Media Releases

An annual project work competition is organised by the Project Management Association Finland. The association selected two project outcomes as the winners: the renovation of the submarine tunnel at Suomenlinna on the basis of an alliance model, and the big room operating model of phase two of the West Metro project.

In the second phase of the Western Metro, the big room model was adopted for the stretch of track from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti; this refers to the use of joint premises, a joint management model and situation management. The big room model was adopted on the basis of experiences gained from the first phase of construction.

“We are grateful and touched by this recognition. In the project, we are making every effort to ensure that the second phase succeeds in line with the goals. An up-to-date snapshot, robust management, swift decision-making and effective information flow are the cornerstones of our everyday construction activities”, says Ville Saksi Managing Director of Länsimetro Oy.

In its grounds for choosing Länsimetro, the Project Management Association Finland commends the new project organisation for demonstrating sound judgement in examining the ‘Lessons Learned data’ and having the courage to make a significant change to the management and working model.

“The year 2016-2017 was a difficult one for Länsimetro’s project organisation because the first phase was delayed, receiving negative publicity. Fortunately, those involved in the project had the ability to rethink their activities on an entirely new basis, thanks to the strong trust of the parties and their willingness to act in the best interests of the project”, explains Jouko Kaaja of Project Management Association Finland.

Based on the big-room approach, Länsimetro Oy, its consultants and other persons involved in the project are all working under the same roof. City representatives and HKL have also been assigned their own workstations. The term, big room, is generally used in the construction industry and refers to a practice based on which the various parties operate on the same premises in accordance with common ground rules.

The project management system has been improved in accordance with lessons learned from the first phase and developed as a unique situation management model, i.e. a situation management room, on a Finnish scale. As well as the project schedule and costs, risks, quality, the smoothness of cooperation and occupational safety are monitored from the situation room. The flow of information has been improved by creating new models and channels for internal communication. In both the big room and construction works, the flow of information, trust and smoothness of cooperation are regularly measured.

The City of Espoo specified the construction project plan in spring 2018. The adjusted cost estimate for the construction of phase two is EUR 1,159 million.  The goal is to hand the track section over to operator, HKL, sometime during 2023.

Further information:

Jouko Kaalja, Project Management Association Finland, tel. +358 (0)400 403 145, jouko.kaaja(at)pry.fi

Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 823 2086, ville.saksi(at)lansimetro.fi

Satu Linkola, Communications Director, Länsimetro Oy, +358 (0)46 877 3392, satu.linkola(at)lansimetro

The competitive tendering for access control systems has been completed for all construction sites in the second phase of West Metro, and a GSM network has been acquired for the duration of the construction. The access control system during construction will be supplied by Ramirent Finland Ltd. The total price is EUR 496,000.

The underground GSM network used during construction will be provided by Elisa Corporation. The total price is EUR 161,000.

The access control system delivery consists of an access control management system and field equipment for all construction site gates throughout the duration of the project. Each construction site gate will be locked, with the construction site only accessed through these gates. This will not only prevent outsiders from entering the site but also prevents vandalism and theft, and increases occupational safety.

The underground GSM network will improve safety and efficiency during construction. The worksite area covers two parallel tunnels, a total of 17.5 kilometres and 5 stations. However, there is no GSM coverage in the underground tunnels.  The system during the construction will be used until the final GSM cables will be implemented.

System installation is already under way.

More information:
Länsimetro Oy, Technical Director Raimo Kaunismäki, tel.  050 390 6670

The construction contract for the Finnoo station on the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti-section of the West Metro has been won by Työyhteenliittymä Graniittirakennus Kallio Oy and Aki Hyrkkönen Oy. The total contract price is approximately EUR 58 million.

 The contract will involve the construction of the Finnoo underground station, a service tunnel and the related connecting tunnel excavations, as well as the Meritie and Finnoonsilta entrances. In addition, an eastern and western technology shaft and extinguishing route shaft will be built.

The surface area of the facilities to be built is around 22,000m². A total of around 11,000m3 of concrete will be cast and over 4,000 m2 of various elements installed. Finnoo is set to become a neighbourhood of 17,000 residents stretching from the Länsiväylä motorway to the sea, with a centre of around the metro station. Account will be taken of the protected bird wetland in Finnoo during construction. For example, no noisy work will be done in the area during the birds’ breeding season.

The Finnoo station will be built by the consortium GRK Oy and Aki Hyrkkönen Oy. GRK also won the tender for the railway line construction work. Work on the line began in the summer of 2018.

“The construction of the Finnoo station will create synergies and continuity in the line construction already being done by GRK. The consortium will provide the customer with the broad experience and expertise of two organisations. Construction of the Finnoo station will benefit from the GRK’s infra and rail expertise and Aki Hyrkkönen Oy’s strengths in technical building services and office building”, says Teemu Lantto, CEO of GRK Oy.

Construction is progressing in line with the objectives during the second phase.

