Scheduled to begin at the end of 2015, the west metro will run as an automatic metro right from the beginning. The Helsinki Metro will go automatic even before the completion of the west metro.
To modernise the Helsinki Metro, HKL (Helsinki City Transport) will move to an automatic control system. Replacement of switchover monitors for traffic control and safety and their operation control systems, due in any case for reasons of age, will be carried out at the same time. Some current equipment dates from the 1970s and is difficult to maintain, partly due to the scarcity of replacement parts.
With the new system, trains will run on automatic control, without a driver. Traffic controllers will monitor metro traffic from a control room and direct the operation of the system.
The automatic system will be supplied by Siemens, which brings to the project its experience from a number of similar projects around the world. According to current plans the Helsinki Metro will run on automatic control from the beginning of 2014.
Safety will improve
The automatic system will further increase the safety of the metro, which is already very safe. Among other changes, a continuous passage control, with uninterrupted control of functions such as the proper situational speed of a train, will replace the present point-to-point passage control.
The new system will eliminate the possibility of human error and also respond to many exceptional situations faster than through human intervention.
The automatic metro will also bring other safety improvements. Staff presence among passengers will be increased at stations as well as on trains and, besides the metro tunnel, metro trains will also be equipped with fire detectors.
All metro cars will have recording surveillance cameras with real-time picture viewing from the control room. Platform screen doors will be installed to improve safety at stations.
All critical functions in the automatic metro will be designed as fail-safe. This means that the passage of a train requires a trouble-free functioning of the system; otherwise the train will be stopped and the situation cleared.
Increased frequency will improve service
The automatic system will make train traffic safer and faster, with increased frequency. At first, the shortest interval between trains will be 2.5 minutes, though technically it will be possible to run trains as frequently as at 90-second intervals.
For passengers, increased frequency will mean shorter waiting times and, consequently, faster travel. The level of service will be improved, especially for the Mellunmäki and Vuosaari branches, which will have a train every 5 minutes.
More frequent runs will also allow for the use of shorter trains. This, again, will benefit the construction of the new metro line because new stations can be built correspondingly shorter.
For more information on the automatic metro see the HKL website.