Disputes over additional trams for Helsinki
posted on 18th May 2026 19:18
The Finnish capital needs more trams, which is why on 13 October 2022, Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne (loosely translated as Metropolitan Public Transport, hereinafter PK), which operates trams in Helsinki, issued a tender for 63 new vehicles with an option for up to 120 additional vehicles and maintenance for a period of 30 years.
The companies Stadler and Škoda Transtech participated in the tender. On 6 October 2025, PK excluded the latter company as a result of which Stadler was selected as the winner with its offer of Tango Nordic trams. However, the Škoda Group objected to this and stated in a press release on 25 October 2025, that its subsidiary Škoda Transtech had filed a formal complaint with the Finnish Market Court (Marknadsdomstolen) against this decision, which it considers discriminatory, as the two bids were not compared.
In its decision, PK cited three main reasons for excluding Škoda Transtech:
- unreliability of deliveries resulting from delays in previous deliveries,
- unauthorized influence on the tender process,
- failure to meet technical requirements.
In its press release, Škoda Transtech countered that:
- the delays did not meet the legal criteria for exclusion from the tender, and Škoda Transtech had properly rectified them in the past. Unreliability was never mentioned during the negotiation process, which is not in accordance with Finnish public procurement law.
- PK considered, for example, statements made by Škoda Transtech representatives to the media during the tender process - which referred only to publicly known facts - to constitute undue influence.
- During the tender process, Škoda Transtech confirmed that its bid was fully compliant with all mandatory technical requirements of the tender and, at PK’s request, clarified that any discrepancies were either obvious minor errors (typos) or ambiguities arising from the tender documentation. PK did not take this clarification into account.
In a press release, Škoda Transtech suggests from its perspective that PK may have taken deliberate steps aimed at excluding Škoda Transtech from the tender process and at preventing the proper evaluation of the submitted bids. However, Pääkaupunkiseudun Kaupunkiliikenne sees the matter from a different perspective; it perceives as an attempt to influence the tender process, in the words of PK’s Chairman of the Board Eetu Kinnunen, the invitation of PK’s CEO, Juhu Hakavuori, to an informal meeting where “the discussion suggested that if this new contract did not focus on Škoda Transtech, it would not be possible to deliver the trams for Kruunuvuori by the agreed deadline.”
Specifically, the quote refers to the fact that the PK director expected the meeting to focus exclusively on the progress of ongoing tram production under a different contract - namely, the order for 23 ForCity Smart Artic X54 trams intended for the new Kruununvuorensilta (“Crown Bridges”) line running through Kruunuvuori, soon to be the longest and highest bridge in Finland. The new batch follows the previously delivered series of 29 ForCity Smart Artic X54 trams used on Jokeri line.
The PK Board commented on the situation, stating that, from their perspective, there had been an inappropriate deviation from the subject matter of the ongoing tender process, thereby jeopardizing its independent conduct. Following the aforementioned meeting, CEO Hakavuori himself alerted the PK Board to a potential conflict of interest, and PK was therefore forced to remove the director from the selection committee.
This was done to protect him, so that the contracting organization could not be suspected of making decisions based on undue influence. “If Škoda Transtech had won the tender and the attempt to influence the process had come to light, it would have provided strong grounds for filing a complaint against the result.” This demonstrates that PK is extremely vigilant in guarding against any risk of influencing the tender process. Škoda commented that in meantime finall offer was sent to PK.
On 27 March 2026, the Marknadsdomstolen dismissed Škoda Transtech’s complaint on the grounds that its bid did not meet all the tender criteria, and therefore deemed the contracting authority’s rejection of the bid to be justified. Škoda Transtech CEO Juha Vierros expressed regret over the decision and stated: “We intend to seek permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Administrative Court and, at the same time, request a stay of the contract until the matter is resolved in court.”
