Driver training for Tampere's 47.2-metre Valma tram begins Monday
Driver training for Tampere’s extended tram Valma will begin Monday 14 September after type testing finished; training runs will be carried out mainly during daytime and the vehicle will not carry passengers during the tests.
Tampereen Raitiotie Oy says driver training runs for the city’s first extended tram, Valma, will begin on Monday 14 September after completion of type testing. The move follows the tram's June unveiling as the 47.2-metre Valma, which made it the longest tram in the Nordic countries.
Type testing has been carried out since late June, largely at night to avoid disrupting passenger services. Tests included high-speed runs, trials through curves, climbs and dips, towing tests, timing runs to match scheduled travel times, electrical-traction load tests and checks of multiple onboard technical systems.
According to Tamperelainen, extensive summer tests confirmed Valma’s compatibility with Tampere’s tramway and its safe operation.
Training is due to start after Tampere’s planners increased the tram’s length by roughly ten metres, with capacity rising from 264 to 345. "The type tests have gone according to plan. Valma has now been proven operable and safe so that driver training can begin. Training runs will take place mainly during daytime so drivers get as realistic a training situation among day traffic," said Mika Luutikivi, fleet manager at Tampereen Raitiotie Oy.
Runs will be primarily Monday to Thursday between 04:00 and 22:00 for about seven weeks. The tram will stop at every stop during training but will carry no passengers yet, meaning members of the public will not be allowed on board until all safety requirements are approved and drivers are fully trained. During the type tests the tram was loaded with sandbags to simulate a full passenger load.
Once the extended-module prototype is fully validated, Škoda Transtech will build 11 additional modules to attach to existing vehicles at the tram depot. Deliveries of those modules will start at the end of this year and continue through summer 2028. Tampereen Raitiotie Oy has also ordered seven new long trams, the first due in early summer 2027. City planners, Tamperelainen adds, aim for passenger service to begin by the end of the year.
The city aims for a fleet of 19 extended ForCity Smart Artic X45 trams and 16 shorter ForCity Smart Artic X34 trams when the Pirkkala–Linnainmaa line opens in August 2028.
Earlier coverage
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