under the surface for the renovation of municipal engineering. The electric air line east of Vihdintie is moved underground.

The construction works in the area of the Haaga Circle will begin during June. Work begins with tillage work. In the southern part of the circle, between Huopalahdentie and Vihdintie, work begins in July.

Work continues in the area of the Vihdintie Bridge. Preparatory work began in March 2026. The current bridges crossing the railway line will be dismantled, in the spring of 2026, work on the demolition of the western bridge began. After demolition, the bridge will be rebuilt and after that we will proceed to demolish the eastern side of the bridge. In the end, the bridge will be wider than before and there will be a tramway in the middle of it. In connection with the bridge work, the Valimo train station will also be renovated, and the bridge will provide a stairway and elevator connection to the station.

Works starting later in 2026

At the beginning of September, work will begin on Runeberginkatu, when tram traffic will be transferred to the exceptional route for the street. Municipal engineering work, stacking and excavation are carried out on Runeberginkatu, as well as surface structures and tramways are built.

At the intersection of Vihdintie and Kaupintie, as well as between Vihdintie and Kaupintie, the Kaupintie – Vihdintie bridge will start earthworks at the end of 2026. The first stages of work in these areas are excavation and excavation work, as well as municipal engineering work.

“The West-Helsinki Light Rail project builds a diverse infrastructure for the needs of urban life and mobility in the coming years. In addition to new transport connections, we are renewing the urban space and increasing greenery and comfort in a wide area,”
says Project Director Anton Silvo.

The commissioners of The Infrastrucure Programme Helsinki, which implements the West Railways, are the City of Helsinki, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area City Traffic Ltd and the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority. The alliance partners are YIT Infra Oy, NRC Group Finland Oy, Destia Oy, Sweco Finland Oy, WSP Finland Oy and Sitowise Oy.

* artificial intelligence has been used to translate the bulletin