Year: 2019

The Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section of the West Metro is being built by altogether 38 contractors and suppliers. All of the contracts were put out to tender and the construction is progressing on schedule and within budget. There are currently around 1,200 builders and so far about 10,000 employees have taken part in the mandatory worksite induction focused on worksite safety.

Due to its size, the second phase of the West Metro, i.e. the construction of five stations, a depot and 14 kilometres of rail line, has been divided up into sections suited to each contractor field.

“The construction of the metro differs significantly from other construction projects, which traditionally involve a few operators from different sectors and one main contractor. We need many major operators to carry out this project. The competitive bidding process is now completed for all of the contractors,” says Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

Six separate excavation contractors in nine different contracts excavated the rail tunnels and service tunnels, depot and stations between 2015 and 2018. Six project management contracts and 30 subcontracts are responsible for the construction of the stations and rail line. Subcontracts are functions and systems spanning the entire rail line, such as main electricity distribution, lifts and escalators, smoke extraction fans and tracks and sleepers. The Sammalvuori depot is being built by a consortium. The contract for the signal box that controls the train traffic also forms a whole. Around 20 Finnish engineering companies have participated in designing the project.

The competitive bidding for the project management contracts began in spring 2018 and was completed in autumn 2018. The value of the six project management contracts varies between EUR 43 million and EUR 58 million. Competitive bidding for 30 subcontracts was begun simultaneously with the competitive bidding for the stations and rail line. Competitive bidding for the subcontracts was completed according to the planned schedule by summer 2019, with the exception of the camera surveillance subcontract, which was carried out together with HKL. The camera supplier was selected in December 2019. The total value of the subcontracts is more than EUR 100 million.

The project management contractors have additionally carried out competitive bidding for numerous technical construction subcontractors and the stations’ building services.

“All in all, the bidding process was a success. The form of contracting we chose turned out to be a good choice. We achieved sufficient competition and received skilled operators to carry out the demanding project,” Saksi adds.

The construction of the stations and line has moved on from the concrete frame stage to the building of surfaces, building services work and system installation. In the Sammalvuori underground metro depot construction project, preparations are already being made for commissioning. The target schedule is to hand over the stations and rail line and their technical systems to the metro operator HKL during 2023.

Main contracts:

• Finnoo station construction contract: LM Finnoo consortium (GRK Infra Oy and Aki Hyrkkönen Oy)
• Kaitaa station construction contract: YIT-ARE consortium
• Soukka station construction contract: YIT-ARE consortium
• Espoonlahti station construction contract: SRV Rakennus Oy
• Kivenlahti station construction contract: Skanska Infra Oy
• Rail line construction contract: GRK Infra Oy
• Sammalvuori depot construction contract: Sammalvuori consortium (Kalliorakennus-Yhtiöt Oy, EM Pekkinen Oy, Terrawise Oy and Aro-Systems Oy)

All of the subcontractors and operators responsible for designing the West Metro can be found on the West Metro website.

Länsimetro Oy, as the owner, is developing the phase one stations along the Ruoholahti-Matinkylä section. On 18 November, we are celebrating the two-year anniversary of the service. Construction is also going on in the first phase of the project, for example, the western entrance to Matinkylä station.

Länsimetro Oy’s task is to build, own, maintain and develop the metro system, tracks and stations from Ruoholahti westwards. The section from Ruoholahti to Matinkylä opened to metro traffic in November 2017. In this section, Länsimetro is responsible for the functioning and safety of infrastructure and the systems and monitors that the required maintenance and repairs are taken care of as planned. HKL is responsible for repairs and maintenance as well as for the metro traffic.

“As a responsible owner, we wish to continuously develop and improve the passenger experience. We make sure that our section is one of the world’s safest and that the stations are attractive and iconic landmarks in their areas,” says Länsimetro Oy’s CEO Ville Saksi.

The metro has enabled the birth of a new urban structure around the stations in both Helsinki and Espoo. After the metro service started up, other construction projects have begun in the vicinity of the stations. For instance, construction has continued at a hectic pace in Tapiola, even after metro traffic started up. The approximately EUR 0.5 billion invested by Lähi-Tapiola in the area around Tapiola station is a good indication of the investments’ size. The phase one metro investment is valued at EUR 1.2 billion. For example, the campus area that has sprung up around the Aalto University station would not have been built without the decision to build the metro, and near the Matinkylä station, a shopping centre was expanded and the city’s Service Centre was built. The Keilaniemi area is developing at a fast pace around the metro and the future Jokeri Light Rail connection. In Helsinki, new urban construction is taking place around the Koivusaari metro station.

The southern entrance to Tapiola station was opened to passengers in the spring of 2019. In Matinkylä, a western entrance will become available to passengers towards the end of 2020. The entrance will be located in the Tynnyripuisto area on the western side of Iso Omena shopping centre.

In addition, Länsimetro Oy is currently building a new entrance for the Urheilupuisto station, based on customer feedback. An entrance originally intended for the rescue services will be opened to passengers during the winter, once the changes required by authorities have been completed.

Sliding doors were built at Matinkylä at the bus terminal level in the spring of 2019 to enhance the shopping centre experience.

The building of the second phase from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti is ongoing and progressing on schedule and within budget. Work is also taking place around the architecture and look of the second phase stations. Each station will feature a work of art that will reinforce the station’s look.

