Year: 2016

The total expenses of West Metro amount to EUR 1,186 million – the MD is replaced

21.11.2016

The forecast of the total expenditure of the West Metro projects amounts to EUR 1,186 million. Länsimetro Oy will need an increase of a total of EUR 104 million for the loan guarantee, to be granted by the City of Espoo and the City of Helsinki. Furthermore, the Board of Länsimetro Oy today appointed civil engineer Ville Saksi the new Managing Director of the company.

The cost of construction will rise from EUR 1,088 million to EUR 1,154 million. The indexed budget for construction work under the project, taking the entire scope of the project plan (2008) into account, amounts to EUR 849 million (with the project plan covering EUR 714 million, to which an index increase of EUR 135 million must be added). The forecast was raised by an increase in the number of units and the fact that the construction took longer than anticipated and by other similar factors. Furthermore, the new forecast takes account of various needs, including the need of spare parts and the facility services, which must be in place before traffic is initiated. Building contracts under the project have been implemented in a form know as the unit price contract between 2013 and 2016. Changes to the scope of construction, due to, for example, official regulations, led to an increase in the number of units under construction contracts. The sum of the final cost will be available only after the construction is complete.

Central to the cost increase under the project plan have been contracts that turned out to be more difficult than expected, changes to construction regulations, and an increase in space requirements, including technical facilities, smoke extraction and the requirements for accessibility at the both entrances of the stations.

The total cost of the project amounts to EUR 1,186 million. The total cost includes a contingency amounting to EUR 32 million. The government subsidy is EUR 249 million.

In connection with the West Metro project, the Niittykumpu station, the Matinkylä terminal and the western entrance to the Matinkylä station will also be constructed, in accordance with a separate decision made by the Espoo City Council. The cost forecast for this amounts to EUR 80 million.

As the estimated cost keeps going up, the project management needs to apply for an additional guarantee both from the City of Espoo and the City of Helsinki. The need for additional funding will be brought before the councils of both cities. Additional funding seeks to take account of all possible expenses in order to ensure that construction can be completed before traffic is initiated.

On 14 November, the Board of Länsimetro Oy decided that civil engineer Ville Saksi be appointed the new MD of the company. He will immediately begin in his new post. Previously, Ville Saksi was the MD of VR Track Oy.

The schedule for the opening of West Metro to traffic will be finished as soon as the joint testing of three stations is completed by the turn of November and December. The joint testing of the Aalto University station has been completed.  The joint testing of the Tapiola and Keilaniemi is about to start. After this, joint testing will continue at the Koivusaari, Lauttasaari, Urheilupuisto, Niittykumpu and Matinkylä stations.

Stabilisation work begins at the Riilahti shaft

14.11.2016

Stabilisation work at the Riilahti shaft will begin in week 46. Stabilisation involves the installation of 125 concrete pillars in order to prevent any land subsidence. Pillar stabilisation will take approximately 5 weeks. After this, the installation of drilled piles will begin at the shaft at the beginning of 2017, in week 2. The estimated duration of drilled pile installation is 7 weeks. According to a preliminary estimate, shaft excavation will begin in September 2017. This will be carried out by drilling above the ground. The actual entrance shaft will be excavated from underneath in the tunnel. Signals will be sounded to warn about any excavation. Work in the area will continue into the latter part of 2017.

The working hours for all phases of superstructure construction are Monday to Friday, 7.00 to 18.00.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the work.

Further information:
Site Manager in charge of shaft, John Uusipuro, SRV Infra Oy, tel. +358 440 330 658
Worksite hotline SRV Infra Oy, tel. +358 40 183 0090
Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00), tel. +358 50 377 3700

Date of start of traffic to be confirmed after three stations tests completed

4.11.2016

The joint test run testing of the Aalto University station has ended. The fire tests were run again to ensure the systems function together. It will be possible to estimate when metro traffic will start after joint test runs of three stations have been conducted.

The purpose of the joint test runs is to test the different systems, such as building technology, safety automation, power supply monitoring, physical access control, fire-extinguishing systems, reserve power and smoke ventilation, in various emergencies and their restoration to normal after an emergency. The joint test runs will be conducted at every eighth station and on the rail line.

The final joint test runs at the Aalto University station were acceptably completed last week. A short and long power cut, fire on the platform and on the line, and preparedness for flooding were tested at the Aalto University station.

