Light Rail Line 15: Keeping the Finnish capital region’s future on track

With the population in Finland’s capital region expected to grow by over 50% to two million residents by 2050, local authorities are seeking to meet carbon neutrality targets by encouraging travellers to use sustainable transport modes such as cycling, walking, and public transport. A key initiative to achieve this is the new Light Rail Line 15 that was inaugurated in October 2023.

The light rail line replaces the region’s busiest bus route, which had insufficient capacity to increase passenger numbers. The new line is expected to serve around 91,000 passengers on a typical workday by 2030 - more than double the number of passengers carried previously. It will also significantly reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Light Rail Line 15 not only opened 10 months early but also came in close to 10% below budget - a rare feat in an industry often plagued by cost overruns and delays.

Using the alliance model to implement the project has contributed to these successful outcomes. This entailed combining the client organisation formed by the cities of Helsinki and Espoo into a single organisation together with the planners Ramboll, Sitowise, and Sweco as well as the construction companies YIT and NRC Group. The parties in the alliance designed and constructed the track together, sharing the risks and benefits related to the project’s implementation.

Light Rail Line 15 is largely routed through a heavily built-up environment, making the design complex and requiring extensive co-ordination. To solve these challenges, Ramboll brought multidisciplinary expertise to the project including tramway, bridge, geological, water, environmental, and municipal engineering, traffic planning, functionality reviews, as well as the design of the Roihupelto tramway depot.

The Finnish Association of Civil Engineers RIL Award 2023

Association of Project Professionals Finland (Projektiammattilaiset ry) Project of the Year 2023

MANK ry Iso-Tömppä infrastructure sector award 2023

Geotechnical feat of the year by the Finnish Geotechnical Society

Concrete structure of the year by the Construction Industry RT’s Concrete division