 

Further information:
Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, ville.saksi(at)lansimetro.fi

Länsimetron tuleva Finnoon asema, jonka asemalaiturilla taiteilija Leena Nion teos “Haavekuvia.” Teos käy vuoropuhelua vastakkaisen seinän aaltoilevien pinnanmuotojen kanssa.ksityiskohdat ovat merenrannan luonnosta ja sen halutaan kestävän useita katselukertoja. Metromatkustajalle teos luo kimmokkeen vapaaseen assosiaatioon tai haaveiluun

The construction of the West Metro’s Kivenlahti station is progressing on schedule and within budget. The extent of the area being built corresponds with the construction of a medium-sized shopping centre. Altogether 10,000 cubic metres of concrete will be cast during the contract.

In addition to element installations and in-situ concrete casting, the station construction project currently involves the building of heating, water and cooling trunk lines, the installation of fire hydrants, the installation of ventilation ducting and fire dampers, cable trays and lighting systems and cable laying work. Also the installation of massive smoke extraction fans has begun.

The Kivenlahti station construction contract began in June 2018. The contract includes the Kivenlahti metro station, service tunnel and the Kivenlahdentie and Kivenlahdentori entrances.

“The goal is to be able to seal off the above-ground structures by the end of the year so that the work can be continued regardless of weather conditions. We work closely with the city of Espoo in the construction of the area. The city is growing and developing around the metro,” says the Kivenlahti station’s Real Estate Development Manager Janne Nordström from the West Metro project.

Skanska is the main contractor for the Kivenlahti station. The contract currently employs around 140 employees who represent 12 different nationalities: in addition to Finns, the employees come from Estonia, Spain, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Kosovo, for example. Around half of the employees are Finns.

“Logistically, metro stations are demanding as the majority of the construction work takes place underground. Data models and prefabricated parts, in addition to in-situ casting, are used in the construction. This speeds up the construction schedule,” explains Petri Mälkiä, Project Manager at Skanska Infra Oy.

Along with the metro, other construction projects will start up in the area. The Kivenlahti Metro Centre will be located at the Kivenlahdentie entrance, i.e. the westernmost entrance, and will provide new services for the area. When metro traffic starts up, the Kivenlahdentie entrance will not yet be open to passengers due to other construction ongoing in the area. The entrance will be opened when the Kivenlahti Metro Centre and its services are inaugurated. A similar set-up has also been in place at the phase one Tapiola and Matinkylä stations. In Tapiola, the southern entrance was taken into use in spring 2019, and in Matinkylä, Länsimetro Oy is currently building the western entrance, which will be opened in 2020 when the Tynnyripuisto hotel and other construction is completed.

The “Kulkijat” (Wanderers) sculpture by the artist Kalle Mustonen will be placed in the Kivenlahti station, where it will serve as an iconic landmark. The sculpture consists of two wooden figures which are two and three metres tall. The piece serves as a contrast to the whiteness of the Kivenlahti station and Kivenlahti area. A naming competition will be organised for the figures at a later date.

Approximately 8,000 people currently live in Kivenlahti. The number of residents is expected to grow so that the population of Kivenlahti will be approximately 25,000 by 2050. The Kivenlahti metro station will be completed in 2022.

In the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section of the West Metro project, seven kilometres of rail line and five new stations will be built, in addition to an underground metro depot in Sammalvuori.

Further information:

Janne Nordström, Real Estate Development Manager, West Metro project, tel. + 358 46 877 3872

janne.nordstrom(at)lansimetro.fi

Skanska Infra Oy, Project Manager, Petri Mälkiä, tel. +358 50 370 47 28 petri.malkia(at)skanska.fi

Satu Linkola, Communications Director, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 46 877 3392, satu.linkola(at)lansimetro.fi

 

 

 

Construction of phase II of the West Metro project, from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti, is proceeding according to plan. In March 2018, the City of Espoo reviewed the project plan for phase II that it had drawn up in 2012. The adjusted cost estimate for the project is EUR 1,159 million. The aim is to hand over the seven-kilometre section of rail line and the five stations and depot to the operator, Helsinki City Transport (HKL), in 2023.

Six construction contracts are currently under way: five station contracts and the construction contract for the entire rail line. Technical building services have already started at the Sammalvuori depot, and the depot will be completed in 2020. In the construction contracts, the work is now moving from concrete work and the installation of prefabricated elements to work on technical building services and system installations.

The construction contracts are being implemented as so-called project management contracts, the scope of which is similar to the construction of a mid-sized shopping centre. In addition, the project includes 26 subcontracts, with estimated sizes ranging from one million to more than 10 million euros.

The integrated project organisation that is building the West Metro moved to shared premises in Olari, Espoo, in spring 2017. The project’s key players and the reinforced organisation operate under one roof: authorities, planning, construction, finance, quality and risk management, as well as representatives from metro operator HKL, rescue services and the City of Espoo.

In compiling the project organisation for phase II, the experiences gained from the construction of phase I have been taken into account with great precision under the lead of CEO Ville Saksi.

“Even by European standards, the West Metro is a major project, combining infrastructure construction, building construction, technical buildings services expertise and automation. Our goal is to build a metro system that is in line with the project plan and which is assuredly one of the safest in the world. It is of the utmost importance to us to openly communicate on our progress,” states Länsimetro Oy’s CEO, Ville Saksi.

The phase II section of the metro will include five new stations: Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti. An underground metro depot for the needs of metro traffic operator HKL is being built at Sammalvuori.

Further information:
Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, ville.saksi(at)lansimetro.fi