New order of 15 Citeas for Finnish public transport company Pohjolan Liikenne
Finnish bus company Pohjolan Liikenne has placed a new order with VDL Bus & Coach.
This order also includes electric Citeas for the first time. The order consists of 5 Citeas
SLE-129 Electric and 10 Citeas LLE-127 Diesel. Since 2013, VDL Bus & Coach has delivered
142 vehicles to Pohjolan Liikenne. The buses will be used for public transport authority HSL
(Helsinki Region Transport) on various lines. The Citeas SLE-129 Electric will operate from
December 2019 in the suburbs of Espoo and the Citeas LLE-127 from August 2019 in the
regional traffic in Helsinki.
Citea SLE-129 Electric
The Citea Low Entry Electric range was expanded in the autumn of 2018 with the 12.9-metre. The
Citea SLE-129 Electric for Pohjolan Liikenne, with a seating configuration of 40+4+1 and a
spacious passenger capacity of approximately 80 passengers, is very suitable for the Finnish
market. The Citeas SLE-129 Electric for Pohjolan Liikenne are equipped with the new 216 kWh
battery pack. They have once again chosen the 1-2-1 door configuration that simplifies boarding
and alighting and ensures optimal passenger flow.
During the day the buses are quickly topped up with a power of 300 kW via a roof-mounted
pantograph at Leppävaara terminal where HSL will build a new charging infrastructure. At night the
vehicles are also slow-charged via the CCS plug and preheated at the Pohjolan Liikenne depot.
Citea LLE-127
The Citea LLE-127 Diesel, with a length of 12.7 metres, is the longest Citea LLE version. The
extended wheelbase provides 4 more seats than the 12-metre version. The Citea LLE-127 for
Pohjolan Liikenne features a 39+4+1 seat layout. Compared to similar buses with the same
number of seats, the Citea LLE-127 also benefits from the advantages of its low total weight: less
fuel consumption, lower emissions of harmful substances and lower maintenance costs, this
results in a lower Total Cost of Ownership. The low fuel consumption and resulting lower emissions
of harmful substances not only make the Citea LLE-127 an asset to Pohjolan Liikenne but also to
the residents of Espoo and Helsinki.
The Citeas SLE-129 Electric and Citeas LLE-127 have special underfilm corrosion protection on all
the floor elements and the lightweight and moisture-resistant XPS sidewall insulation material.
Pohjolan Liikenne chose this because the bus interiors are cleaned with a pressure washer. This
minimizes moisture ingress and extends the service life of the interior.
You can read more about VDL Bus & Coach.
