Year: 2017

The Board discussed the commissioning schedule of phase one of the Länsimetro, the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section. Bulletin.

The Chief Financial Officer of Länsimetro Oy presented the company’s financial situation to the Board.

The next meeting will be held on 23 May.

Further information:

Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 823 2086

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

Media contacts: Satu Linkola,Communications Director, tel. +358 (0)46 877 3392

A terminal station will be built at Kivenlahti during the second phase of the West Metro. Tunnel excavations are currently underway at the Kivenlahti site, which is already around 95 per cent ready and will be completed in May-June 2017.

During weeks 19-20, embankment excavation for the Kivenlahti station will begin in the vicinity of Meriusva 1 and last around three months. All excavations for the Kivenlahti station are expected to reach completion in August-September 2017; until then, the effects of excavation will also be evident in the neighbourhood of Meriusva 1.

Excavation is currently under way at the site and rock bolt reinforcement is being carried out in the east line tunnels and the western shaft chamber. Shaft excavation is under way and reinforcement bolts are being installed in the east and west escalator shaft. Both escalator shafts have been excavated all the way to the surface. The final shotcreting is being performed as a reinforcement measure in the eastern turnout chamber.

At the end of the excavation process, a final inspection will be performed of the buildings located within a 150-metre radius of the excavation work, to chart any possible effects of the excavations. The inspection of Meriusva 1 is scheduled for the early autumn; this will be announced closer to the time.

You can use the Länsimetro monitoring service to follow the progress of the excavation (seuranta.lansimetro.fi).  Excavated tunnels are marked in green and the locations of stations in red.

Smoke extraction fans will be test run on Wednesday 10 May 2017, starting at 6pm in the east shaft of the Lauttasaari station. The test runs will continue until later in the evening, and an occasional buzzing noise may be heard from the West Metro shafts during testing. We apologise for any noise disturbance.

The smoke extraction fans will be used in emergencies or during maintenance to blow smoke from underground areas through the shafts to open air.

A total of 32 smoke extraction fans have been installed in the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section.

Further information:

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

The last tests are currently underway at West Metro phase one stations, including rescue exercises, already conducted at the Tapiola and Koivusaari stations. The most recent exercise was carried out on four days in late April in Lauttasaari by a total of eight rescue units and some 30 firefighters.

“Before the actual exercise begins, the metro train is driven to a predetermined location either at the station or in a tunnel and smoke machines and rescue dummies are placed in position. We review the rescue scenario and the course of the exercise,” says Jani Pitkänen, Fire Chief at Helsinki City Rescue Department, in charge of the exercise.

Metro fires rare worldwide

The exercise in April was about preparing for a metro car fire at the station.  A total of six dummies were to be rescued, three from a car at the end of the train, two from the second car and the last one from the metro exit corridor.

“The exercises involve 75 percent of technical systems testing and 25 percent training for our own firefighters. We conduct as extensive tests as possible of the technical equipment supporting rescue operations and seek to find possible hidden defects,” says Pitkänen.

Rescue exercises are arranged at all stations before they can be opened for use.

“In actual fact metro fires are highly unusual even on a global scale. This practice is about a situation in which either a technical fault or another sudden event ignites a violent fire on board a metro train,” says Pitkänen.

Smoke extraction blows the smoke away

The fire scenario created for the exercise is as realistic as possible to enable the rescue department to test the functionality of the station and its own skills. The exercise begins with smoke machines blowing white artificial smoke onto the platform. This smoke is harmless to humans but it blocks visibility effectively so that very soon, the other end of the platform cannot be seen.

The smoke will slowly fill the metro car driven to the station, where the dummies to be rescued are situated.

The actual alarm will be given by the HKL metro driver participating in the exercise. Soon, the alarm announcement will reverberate around the station in three languages, Finnish, Swedish and English: “Use the nearest exit, please follow the green exit signs.”

The automatic smoke extraction that starts at the same time will remove the smoke screen quickly. Water will stream from nozzles on both sides of the metro car as the extinguishing system, customised for metro trains, is activated.

To safety along the escalators or in evacuation elevators

The doors to escalators will close automatically when the alarm starts – passengers will be able to use them for exiting but the doors close to prevent smoke from escaping from the platform. Only the ascending escalators are functioning to prevent anyone from accidentally descending towards the fire on the platform.

The rescue arrangements also accommodate passengers with reduced mobility, as there is an evacuation elevator at both ends of the station for those who are unable to use the escalator. As soon as the elevator receives the alarm, it will automatically run to the level where the fire is and will not open until it reaches a safe exit level.

There is a special elevator for the exclusive use of firefighters for rescue purposes.

The weight of rescue dummies equivalent to real humans

Patients during the exercise are dummies who will first be taken into as safe space which the fire cannot reach, which in this case is the smoke-free area behind the escalator doors.

A firefighter carrying a dummy says into the radiophone: “Assistance for carrying required here.” The dummies weighing 70–80 kg correspond to real humans. During the exercise, one dummy is carried by at least two rescuers.

The firefighters bend down to the dummies and tie them onto the stretchers as if they were real patients. There is no time to lose, however, as the laminated info labels attached to the dummies indicate that some of the patients are seriously injured.  The emergency care staff present would help in a real situation.

The firefighters lift the stretchers up promptly and carry them towards the nearby evacuation lifts next to the escalator.

Tunnel rescue practice included

Once the dummies are safely in the elevators and station halls, the situation on the platform has calmed down. The smoke has cleared and control room staff is negotiating which metro shaft to use for ventilating the smoke. In a real situation, ambulances would meet the patients at the station, but now rescue department vehicles already surround the station.

Finally, the running of the exercise is reviewed with all participants. The firefighters take off their helmets and focus on listening to Jani Pitkänen who led the exercise.

