GRK Rail Oy has signed a subcontract with the main contractor Skanska for the design and construction of the track systems in Ruskeasuo, Helsinki. The new combined tram and bus depot will be built on the site of the existing bus depot in Ruskeasuo. The project is in two phases, of which the development phase has now started. In the first phase, GRK Rail will employ 3–5 railway engineering designers. The aim of the development phase is to improve the existing design by going through the development ideas that stood out in the winning bid.
The Ruskeasuo tram depot project includes a tram storage facility for about 100 trams, maintenance, social and technical facilities, staff parking, bus wash buildings, a civil defence shelter and noise barriers. A bus depot for about 200 buses will be located on the roof level of the depot building. Once completed, the Ruskeasuo depot will be the main depot for Helsinki’s rail services, alongside the soon-to-be-renovated Koskela depot.
GRK Rail’s contract is worth around EUR 15 million, including the design and construction of the development phase of the track systems. The price of the contract will be specified after the development phase and once the designs have been finalised. Construction work for GRK Rail will start in autumn 2022. Other construction work at the depot is due to start at the end of this year. The project is due to be completed in late autumn 2023. The final customer is HKL’s subsidiary Ruskeasuo Varikkokiinteistö Oy.
In the picture, the new depot is on the left, with a bus depot on the roof level and a tram depot below. Picture: HKL