Kista station was opened on 5 June 1977.
Kista is Sweden's "Silicon Valley," a concentration of high-tech firms like IBM, Ericsson and Oracle. It is also a popular and successful residential area.
(5 August 2001)
A southbound train (toward central Stockholm) departs Kista on one
of the two dramatic viaducts south of the station.
(5 August 2001)
The same train, continuing out onto the viaduct toward
Hallonbergen. This is the longest stretch between two
adjacent stations on the tunnelbana, at 4,341 meters (about
2.7 miles). On this stretch, the train will pass the "ghost"
station Kymlinge, constructed for a planned suburban
development that was never built; the station was never finished
or opened, but the platforms are clearly visible at the mouth of
a tunnel between Kista and Hallonbergen.
(5 August 2001)
A view of the platform signs at the south end of the platform
at Kista. These use the "SL-grotesk" typeface introduced in
1957.
(5 August 2001)
Artwork on the platform at Kista. These painted aluminum
staves continue through the platform, down into the bus
terminal at street level (there's a picture of this further
down the page).
(5 August 2001)
The other side of the aluminum staves.
(5 August 2001)
A long view of the northbound platform face at Kista. All the
stations on Tub3 were built to take ten-car trains, because it
was anticipated that the northwestern suburbs would be so
heavily populated that ten-car trains would be required to meet
demand. This has not been the case, partly because of high
unemployment in the northwestern sector, and ten-car trains have
never been run in regular service. (In fact, not until the
timetable changeover on 13 August 2001 did line 11
start getting eight-car trains in the peak. Peak-hour trains on line
10 are still only six cars long.)
Note that the length of the platforms also precludes the use of four-car trains of new C20 stock. Each C20 car is equivalent in length to 2 2/3 Cx (older) cars, so a four-car C20 train is almost as long as eleven of the older cars.
(5 August 2001)
A northbound train (for Akalla) approaching Kista on the viaduct
south of the station.
(5 August 2001)
The same northbound train nears the station at Kista.
(5 August 2001)
A view of the bus terminal at street level, under the Kista
"underground" station, which of course is actually elevated.