NRC/YIT JV wins Finnish light rail contract

The contract to build the Jokeri Light Rail line in Finland has been awarded to the joint venture partnership of NRC Group Finland and YIT.

The railway is set to connect Itäkeskus in the country’s capital, Helsinki, with Keilaniemi in the country’s second-largest city, Espoo.

The build contract is valued at around €220 million, more than half of the project’s total value of €386 million.

The first work phases include the implementation of temporary traffic arrangements, soil cutting and cable and line transfers

Work is set to start on the line in June this year, with completion scheduled for June 2024. The project was given the green light in the face of growing transportation concerns, with some two million residents expected to be living in the greater Helsinki region by 2050.

Harri Tanska, director of public works for the city of Espoo, said, “Jokeri Light Rail is a profitable project for the cities, especially in view of the land-use benefits that the new rail connection offers.

”The light railway will make the areas more attractive for residential and commercial purposes, as well as enable denser urban construction along sustainable transport connections.

”Jokeri Light Rail satisfies the strategic objectives of Helsinki and Espoo regarding networked rail transport and carbon neutrality.”