“Construction is on schedule and within the cost estimate. Work has begun in Soukka, in Kivilahti, in Kaitaa and on the metro line. A contractor with project management responsibility will be also chosen for the Espoonlahti station this year. Over 60 percent of the technical construction work for the Sammalvuori Depot has already been completed”, says Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

In March 2018, the City of Espoo reviewed its project plan for the second phase from 2012. The revised cost estimate for the entire project is EUR 1,159 million. The goal is to hand over the seven-kilometre rail line together with its five stations and depot to the operator, HKL, during 2023.

More information:
Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro Oy, tel.  +358 (0)40 823 2086, ville.saksi@lansimetro.fi
Teemu Lantto, CEO of GRK Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 772 7271, teemu.lantto@grk.fi
Aki Hyrkkönen, CEO of Aki Hyrkkkönen Oy, tel. +358 (0)400 174 295, aki.hyrkkonen@ah-oy.fi

Skanska Infra Oy has won the construction contract for the Kivenlahti station on the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section of the West Metro. The total contract price is EUR 51 million.

The project will include the construction of the Kivenlahti metro station, a service tunnel and entrances from Kivenlahdentie and Kivenlahdentori. The construction area is about 22,000 square metres, and some 13,000 cubic metres of concrete will be poured. The Kivenlahti station will be the terminal station of the second phase.

“It is wonderful to be part of a project where we get to construct a metro station with a familiar client by utilising competencies from different Skanska business units. We have completed several excavation and construction projects for Länsimetro, and, in the construction of the Kivenlahti station, we can fully utilise our experience in challenging underground construction,” says Pekka Räsänen, regional manager at Skanska Infra.

During the year 2018, the project will progress from excavations to construction.

“The construction of the second phase is on schedule. The contractors for the Soukka station and rail line have been selected, and the construction work on the Sammalvuori metro depot has proceeded to roof wetting. The tenders for the construction of the three other stations have been published, and the contractors will be selected by October,” shares Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

In addition to building the stations, 24 subcontracts will be tendered out. The construction work will continue until 2022, after which the project will proceed to the commissioning phase. The goal is that the seven-kilometre rail line together with its five stations and depot will be handed over to the operator, HKL, during 2023.

In March 2018, the City of Espoo reviewed its project plan from 2012 for the second phase. The revised cost estimate for the entire project is EUR 1.159 million.

Mesvac Oy was chosen as the supplier of fire sliding doors and fire roller shutter doors for the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section. The total price for the fire sliding doors is EUR 2.4 million and for the fire roller shutter doors, EUR 2.7 million.

The West Metro is built to be one of the safest metro lines in the world. The safety of the metro in emergency situations is ensured, for instance, through the use of fire compartmentation, roof screens, a fire detection system, a video surveillance system and a public address system for emergencies. Furthermore, in order to successfully handle emergency situations, tested fire sliding doors and fire roller shutters are needed for compartmentation and for protection from the spread of fire. 45 fire sliding doors and 33 fire roller shutter doors will be installed for the section. The work includes both door installation and testing.

“The tendering of fire sliding doors and fire roller shutters is a part of the procurement for subcontracts. The project includes a total of 24 subcontracts. “Both door types are required to have a fire resistance class of EI 120 and a pressure resistance of 1.3 kN/m2,” states Raimo Kaunismäki, Technical Director at Länsimetro Oy.

Door installation work will begin in summer 2019.

“When you are responsible for the safety of thousands of passengers, there is no room for compromise. “We have tested products, special expertise and decades of experience in underground construction,” shares Kent Silvan, Managing Director at Mesvac Oy, a company that has been operating for more than 40 years.

The revised cost estimate for the entire project is EUR 1.159 million. The goal is that the seven-kilometre rail line together with its five stations and depot will be handed over to the operator, HKL, during 2023.

The first contractor for the second phase of the West Metro has been selected. The contract for construction of the rail line was won by Graniittirakennus Oy. The total contract price is EUR 58.5 million.

The rail line contract will involve the construction of 17.5 kilometres of railway line, seven shafts and 32 connecting tunnels. The shafts will be built at intervals of approximately 600m in holes excavated on the surface, for the purposes of ventilation, smoke extraction and pressure equalisation. The shafts will also be used as emergency exits. The works also include the construction of the connecting tunnel structures and their fire barriers. The connecting tunnels will interconnect the two parallel tunnels and ensure the safety of the metro in emergency situations. The connecting tunnels will be around 150–170 metres apart.

In addition, a total of 2,800 exit shaft units will be installed in each tunnel. The cover of each exit shaft unit will also serves as an emergency exit from the subway. The units will be fitted with e.g. 216 kilometres of cable troughs, almost 17 kilometres of drainage pipes and 16 kilometres of stormwater pipes.

The rail line will extend from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti in the west and the construction will be highly challenging in logistical terms.

“The core competencies of the GRK Group include the implementation of challenging infrastructural projects, project management of large projects, and extensive track-building expertise. The opportunity presented by this contract for the broad use of our strengths makes the project particularly interesting and meaningful for us. Excellent cooperation and interactive skills will be needed in addition to the technical know-how and coordination skills required for the project’s successful completion. These are also highlighted in the project management contract selected as the contract type,” says Teemu Lantto, CEO of GRK.

