Ylöjärvi commuter rail stop carries highest preliminary price tag

Preliminary cost estimates for six planned commuter rail stops in the Tampere region range from about two million euros to nearly 13 million, with the highest estimate for a stop in central Ylöjärvi, Yle reports.

The proposed stops are in Messukylä and Epilä in Tampere, Harjuniitty in Nokia, central Ylöjärvi, Sääksjärvi in Lempäälä and Ruutana in Kangasala.

The stops are needed because the Tampere region is planning a significant increase in commuter train services. Operations are expected to begin in the early part of the next decade.

Several options in Ylöjärvi

Ylöjärvi has examined four alternatives for the stop. Their estimated costs range from 6.4 million to 12.6 million euros, according to Mari Ruissalo, the city’s development manager.

The cost depends on whether the stop is built on the Asemantie side or near the Valo education centre, and whether the pedestrian and cycling route crosses the railway by an overpass or an underpass.

The presence of pressurised groundwater in the area would increase costs, Ruissalo said. An underpass would require a structure known as a groundwater basin.

A stop on the education centre side would also require a completely new electrified siding.

The least expensive option is estimated to be a stop on the Asemantie side, at the current raw timber terminal, combined with an underpass.

Overpass raises Messukylä estimate

The second-most expensive planned stop would be in Messukylä, where the preliminary estimate is 5.3 million euros.

Ari Vandell, Tampere’s planning manager, said the cost is driven particularly by a new overpass included in the current plan.

The design and cost estimate for Messukylä will become more precise once planning decisions for the area are clearer.

The preliminary estimate for the stop planned in Epilä is 3.4 million euros. It is intended to be built at the same time as a second track is constructed on the railway section. The cost of the second track is not included in the estimate for the stop.

Tesoma in Tampere received a commuter train stop in 2021. Its estimated cost was about four million euros.

Nokia estimate reaches 5.9 million euros

Two preliminary designs have been prepared for the planned stop in Harjuniitty, Nokia. Depending on the option, the estimated cost is between 4.1 million and 5.9 million euros.

The preliminary estimate for the Ruutana stop in Kangasala is 2.1 million euros.

Preliminary planning for the Sääksjärvi stop in Lempäälä is still under way, so the municipality does not yet have a cost estimate.

Second track planned towards Nokia

Väylävirasto, the state transport agency, has recently begun planning a second track between Lielahti in Tampere and Harjuniitty in Nokia. The plan also includes the stops in Epilä and Harjuniitty.

The Tampere regional government will discuss the planned stops next Wednesday. It is being proposed that track plans for the Epilä and Harjuniitty stops should begin as part of the planning for the second track between Lielahti and Nokia.

The track planning would be allocated 500,000 euros from Väylävirasto, with Tampere and Nokia each contributing 250,000 euros.

The state has pledged to contribute up to four million euros in total by 2028 towards the preliminary planning, track planning and construction of the Tampere region’s stops. The funding was agreed in the land use, housing and transport agreement between the state and the region for 2024 to 2027.

The municipalities are expected to decide jointly at a later stage which of the planned commuter rail stops will be built first. The state will also have a say, as construction costs are intended to be shared equally between Väylävirasto and the municipalities.