traffic and transport

The city of Helsinki would like to reserve Kaivokatu only for public transport and walking. Karoliina Vuorenmäki

The city of Helsinki is proposing significant changes to its core. The purpose would be to improve the walking environment in particular, the release says.

One key change to the current situation would be to reserve Kaivokatu for public transport, walking and lounging. The matter will be outlined during this fall.

Plantings and terraces at the main railway station

The city of Helsinki wants to improve the comfort, vitality and accessibility of the core city. In the transportation system plan for the core city center, the city center is considered as a whole.

The city environment committee brought up the issue at its meeting on September 17, but postponed its consideration until a few weeks later.

According to the proposal, new services, plantings and terraces are wanted around Helsinki’s main railway station.

– After the changes, the surroundings of the railway station would become more clearly part of the pedestrian mall, the release says.

Passing by private cars would be prohibited on Kaivokatu, and it would be possible to drive through the center via Esplanadi. Both North and South Esplanade would have two lanes.

Driving through the core center with a private car would be difficult

Helsinki City Council decided in 2021 that the pedestrian center and the walking center will be expanded ambitiously. The traffic system plan and the supporting environmental plan have been drawn up to promote the goal.

In the planning, special attention has been paid to the fact that the traffic reforms support the vitality of the city center, and that the services in the area would be increasingly accessible by foot and public transport.

The intention is to improve public transport interchanges, especially near the main train station and the Kamppi terminal.

A big reform would also be that all underground parking facilities connected to the service tunnel in the center would be accessible from all entrances in the future. The possibility of this is currently being investigated.

Despite this, the most negative effects of the new traffic arrangements would be on service and freight traffic and those who want to drive through the core center with a car. For these commuters, the changes would be seen as longer travel times.

If the urban environment board approves the transport system plan for the core center for its part, it will go forward during the autumn to be decided by the city government.

The reforms may come into effect mainly in the first half of the 2030s. Before that, the plan is to rehabilitate the poor condition roof of the subway station on Kaivokatu and implement the light rail arrangements planned for the area.