Consortium between Pöyry, VR Track and YIT selected to implement the light rail project in Tampere, Finland

The City of Tampere has awarded Tralli, a consortium comprising of Pöyry, VR Track and YIT, to carry out the light rail project in Tampere, Finland. The project is to be carried out employing the alliance model, whereby the client, engineers and contractors work jointly in the execution.

The light rail system will be constructed in the busiest part of the Tampere public transport system, from the city centre to Sampola. In Sampola, the line will fork in two, with one line leading to the University of Tampere and the other to the Hervanta area. The 23.5 kilometre line covered by the project will contain 23 to 25 stops. The cost estimate for the project is approximately EUR 250 million.

The development phase of the project will begin in July 2015. Pöyry and VR Track will be jointly responsible for all engineering both in the development phase and the implementation. After the development phase, separate decisions will be made on the start of the implementation phase during which VR Track and YIT will be in charge of the construction. If the implementation will be started, the light rail system is to be completed in two parts, in 2019 and 2023.

The combined strength of Pöyry, VR Track and YIT is based on their extensive experience in various challenging transportation projects. In this project, the core of the approach consists of infrastructure modelling in which all three companies have solid experience.

“In an alliance project, all parties have a vested interest in ensuring the success of the project. Pöyry is fully committed to providing the project with its best infrastructure engineering expertise,” states Mikko Inkala, President of Pöyry’s Infrastructure Design Unit.

“The light rail system is one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Finland, providing a great opportunity for the entire consortium. All parties involved have prior experience in working with the alliance model, so we have good conditions for building a successful project,” states Harri Lukkarinen, Vice President of Construction at VR Track Oy.

“The expertise areas of the parties in the alliance support each other, which creates an excellent framework for implementing the project successfully and in tight co-operation with stakeholder groups. The light rail project is exciting and very significant for YIT, and it supports our objective of participating intensely in the development of new operating models for the field of infrastructure, while also allowing us to play a part in developing and building the Tampere region,” says Jarkko Salmenoja, Vice President at YIT.

The value of the order is undisclosed. The order will be recognised within the Regional Operations order stock in Q3/2015.

The purchase decision issued by the City of Tampere on June 22 will enter into force after the appeal period closes three weeks after the date of the decision. The contract for the development phase will be signed after that.

Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company. We serve clients globally across the energy and industrial sectors and provide local services in our core markets. We deliver management consulting and engineering services, underpinned by strong project implementation capability and expertise. Our focus sectors are power generation, transmission & distribution, forest industry, chemicals & biorefining, mining & metals, transportation and water. Pöyry has an extensive local office network employing about 6,000 experts. Pöyry’s net sales in 2014 were EUR 571 million and the company’s shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki (Pöyry PLC: POY1V).