YIT joins Tampere light rail maintenance alliance

YIT Corporation Press release February 12, 2019 at 3.30 p.m. 

Picture: Tampere light rail
Picture: Tampere light rail

YIT Finland Ltd, NRC Finland Oy and Tampereen Raitiotie Oy signed the Tampere light rail maintenance alliance contract on February 12, 2019. It is a case of a construction alliance contract option.

The contract period of the maintenance alliance contract is from February 12, 2019, to May 31, 2029. The period is divided into a development stage that terminates at the end of May 2022 and subsequent, separately ordered, two-year maintenance periods.

“We are glad to be able to continue our collaboration with familiar service providers and implement this unique light rail maintenance alliance contract,” says Pekka Sirviö, CEO, Tampereen Raitiotie Oy.

The target budget of the contract is approximately MEUR 21.8, of which the share of the development stage is approximately MEUR 4.6. The contract is split 50/50 between NRC Finland Oy and YIT Finland Ltd.

The task of the alliance is to ensure maintenance during the construction of section 1 (city centre–Hervanta–Tays Central Hospital) of the light rail, the commercial test traffic stage and once operations have started in 2021. If a decision is made to build section 2, it will be added to the framework of the contract subject to the same principles. The contract includes e.g. the winter maintenance of the light rail, the maintenance of power supply stations and the depot yard area as well as maintenance on-call duty.

Sustainable urban development in cooperation 

Light rail maintenance supports YIT’s strategy as an urban developer. Rail construction and energy-efficient public transport promote the sustainable growth of cities. The alliance model supports flexible adaptation to changes during the project.

“The light rail maintenance alliance contract is one of a kind in Finland. We cherish the opportunity to act as trailblazers. The procurement period is also long, that is to say, it holds up well over economic cycles,” says Antti Korhonen, Vice President, YIT.

According to the core idea of the alliance model, in addition to their targets, the parties agree to share risks and profits through collaboration. The ongoing monitoring of the effects of the operations, the customer-focused development of service provision and the open sharing of information between all parties are essential.

 “Cooperation has worked a treat in the Tampere light rail alliance, and the implementation of the project has progressed according to plan. The new contract is a great continuation of our cooperation,” adds Korhonen.

In 2019, the maintenance alliance will ensure the maintenance of the structures already handed over to the customer and run winter maintenance tests, such as the ploughing of mixed traffic lanes and stops. When the first tram arrives in 2020, the maintenance operations will be expanded because the tram and infrastructure test runs will begin on the completed rail sections.

“This contract is a superb extension of the alliance contract covering the design and construction services that enables us to expand our services to all areas of the life-cycle of the light rail infrastructure. In addition, this contract will provide us with an excellent reference point for similar projects in other Nordic countries,” explains Jouni Kekäle, Vice President, Construction, NRC Finland Oy. 

For further information, please contact: 
Antti Korhonen, Vice President, YIT Finland Ltd, tel. +358 40 5298306, antti.korhonen@yit.fi  
Hanna Malmivaara, Vice President, Communications, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 40 561 6568, hanna.malmivaara@yit.fi

YIT is the largest Finnish and significant North European construction company. We develop and build apartments and living services, business premises and entire areas. We are also specialised in demanding infrastructure construction and paving. Together with our customers, our almost 10,000 professionals are creating more functional, more attractive and more sustainable cities and environments. We work in 11 countries: Finland, Russia, Scandinavia, the Baltic Countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. The new YIT was born when over 100-year-old YIT Corporation and Lemminkäinen Corporation merged on February 1, 2018. Our pro forma revenue for 2018 was approximately EUR 3.8 billion. YIT Corporation's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. www.yitgroup.com