Month: May 2021

Summary of Länsimetro Oy’s meeting of the Board of Directors on 29 April 2021

27.5.2021

Länsimetro Oy’s Maintenance Manager presented the Q1 report for the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section owned by Länsimetro Oy, as well as HKL’s report for Länsimetro Oy on property maintenance, rail maintenance, and mandatory test runs and repairs related to maintenance. HKL reports to Länsimetro Oy on the use of the rail line and stations and related service and maintenance tasks.

The Managing Director submitted to the Board a status report on the construction and cost monitoring of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section through the war room’s monitoring view. Construction is progressing in line with the project plan’s risk-assessed schedule and budget. Metro traffic is expected to start up on the new section during 2023. Test runs of the rolling stock will start in June and testing with the metro trains in early autumn.

The CEO presented the risk report on construction of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section. The project is proceeding in line with the project plan’s schedule and budget.

Länsimetro Oy’s CFO presented the cost monitoring for the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section, the budget for procurement decisions and financial statements for the subsidiaries and associated companies. Construction is progressing in line with the project plan’s budget. Länsimetro Oy’s financial statements will be published as part of the financial statements of the City of Espoo.

Länsimetro Oy’s Communications Director presented communications measures during Q4 and Q1. Planning of communications for the commissioning phase leading up to the start of metro traffic has begun in co-operation with HSL, HKL and the City of Espoo. Metro traffic is expected to start up on the new section during 2023. A more detailed schedule will be released as the construction and testing phase of the West Metro moves forward. Once coronavirus restrictions are lifted, visits to the stations can be arranged again as planned.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on 27 May 2021.

Further information:

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

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

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

Järvinen enjoys the variety of his job as Financial Manager

25.5.2021

The Financial Manager is responsible for the financial management, budgeting and reporting for the metro infrastructure owned by Länsimetro Oy. The varied duties also include developing services for metro stations, the financial administration for Länsimetro Oy’s subsidiaries and the cost monitoring for the West Metro’s second-phase construction project.

The main focus of the tasks of Länsimetro Oy’s Financial Manager Sami Järvinen is the financial management, budgeting and reporting for the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section’s metro system, rail line and stations, owned and maintained by Länsimetro Oy. Järvinen’s job includes, for example, the cost monitoring of the metro’s maintenance and investments, and drawing up different types of forecasts and analyses for the company and project organisation. Järvinen has worked as Financial Manager since the end of 2020. Before transferring to his position as Financial Manager, he worked as Project Controller for the West Metro as of 2018.

“The best thing about work, and especially my current job, is to feel that my job matters. The metro is a wise investment in my opinion, which will increase the land value and leave room for developing the urban environment or conserving nature. I enjoy the variety my job offers. The changes occurring in the project and the permanence of the operating metro offer a clear contrast. Developing the metro from the owner’s perspective is interesting work, and the figures show even the smallest changes,” Järvinen describes the significance of his job.

Länsimetro Oy is a limited liability company that is jointly owned by the cities of Espoo and Helsinki. It employs 19 people. Financial administration employs not only the Financial Manager, but also the CFO and Financial and Administrative Assistant.

Länsimetro Oy’s task is to build, own, maintain and develop the West Metro system, tracks and stations from Ruoholahti westwards. The transport operator and developer of the rail section and stations from Ruoholahti eastward is the City of Helsinki, more precisely Helsinki City Transport, HKL. In addition to the service and maintenance of the rail line and stations, HKL is responsible for metro traffic and owns the metro train fleet. HKL reports to Länsimetro Oy on the use of the rail line and stations and related service and maintenance tasks.

“As Financial Manager, I collaborate a lot with HKL, for instance. The metro traffic operator HKL budgets the maintenance and servicing costs for the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section annually and reports to us. I monitor the formation of costs and assess the sufficiency of the budget,” Järvinen sums up.

The Financial Manager also develops Länsimetro Oy’s in-house reporting practices. For example in 2020, the West Metro’s maintenance transferred to real-time reporting through the Power BI software.

