However, sometimes cities have decided to close their tramways and remove the rails. The city of Turku, the oldest and today the sixth biggest city in Finland, is one of the cities that has abandoned its trams.
Turku used to have the oldest tramway in the country until it closed entirely in 1972. Despite this, images, memories, and stories of the old yellow trams are still present in the daily life of the city. While images are printed on postcards, tram-stories are told by elders to younger citizens, and, even while they are absent, trams remain one of the symbols of the city. Trams are not only objects of nostalgia but also a hot topic for public debates in Turku. Even though the city is well serviced by buses, many residents still want to bring trams and their rails back to the city streets.
In her geoGraphic novel Lines, cultural geographer Giada Peterle tells some of the mobile stories, memories, and expectations which she collected along the public transport network in Turku, from its past yellow trams to present bus lines and possible new tramways.
Comics Artist and Cultural Geographer at the University of Padova, Italy.
Comics Artist and Cultural Geographer at the University of Padova, Italy.