Finland awards €250m light rail contract

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Finland awards €250m light rail contract

The city of Tampere in Finland has appointed a consortium of Poyry, VR Track and YIT to develop and build a €250m light rail project.

The Tralli consortium will implement the new line under an alliance model, whereby the client, engineers and contractors will 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 23.5km line will contain 23 to 25 stops.

The development phase will begin next month. Pöyry and VR Track will be jointly responsible for all engineering both in the development phase and the implementation. After the development phase, decisions will be made on the start of the implementation phase during which VR Track and YIT will be in charge of the construction.

The aim is for the light rail system to be completed in two parts, in 2019 and 2023.

“In an alliance project, all parties have a vested interest in ensuring the success of the project,” said Mikko Inkala, president of Pöyry’s infrastructure design unit. “Pöyry is fully committed to providing the project with its best infrastructure engineering expertise.”

VR Track vice president of construction Harri Lukkarinen added: “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.”

Source and Link: Construction Index

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Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

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