YIT and VR Track to construct Jokeri Light Rail

The board of HKL and the director of the technical sector of the City of Espoo have decided to select the candidate coalition consisting of YIT and VR Track as the construction contractor for the Jokeri Light Rail. The total budget for the project is EUR 275 million.

The construction contractor for the project has been announced. The light railway route will considerably support the growth of the metropolitan area. The contract covers the construction of the light railway route from Itäkeskus in Helsinki to Keilaniemi in Espoo. The contract will be signed by the end of November.

The total budget for the Jokeri Light Rail is EUR 275 million, of which the share of the construction costs, according to the client's estimate, is around EUR 205–225 million. The client may also include options regarding, for example, the construction of a depot in the contract. 

Railway connection to enable growth  

The population of the Helsinki region is expecting strong growth in the future, creating challenges for traffic and the urban structure. The Jokeri Light Rail is the most important of all the cross-city public transport projects and will improve the reliability and comfort of travel. A fast light railway connection enables more compact regional development.

The Jokeri Light Rail is a light railway covering approximately 25 kilometres from Itäkeskus, Helsinki to Keilaniemi, Espoo via Pitäjänmäki and Leppävaara. Designed as a double-track line, the construction work of the light railway is estimated to start in 2019.

Alliance model engages all parties to the project

The project will be implemented using the alliance model. The implementation method, based on a mutual contract between all operators, aims to ensure the benefit of the entire project and the realisation of mutual goals. The model enables an end result that is excellent in terms of quality, finances and schedule. The parties to the project are the client organisation consisting of the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, the design parties selected over the summer (Ramboll, Sito and VR Track) and the now selected coalition of contractors.

"The Jokeri Light Rail is an extremely important project for the entire metropolitan area, and it's inspiring to be involved in enabling sustainable growth in the area. We bring to the alliance solid expertise in the construction of modern light railways, and the project efficiently supports the objective of increasingly expanding our operations to the urban environment," says Jouni Kekäle, Vice President of Construction at VR Track Oy.

"The competence of the various parties to the Alliance creates an excellent framework for a successful project. It's great to join such an important part of urban development in the metropolitan area. People are looking for convenient and comfortable everyday life, which is what an urban environment with excellent traffic connections offers. We are excited to start working towards this goal," says Jarkko Salmenoja, Head of Unit at YIT. 

”We now have an excellent team for the Jokeri Light Rail project. We are looking forward to moving on to the next stage of the project,” says Juha Saarikoski, Project Manager for the Jokeri Light Rail.

Detailed costs and schedule to be determined next year

Next, the project will launch a development stage where the contractor, designer and client plan and develop the contents of the construction project. The costs and schedule of the project will also be specified at this stage. After the development stage that will last approximately one year, the plan is to move on to the implementation stage and construct the light railway. 

Follow the progress of the Jokeri Light Rail project on the project website http://raidejokeri.info

For further information, please contact:
Jarkko Salmenoja, Head of Unit, YIT Construction Ltd, tel. +358 (0)40 356 7057, jarkko.salmenoja@yit.fi
Juha Saarikoski, Project Manager, HKL, tel. +358 (0)9 310 35288, juha.saarikoski@hel.fi
Jouni Kekäle, Vice President, Construction, VR Track Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 862 1802, jouni.kekale@vr.fi
Hanna Malmivaara, Vice President, Communications, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)40 561 6568, hanna.malmivaara@yit.fi

YIT creates a better living environment by developing and constructing housing, business premises, infrastructure and entire areas. Our vision is to bring more life into sustainable cities. We want to focus on caring for customers, visionary urban development, passionate execution and inspiring leadership. Our growth engine is urban development involving partners. Our operating area covers Finland, Russia, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In 2016, our revenue amounted to nearly EUR 1.8 billion, and we employ about 5,300 employees. Our share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.yitgroup.com