Public transport street between Suurpelto and Kuurinniitty to open in January
The new Salinpellontie public transport street between Suurpelto and Kuurinnitty will improve public transport links, for example, between Tapiola and Espoon keskus. The new public transport street will open for buses, pedestrians, and cyclists on Monday, 10 January 2022.
Bus route 118, which currently runs through Turunväylä, will start running along the new public transport street. Travel time remains roughly the same, but route punctuality is improved. The dispersion of travel times has been significant in the section between Kehä II and Turunväylä, where buses are sometimes delayed in traffic jams. With improved punctuality, also connectivity improves.
The section permitted only for public transport and light traffic extends from Tinametsä street in Kuurinniitty to Väli-Henttaan tie.
Route 118 service frequency will be increased to provide a robust crosstown transport link in Espoo. The new route passes through Tapiola and Niittykumpu metro stations to Suurpelto and further to Kuurinniitty and Suvela, ending in the Espoon keskus.
Route 118B, which operated between Tapiola and Suurpelto, will be terminated, as will also route 224 to Kuurinniitty. The service will be replaced by a more frequent route 118.
There are already two street sections in Espoo where car traffic is prohibited. One is Lehtikaskentie in Latokaski, and the other one is Markkinakatu in Matinkylä, next to the Iso Omena shopping centre. Part of the Markkinakatu is limited to bus terminal traffic. In addition, the connection from Länsiväylä to Markkinakatu is only allowed for buses.
Additional route changes to take effect at the beginning of the year
Other route changes will also take effect at the beginning of the year. The service frequency between route 213 serving Espoon keskus and Kauklahti will increase, but the service stops at 19:00 on weekdays. Route 213N will end in Espoon keskus.
Routes 118 and 213N, which operated between Espoon keskus and Kauklahti, will be replaced with a new route 242 running on weekday mornings and evenings as well as on weekends. The route is Espoon keskus - Muurala - Kauklahti - Bassenkylä. A new bus route 166K runs from Bassenkylä via Kauklahti station and Lasihytti to Lasilaakso from Monday to Friday 6:00–8:30 and 15:00–18:00. The new routes are welcomed services for the residents of the growing Bassenkylä.
New routes and timetables are shown in the HSL Journey Planner(external link, opens in a new window).
- Urban development