Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2018 | Page 30

T
he stations along the 14-kilometre
metro line are located in Lauttasaari
and Koivusaari on the Helsinki side,
and in Keilaniemi, Aalto University, ­Tapiola,
Urheilupuisto, Niittykumpu and Matinkylä
in Espoo.
Originally scheduled to start opera-
tions in August 2016, the metro project ran
into problems as the compatibility of the
various metro systems became an issue. It
turned out that the finetuning of the massive
project was more difficult than the builder
organisation, Espoo-owned Länsimetro Oy,
had expected. With only a dozen p ­ eople on
the payroll, Länsimetro was also woefully
understaffed and had to rely on subcontrac-
tors in too many things.
Making Money
However, even if the delay of the metro
became somewhat of a punchline in Fin-
land, there’s no denying it’s impact. Already
it is clear that a powerful investment wave
has hit Espoo, largely due to the better con-
nectivity guaranteed by metro.
Lauttasaari
Koivusaari
30 Nordicum