Tampere Tram Duo Heads to European Championship in Warsaw

A press release from Tampereen Raitiotie published via ePressi says Tampere will send a tram team to the European Tram Drivers Championship in central Warsaw on Saturday 19 September. Drivers Hilda Polamo and Marek Hilvo will be joined by coach Hanna Hurri.

They were chosen after spring trials at Tampereen Raitiotie’s depot, where rules require one man and one woman on each team. "Hilda and Marek produced convincing performances in the trials, and it's great to represent Tampere in Warsaw with them," Hurri said. Both drivers work for VR, which operates Tampere’s tram services.

The trip has a personal angle: Marek was born in Poland, so familiarity with Warsaw could prove useful. Still, the contest rewards precise vehicle handling, concentration and speed control rather than raw speed.

Organisers stage the event in Warsaw city centre on 19 September alongside an open public event. The course includes familiar challenges such as tram bowling, a perfect stop, speed management and precision braking. A new basketball task has been added, and teams received the list of specific events only about a week before the contest.

The championship began in 2012 and this year draws 26 European teams plus a visiting crew from Melbourne, with reigning champion Budapest and host Warsaw among the entrants. "This is Tampere’s third appearance, which shows we’ve earned our place among European tram cities," said Tampereen Raitiotie’s traffic manager Antti Haukka. It follows a 20th-place finish in Prague last year. Haukka said local drivers regularly receive praise from passengers and he is eager to see their skills on the international stage.