“All in all, well done! Thanks everyone,” says Pitkänen.

Further information:

Länsimetro feedback phone +358 (0)50 377 3700

The first days of spring draw keen cyclists and moped riders onto the streets. From the perspective of worksite traffic, excited people who forget other road users may, however, cause problems.

“Everyone should observe traffic regulations. We hope that parents teach their children that braking does not bring heavy-duty machines to a stop as fast as cars. You have to exercise caution near them,” says Minna Alantie, supervisor of the Sammalvuori metro depot, who meets heavy-duty machines in her daily work.

Drivers slow down near children – avoid unexpected moves

Alantie advises road users of all ages to ensure that the machine driver sees them. You can, for example, greet the driver and wait for an answer or try to make eye contact with him.

“It is typical for moped riders, in particular, to move suddenly from the cycle lane to the driveway and back again. This puts the users of both lanes to risk. You should always indicate to other road users where you are going to prevent confusion,” Alantie says.

Traffic lights often change at the same time for different user groups, but it is advisable to be patient even then. By jumping from one lane to another, you might save a little time but you also put yourself and others to risk with your unexpected moves.

“We slow down when there are children about, and we have also instructed our rock hauling subcontractors to slow down near schools. Our cooperation with the subcontractors has worked well,” says Alantie.

Traffic arrangements that are safe for everyone

Safety assessments are carried out weekly at the worksite, and they also include going through traffic issues. It is ensured at the site that the equipment is in good condition, speeds are controlled, and machine drivers are instructed how to act when driving outside the worksite.

Sometimes temporary traffic arrangements must be made near the worksite, and in this case the aim is always to ensure that they are safe for all user groups. If traffic arrangements are changed, a permission is always required from the City of Espoo.

“In Espoonlahti, for example, the different construction sites have to coordinate many things. In addition to the west metro site, there is also the shopping centre Lippulaiva’s construction site. Special caution should be exercised in this area, as there are several construction sites and a lot of worksite traffic,” says Alantie.

Further information:

Länsimetro feedback phone +358 (0)50 377 3700

Länsimetro takes the annual bird nesting season into account in its construction work. The Suomenlahdentie shaft of the Finnoo metro construction site is located close to a wetland serving as a nesting place for birds. On-site noise level measurements were carried out in order to find out what kind of work can be continued without disturbing nesting. The aim was to ensure that construction work does not subject the bird wetland to highly disturbing noise, which is prohibited by the zoning provision.

A total of seven measurements were carried out at the northern parts of the Suomenoja bird reservoirs. They showed that, as long as certain arrangements are made on the site, anchor and bolt drilling as well as excavating can be continued even during the summer. The work will be performed in a vertical shaft surrounded by noise damping elements about 4.5 to 10 metres below ground level.

“The measurements showed that drilling slightly increased background noise at the wetland side. We will therefore move the compressor that produces energy for the drilling to a more sheltered location behind the noise barrier and build a plywood wall behind it. This allows us to continue anchor and bolt drillings even in the summer,” says Tuomo Orpana, supervisor at the Finnoo construction site.

Tunnel excavation has continued normally all the time, and it will also continue during the summer. However, open excavation is suspended until the end of the nesting period, i.e. 15 August.

The measurements also showed that the noise from the site is steady in nature, which does not disturb birds in the same way as sudden loud noises that would make birds take flight and disturb nesting.

Further information:

24-hour hotline for the Finnoo site: +358 (0)50 421 3344

Lasse Kämpe, Environmental Auditor, Espoo Environmental Centre: +358 (0)43 824 6048

Länsimetro feedback phone: tel. +358 (0)50 377 3700

An intensive clean-up of streets is ongoing in Espoo: streets are washed by means of washing vehicles and street sweepers now that night frosts are over. It was not possible to wash the street when there were night frosts, as the water could have frozen and caused hazards by making streets slippery.

The City of Espoo is responsible of the clean-up of public streets, and Länsimetro cooperates with the City in areas close to its worksites. These areas are cleaned up by a subcontractor normally once a week and, if necessary, even more often.

Last week there were four washing units in operation around the Kaitaa worksite for several days. Pentti Väyrynen, supervisor of the Kaitaa site, praises the quality of the spring clean-up.

“Both pavements and driveways are now in really good condition. Kaitaantie is clean from the Finnoo worksite to Riihilahdentie and even further. The surroundings of the Kaitaa station are also clean. The final clean-up in Hannuskallio will be made by 28 April,” says Väyrynen.

Further information:

Länsimetro feedback phone +358 (0)50 377 3700

On Tuesday, 25 April, water leaked to the lowest-level passage at the Aalto University station of the west metro. There was a few centimetres of water in the technical facilities below the platform, which did not cause any hazards. The premises used by the public are located more than four metres above these facilities.

Water leaked to the station when the sprinkler system was tested.

The Länsi-Uusimaa Rescue Department vacuumed the water during the same day, and final cleaning will be performed in the technical facilities of the station on Wednesday, 26 April.

The leaking of water to the station does not affect the introduction of the west metro.

Further information:

Länsimetro feedback phone +358 (0)50 377 3700

 

 

A historical blast was carried out at the Kaitaa metro worksite on 20 April, when the first through hole was opened to the underground station hall.

So far a total of 73.8 per cent of the Kaitaa rail line and station has already been excavated. In addition, a vertical shaft and several access tunnels have also been excavated. Now the excavation of the first entrance to remain in permanent use has begun. Escalators leading to the station hall will be built during the construction phase at the entrance now made.

“At first, we open a through hole to the station hall, and then we begin to expand it. It will take about a month to excavate the entrance,” says Pentti Väyrynen, supervisor of the Kaitaa worksite of the west metro.

Further information:

Länsimetro feedback phone: tel. +358 (0)50 377 3700