Metro makes Espoonlahti a public transport hub
Construction in the surroundings of Espoo’s new metro stations will continue even after the metro starts operating to Kivenlahti on 3 December 2022. The West Metro extension will bring five new metro stations to Espoo: Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti. In this series of stories, we present the surroundings of each station.
The metro will intensify the urban structure of Espoonlahti. Several residential apartment projects have been launched and will be launched in the coming years in the area.
Eight apartment blocks will be built in the immediate vicinity of Lippulaiva shopping centre, providing 450–500 apartments. They will be completed in phases between 2022 and 2024.
Demolition work on the Pikkulaiva shopping centre will be completed by the end of September. It is planned that the area will house around 2,000 people, and construction is due to start in spring 2023. The tallest buildings on the block will rise to 20 storeys.
Pikkulaiva was built as a temporary shopping centre to serve residents during the construction of Lippulaiva. It was built to be recycled and the building will continue to be used for other purposes in Espoonlahti.
Metro station to be accessed from the shopping centre
Both entrances to Espoonlahti metro station are located in the Lippulaiva shopping centre, which opened at the end of March. The station also has a bus terminal serving the Espoonlahti metro feeder service. The centre will thus act as a transport hub for the entire Greater Espoonlahti area.
When Metro services start, there will be 250 spaces for cars and more than 760 for bicycles.
Lippulaiva, built by Citycon, is twice the size of its predecessor, which was demolished in 2017. The shopping centre offers a comprehensive range of commercial services, including the Espoo-info helpdesk and Lippulaiva Library.
The new local library in Espoonlahti has been designed together with the residents and also offers space for leisure and work. Recycled furniture, whose former home may have been a nightclub in Espoonlahti or Soukka Library, gives the new library a personal touch. The interior has been designed according to the principles of sustainable development.
At the same time as Lippulaiva was being built, so were Espoonlahdentori and Solmutori, which are new squares for the use of non-motorised traffic.
On Espoonlahti station platform, passengers can enjoy Hans Rosenström's light and sound artwork ‘Varjot veden pinnalla’ (shadows on the water). Lights are projected onto the dark blue ceiling of the station, while a meditative soundscape plays through the speakers at irregular intervals. Read more about station art at Espoonlahti on the West Metro website.(external link)
Read the other articles in the series:
Finnoo becomes an urban and maritime residential area along the metro line
The metro brings a strip of the city to Kaitaa
Soukka’s look was updated on the eve of the start of metro traffic
- Urban development