The Financial Manager’s tasks include also financial responsibility for Länsimetro Oy’s subsidiaries, their operations and administrative management. The management of Länsimetro’s subsidiaries involves not only management of the company, but also more traditional real estate company duties such as arranging property maintenance and repairs. Over the past year, sliding doors and an anti-bird net have been installed to increase user satisfaction at the bus terminal.

Länsimetro Oy’s subsidiaries are Kiinteistö Oy Matinkylän Liityntäpysäköinti, Kiinteistö Oy Matinkylän Bussiterminaali and Kiinteistö Oy Kivenlahden Liityntäpysäköinti. Kiinteistö Oy Matinkylän Liityntäpysäköinti supplies Matinkylä metro station’s park & ride services, Kiinteistö Oy Matinkylän Bussiterminaali owns the public transport terminal facilities and serves bus company operators and passengers and Kiinteistö Oy Kivenlahden Liityntäpysäköinti will supply park & ride services for the future Kivenlahti metro station. Länsimetro Oy also owns 18% of Tapiolan keskuspysäköinti Oy.

Development of services at metro stations

In addition to Länsimetro Oy owning and maintaining the metro system, rail line and stations of the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section it has built, it is also in charge of construction of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section. In this second phase of the West Metro project, the Financial Manager’s tasks include, for example, drawing up a cash flow forecast and making cash flow statements, and cost monitoring and forecasts for construction and planning.

Länsimetro Oy develops services and commercial operations for the metro stations in use on the Ruoholahti-Matinkylä section and the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section under construction. The Financial Manager plans the projects together with the management team and responsible experts, and is responsible for the implementation of the projects.

“The goal is to make the metro stations as pleasant and practical as possible for passengers. The metro station facilities can be used to serve passengers together with different operators – the next metro station pilot project is parcel lockers. Metro stations are a natural location for services that people can use along their journeys.”

Backfill work at Iivisniemenkallio entrance weeks 21–22

24.5.2021

At the Iivisniemenkallio entrance worksite area at Kaitaa metro station, aboveground backfill work will start on Monday, 24 May 2021. The work will continue until the end of the week starting on 31 May. In the backfill work, the surface level of the worksite area will be raised by filling it with gravel. The work will increase truck traffic to Iivisniemenkallio. After the backfill, the surface will have a gravel finish.

The area’s worksite barriers will be removed during the summer. Permanent metal fences have already been installed at the some of the highest points. Some of the worksite barriers will remain around the worksite area until the end of the construction project.

The Kaitaa metro station includes the Kaitaantie entrance and the Iivisniemenkallio entrance option.

The Iivisniemenkallio entrance will not be taken into use when metro traffic from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti starts in 2023. Iivesniemenkallio also includes Kaitaa metro station’s technical shaft.

 

 

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the backfill work.

Further information

24/7 phone line of the Kaitaa contractor, consortium YIT–ARE: +358 (0)50 539 3208

Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 1 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Smoke extraction fan tests in week 20

17.5.2021

The smoke extraction fans for the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section are being tested between the 17th and 21st of May 2021. During the testing, a whirring sound may be heard in the vicinity from time to time.

Performance tests will be carried out on the smoke extraction fans during week 20 as follows:

  • Monday, 17 May 2021, 8 am–3 pm, Kaitaa metro station, Hyljetie shaft and Riilahti shaft
  • Tuesday, 18 May, 8 am–3 pm, Soukka metro station and Opettajantie shaft
  • Wednesday, 19 May, 8 am–noon, Finnoo metro station, and noon–3 pm Kauklahdenväylä shaft
  • Thursday, 20 May, 8 am–3 pm, Espoonahti and Maininkitie shaft
  • Friday, 21 May, 8 am–noon, Kivenlahti

A whirring sound may be heard from time to time at the West Metro’s stations and shafts during testing. We apologise for any noise disturbance.

Smoke extraction fans are used in case of fire to blow smoke away from the underground facilities along fire-compartmented routes into the outside air. There are smoke extraction fans in the metro line’s vertical shafts and the metro stations’ eastern and western ends. All in all, 15 smoke extraction fans have been installed on the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section.

Further information
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 1 pm) 050 377 3700