“The first joint test run has now been successfully completed. The experiences at the Aalto University station will be utilised at the other stations. This week, the operation of individual systems will be ensured before the joint test run at the Tapiola and Keilaniemi stations,” says Matti Kokkinen, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

The joint test run will include the suppliers of various systems, contractors, Helsinki City Transport (HKL) and the emergency services, if necessary. The situation will be monitored on site and from Helsinki City Transport’s metro control room in Herttoniemi, where the metro’s operations and traffic are overseen. At the same time, it will be possible to conduct joint test runs at two stations.

“The testing phase will take longer than expected, but it is necessary for starting traffic. The date of starting traffic will become clearer after joint test runs of three stations,” says Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy.

The Rescue Departments of Espoo and Helsinki will approve the security systems on the basis of the test results. After this, the building authorities of Helsinki and Espoo will be free to approve the use of the stations and rail tunnels. Helsinki City Transport (HKL) will ensure that the track engineering security systems are working properly. Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) will decide when passenger traffic begins and when feeder bus lines start operating.

Further information:

Länsimetro Oy, CEO Matti Kokkinen, tel. +358 (0)50 347 1558

Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)50 593 3359

Länsimetro preparing for joint test runs of stations

2.11.2016

Construction of stations is almost complete. Joint test runs of stations will begin at the Aalto University Station in early September. Preliminary tests have been conducted at the station in advance to ensure the preconditions for the joint test runs. Tests by contractors and the client’s operational tests will continue at other stations.

The last phase will be a joint test run. The joint test run will ensure that the metro is safe to use and that all systems function together. In addition the station tested, the joint test run will test the functioning of adjacent stations and the metro line as a whole. System operations will be trialled using several emergency drills. Particular attention will be paid to restoring systems to normal after incidents. Testing will take several days. The joint test run will include the suppliers of various systems, contractors and the emergency services if necessary. The situation will be monitored on site and in the Herttoniemi metro control room, where the metro’s operations and traffic are overseen.

The opening schedule for the metro will be specified in October after sufficient tests have been performed. The Helsinki and Espoo City Rescue Departments will approve the security systems, based on the test results. After this, the cities’ building authorities are free to approve the use of the stations and the rail tunnels. Helsinki City Transport (HKL) will ensure that the track engineering security systems, including semaphore systems and indicators, are working properly. According to the current estimate, the metro will be ready for passenger traffic by January 2017 at the latest. Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) will decide when passenger traffic begins and when feeder bus lines start operating.

Ventilation shafts as high as the Helsinki Olympic Stadium tower

Each station is a vast entity. Some 10,000 cubic metres of concrete has been cast at each station. The platform is 90 m long and 12-16 metres wide. Technical systems at both ends of the platform occupy approximately the same space on several floors.

The enclosed picture shows the Tapiola metro station placed at Helsinki Olympic Stadium. The ventilation shafts are approximately as high as the Stadium tower and the passenger hall covers almost one half of the Stadium field. Eight of such stations have been built.

Photomontage: APRT Arkkitehtityöhuone Artto Palo Rossi Tikka Oy.

Graffiti art on the wall of the Espoonlahti worksite base

24.10.2016

The worksite fence around the Espoonlahti worksite base, facing Ulappakatu and Kivenlahdentie, will be decorated with graffiti art. The works have been planned by Länsimetro and Destia, the contractor in charge of the area. Graffiti will be painted by several artists over the autumn. Länsimetro and Destia hope it will liven up the orange fence, maintain it in better condition and prevent it from being defaced.

The work will begin in week 43.

Further information:

