Jokeri Light Rail set to finish ahead of schedule

Construction phase of Jokeri Light Rail is estimated to finish ahead of schedule next year with traffic set to start earlier than planned in 2024. Once construction is finished, the infrastructure will be thoroughly tested.

Jokeri Light Rail construction has lasted for about two years and the Espoo side of the project will be completed this year. In 2022 finishing touches will be conducted in Espoo and construction work in Helsinki will continue in Patterimäki tunnel, Eliel Saarisen road, Viikinkaari and Varikkoroad.

Patterimäki tunnel – Photo: Jokeri Light Rail

Both end stops in Keilaniemi and Itäkeskus are to be finished in 2022 as well.

Construction has been boosted in part by the Covid-19 pandemic. Less traffic has enabled construction to move faster than expected in Espoo’s Otaniemi and Leppävaara.

Faster construction has in part made it easier to stay in budget says Project Manager Juha Saarikoski on Helsingin Sanomat (18.5.2021, in Finnish). Faster completion also brings a lot of cost savings says Saarikoski.

According to Saarikoski staying within budget and schedule is important when it comes to the reputation of large infra rail projects.

“This is a big deal for both us and any future railway projects. I’ve considered it very important to take this as a positive example. Big infrastructure projects occasionally get a bad reputation in Finland.”

Check out the original article in Finnish here.

Infrakit is used in the project as a flexible collaboration tool for all parties.

Tomi Mäkelä from YIT, acting as Head Surveyor in the Jokeri Light Rail project, is an Infrakit main user. Mäkelä sees plenty of benefits in using Infrakit in this model-based project. “We use a lot of photos in construction. Supervisors, employees and excavator operators upload a steady stream of photos on construction progress into Infrakit. We currently have more than 10,000 photos of the project. This is a big number, which is getting bigger all the time. We create folders for the photos. It’s also been made as easy as possible to add photos to folders.”

Infrakit’s map view of Oulunkylä. Photo: Jokeri Light Rail

Infrakit also makes cooperation easier within the alliance. “HSY can view photographs and completed pipeline networks through Infrakit. Photos provide valuable information on how construction is progressing. Infrakit’s orthophotos have been praised, as they provide an up-to-date situational image,” says Mäkelä. “During the implementation stage, supervisors can also view the photos and situational images in Infrakit on site, on their tablets.”

Orthophotos in Infrakit powered by Pointscene
Check out our case study about this project here.
Read about Infrakit’s benefits for all parties involved in infra construction here.

Tampere Tramway is being completed ahead of schedule with savings up to 30 million euros

This is a rare sight in bigger construction projects, but it has happened in Tampere. The first phase of the project will be completed ahead of schedule this summer with savings of approximately 30 million euros.

Traffic in the Hatanpää area will start in August earlier than planned. Originally this part of the project was supposed to be completed by the end of this year.

According to Sari Valjus, the project manager of the Tramway Alliance on their press release (in finnish) they will stay about 30 million euros under the target budget. (YLE 16.4.2021.)

Check out the original article in finnish here.

Infrakit was used in the project as a handover tool, meaning that all the handover material of the project is compiled on the platform and delivered to the client. As the material is transferred, they go through the sites to be handed over, related documents etc. in Infrakit with the client. Infrakit is also the tool for Development phase 2, which means that initial data for planning, alternatives for track lines etc. are collected there and can be viewed on a mobile phone during field visits.

Check out our reference article about the project here.

Digital Infra Construction Webinar program published

Digital Infra Construction Webinar

15.4.2021, 9:00–12:00 CET

It is said that the construction industry will evolve more over the next 5 years than it has over the last 50. But what do the next 50 years look like? How will projects be delivered? Where will the demand come from? What will drive the change?

In this free to attend webinar, we will discuss the future of the infra construction industry in the form of customer stories and expert speeches. Register here.

Program (CET):

9.00 – 9.15
Opening words / Teemu Kivimäki, CEO, Infrakit

9.15 – 9.45
Railway construction sites with Infrakit / Katja Krag, BIM Reality Capture, Sersa Group AG (Switzerland)

9.45 – 10.15
The measure of all things / Ronald de Ronde, Sales Manager, Leica

– 15 minute break –

10.30 – 11.00
Infrakit Services / Ilkka Tieaho, VP of Services, Infrakit

11.00 – 11.30
The construction of E263 Tallinn – Tartu four-lane motorway (km 68,0 – 85,0) with Infrakit/
Tõnis Vään, 3D Business Area Manager, GRK Infra AS, Estonia

11.30- 12.00
Infrakit Roadmap 2021 and beyond / Visa Hokkanen, VP of Product, Infrakit

Register here!

Samu Karlsson joins Infrakit as a BIM Manager

Hello everybody! My name is Samu, and I have worked as a BIM manager in the Services team since the start of February. I have a Master of Science degree in Geoengineering from Aalto University. The focus of my studies consisted of rock and foundation engineering with additional geology and geophysics studies on the side.

I have an extensive soon 25-year history of working in both civil and mechanical engineering industry. While living in the USA for 8 years, I worked for Metso Minerals at the North American headquarters. I supervised a team of engineers responsible for the design, parametric 3D-models and manufacturing drawings of crushers, screens and conveyors for quarries. I provided both internal as well as international training for implementation of advanced modelling techniques and oversaw development of new methods for producing quality deliverables.

After returning to Finland, I worked nearly 9 years at A-Insinöörit in a department specializing in tunnels and underground structures. In my position my expertise was managing BIM development and organizing team and project support related to design and modeling issues. I am a well-versed user of several software packages. In addition, my duties included writing of manuals, offering hands-on training and refining information management processes.

In my free time my wife and I enjoy exploring the world and spending time outdoors. I enjoy travelling, hiking, photography and music in various forms. I recently rediscovered and reignited my passion for playing guitar.

At Infrakit my duties include product and process development, customer support, improving data transfer between design applications and involvement in international operations. I am immensely excited to work with a team of seasoned experts with a passionate drive! I am convinced that we have a platform and provide services that enable collaboration between infra professionals in a way that will ultimately reform the landscape of infra construction – worldwide.

Olli Planting joins Infrakit as a Development Manager

Hi there, I’m Olli. I joined Team Infrakit about a month ago as a Development Manager. I have a bachelor’s degree on Civil Engineering from Oulu University of Applied Sciences. I’m originally from Sodankylä which is a small town in northern Finland. Now I live in Oulu, but my heart is in Lapland where I enjoy spending time at our cabin in the middle-of-nowhere. I love fishing and spending time in the nature. I also enjoy cooking, cycling, yoga and badminton.

Before Infrakit I worked for almost nine years at Destia Ltd. in the infra sector. My career at Destia included working as a land surveyor, road designer, leading infra designer and BIM coordinator. The last three years I also worked as a development manager in the design team. As a development manager I led design processes and software development and my own development team. Now at Infrakit my specialty is collaboration, development and quality assurance in infrastructure design and construction projects.

Infrakit is very familiar to me since I started to develop it from a designers’ point of view in 2013 at Destia. I’ve worked closely with Infrakit specialists for over eight years so jumping into the team was easy to me. I look forward to pushing the limits of infrastructure sector’s effectiveness and quality as a member of Team Infrakit.