beween Helsinki city centre and northern parts of the city
Operator chooses 10 two-axle Citea SLEs and 38 three-axle Citea XLEs
FINLAND From the beginning of January 2013 Veolia Transport Finland has started running its new Helsinki scheduled operation and has put 48 new VDL Citeas into service. They are operating on the routes between the city centre and the northern parts of the city. In June 2012 VDL and Veolia signed the contract for 10 Citea SLEs-129/255 (two-axle) and 38 Citea XLEs-145/310. In 2012 VDL delivered 120 Citeas to Finland, making VDL the market leader in public transport vehicle supply to the country.
“Excellent support from the VDL organisation during the start-up phase has played an important role in the successful launch of our new operations. Based on the customer feedback, passengers are very satisfied with the high comfort level and stylish modern interior of the vehicles,” commented Sami Ojamo, Director Purchasing and Business Development Veolia Transport Finland.
The customer opted for two different length variants. The two-axle Citea SLE-129 is 12.9m long and has 40+4+1 seats. The three-axle Citea XLE-145 is 14.5m in length and has 49+4+1 seats.
The harsh climate conditions in Finland, with temperatures ranging between -30 degrees Celsius and +30 degrees Celsius, and the large distances covered mean the vehicles have to meet a number of stringent requirements. Top-quality service for passengers is also one of Veolia Transport’s focal points. This new VDL fleet will travel 3m km a year carrying over 250,000 passengers.