Worksite hotline Destia Oy, tel. +358 40 637 5377

Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00) +358 50 377 3700

Joint test run phase to continue

13.10.2016

The joint test runs to be conducted at all stations to ensure the safety of the operations of the metro were launched at the Aalto University station. Power failure tests went as planned, but fire tests revealed faults in the operation and control of equipment.
The aim of the joint test runs is to ensure that the metro is safe to use and that all of the 52 different systems work together. Although each system has been tested separately, the readiness of a station cannot be established until all the systems have been used simultaneously in emergency situations.
– “The results of the joint test run carried out at the Aalto University station show that the test phase will take longer than anticipated. We launched actions to repair the defects and faults detected in the tests immediately. New joint fire tests will be carried out as soon as the repair operations have been completed,” says Matti Kokkonen, CEO of Länsimetro.
The metro will not be ready to open in January 2017, as previously estimated. An opening schedule estimate requires that three stations have passed the joint test runs. The purpose of the joint test runs is to test the operations of all the different systems, such as building technology, safety automation, power supply monitoring, physical access control, fire-extinguishing systems, reserve power and smoke ventilation, in various emergencies. Emergencies include, for example, fire, power failure and data transmission equipment fault. The tests also aim to ensure that all the systems are restored to normal.
– “It is extremely unfortunate that the commissioning of the metro has been delayed from the previous estimates. However, we are about to complete the seven-year work. We are looking for solutions to keep the delay as short as possible without compromising the functioning and safety of the metro,” says Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy.
The rescue authorities of Helsinki and Espoo will approve the security systems based on the test results. After this, the building authorities of the cities are free to approve the use of the stations and rail tunnels. Helsinki City Transport (HKL) will ensure that the track engineering security systems, including semaphore systems and indicators, are working properly. Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) will decide when passenger traffic on the metro begins and when feeder bus lines start operating.

Further information:

Länsimetro Oy, CEO Matti Kokkinen, tel. +358 (0)50 347 1558
Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)50 593 3359

Crushing begins at the Hyljetie shaft

13.10.2016

SRV Infra will start crushing rock material at the address Hyljetie 1, next to Länsimetro’s Kaitaa worksite. The crushing will begin in week 39. Rudus Oy will be in charge of the crushing.

The work may be done in two parts, with an interval of 2 or 3 weeks, depending on the amount of rock. It is probable, however, that the work will continue without a break on weekdays for a period of 49 days.

The working hours at the crushing site are Monday to Friday, 7.00 to 18.00.

Water jets will be used to control dust, as they effectively bind dust generated in the crushing operation.

Further information:

SRV Infra Oy, Project Manager, Ville Järvinen, +358 (0)400 128 688
SRV Infra Oy, Supervisor, Jouni Uusipuro, +358 (0)440 330 658
SRV Infra Oy, Site Manager, Risto Hast, +358 (0)400 459 827

Dismantling of worksite base and restoration of site

13.10.2016

The remaining technical construction work at the Koivusaari site involves superstructure construction work at the worksite base and its vicinity. Cast-in-place work will be carried out at the entrance of the Vaskisalmenkuja access tunnel. In addition, the contract will involve re-routing the pedestrian and bicycle lanes leading to Hanasaarenranta.

The implementation of the pedestrian and bicycle lanes and the final water and sewer line works at the north/south end of Vaskisalmenkuja will start at the beginning of October. The work stages scheduled for weeks 40 to 43 will involve a lot of heavy traffic. The remaining work stages may cause temporary traffic arrangements.

The work by SRV Rakennus is scheduled to be completed by mid-November.

Further information:
SRV Rakennus Oy, 24 h hotline tel. +358 040 631 3868
Reima Liikamaa, Site Manager +358 040 842 8368
Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00) +358 50 377 3700

Construction of a shaft at Sammalvuori metro depot begins

30.9.2016

Construction of a shaft at the Sammalvuori metro depot will begin on Monday, 10 October 2016. The shaft area is located between Kivenlahdentie and Länsiväylä, close to the ABC service station. The work will start with installation of temporary fencing and with tree felling. Next, earth excavation will follow. Open excavation (levelling excavation) will be carried out at the turn of November and December. Open excavation will be announced by a warning signal. After the levelling excavation, pressure grouting and drilling will start.

Further information:

24-hour hotline for the site, Työyhteenliittymä Sammalvuori, tel. +358 (0)50 343 7233

Site Manager Juha Selin, juha.selin@kalliorakennus.com

Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00), tel. +358 46 377 3700

Construction of the Kauklahdenväylä shaft has commenced

30.9.2016

Construction of the Kauklahdenväylä shaft has commenced. The area is located at the end of the metro line. Earth excavation, pile driving, bracing of groove board walls and open excavation are currently ongoing on the shaft site.

Blasting for open excavation will begin within the next few weeks, and it will be announced by a series of signals.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the work.

Further information:

24-hour hotline for the site: +358 50 342 2461

Kalliorakennus-Yhtiöt Oy, Site Manager Meeri Kaartinen, meeri.kaartinen@kalliorakennus

Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00) +358 50 377 3700