All of the tenders for the construction of the five stations have been published and the contractors will be selected by the autumn. For example, separate tenders will be made for the rail tracks and blocks, and for the safety and operational systems of the Metro. The project will have a total of 24 subcontracts.  The underground metro depot at Sammalavuori has already progressed to the construction stage.

“Cooperation between various actors is highlighted in this major project. Each contract will cover the construction of a entire shopping mall or industrial plant. We will also build five stations, a rail line and depot simultaneously. The ability to cooperate with a range of players during the contract will be particularly important as the work extends from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti,” says Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

In March 2018, the City of Espoo reviewed its project plan for the second phase from 2012. The revised cost estimate for the entire project is EUR 1,159 million. The goal is that the seven-kilometre rail line and its five stations and depot will be handed over to the operator HKL during 2023.

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

Teemu Lantto, CEO of Graniittirakennus Kallio Oy, tel. +358 (0)40 772 7271

The construction work in the second phase of the Länsimetro are being realized as project management contracts. Interaction and co-operation between the different actors is emphasized in the work model, which is well suited to gigantic projects such as the construction of the Länsimetro. The project uses the Celkee Insight service for measuring the smoothness of the co-operation.

During this year contractors for five metro stations, rail lines, and a total of 24 side projects will be tendered in the Länsimetro project. The tenders for all the stations will be made by October, but the last side projects will still be tendered in the Spring of 2019. Co-operation and interaction is measured in every construction site between the construction contractor, the client, the designer, the contractors, and the other construction projects affecting the construction of the Länsimetro.

A service has been selected to provide qualitative and quantitative information on information flow, co-operation, trust, and potential barriers to information flow and co-operation.

“We want to measure co-operation and trust in every construction project and to tackle possible obstacles to co-operation at the earliest possible stage before any problems arise for the project,” says Jaakko Naamanka, Project Manager of the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti project.

The co-operation of the actors involved in the construction of the station will be measured in the project management model with an integrated questionnaire four times a year. The study will be conducted by Celkee Ltd. from Tampere.

“Co-operation can also be measured when the indicators are correctly placed. In a large construction project like the Länsimetro, with hundreds of actors, real-time and reliable information on the smoothness of co-operation is needed. According to our experience, measurements can also encourage reporting of potential problems and encourage co-operation”, says Kimmo Vättö, the service provider from Celkee Ltd.

More information:
Länsimetro  Project Manager Jaakko Naamanka, tel. +358 (0)400 421 143

Celkee Oy, CEO Kimmo Vättö, tel. +358 (0)40 506 59 34

Länsimetro is tasked with the construction of the metro line from Ruoholahti to Kivenlahti. The Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section of the West Metro will consist of 7 kilometres of rail line and 5 stations. An underground metro depot will be constructed in Sammalvuori. In 2017, a 14-kilometre rail line from Ruoholahti to Matinkylä and eight new stations were completed.  The metro operates completely underground in two parallel tunnels. www.lansimetro.fi, @metrorakentuu

With excavations nearing completion, the construction of the second phase of the West Metro from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti is about to begin.  In March 2018, the City of Espoo reviewed its project plan for the second phase from 2012. The revised cost estimate for the project is EUR 1,159 million. Construction of the second phase of the West Metro project is carried out with a reinforced client organisation and renewed operating methods.  The goal is that the seven-kilometre rail line and its five stations and depot will be handed over to the operator HKL during 2023.

There are a total of six construction projects: five metro stations and the rail line itself. At the Sammalvuori depot, work has progressed from excavations to construction.  The values of the construction projects vary between 40 to 60 million euros. In addition to the construction projects, 26 sub-contracts will be tendered out, ranging between sizes of one to just over 10 million euros.

In spring 2017, the construction organisation moved to shared premises in Olari, Espoo. The project’s key operators and an improved organisation are now located under one roof: government authorities, design, construction, finances, quality and risk management, and representatives from the metro operator HKL, rescue services and the City of Espoo.

Under the direction of CEO Ville Saksi, the project organisation for the second phase has been assembled with a close eye on the experiences gained during the construction of the first phase.

– The West Metro is an extremely large project even on the European scale, combining expertise in infrastructure and building construction, technical building services and automation. Over the past year, we have changed our operating model into a big room working environment. In the model, employees work in the same space, and work tasks have been arranged in a manner that permits real-time communication and fast decision-making. We have also reinforced the organisation of the project owner Länsimetro Oy in the areas of financial administration and quality and risk management, says Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.

Discussions have been held with several contractors in assessing the optimal contract type for the construction project. The construction projects will be carried out as project management contracts, with close cooperation between the client and contractors. This contract type is particularly well-suited for large-scale and complex projects such as metro stations. The goal is that all project management contracts will have been tendered out by October 2018, and work at each site will begin during the current year.

Five new stations will be constructed for the section: Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti. Construction of an underground metro depot for the service operator HKL is underway at Sammalvuori.

More information:
Ville Saksi, CEO, Länsimetro, tel. +358 (0)40 823 2086

Länsimetro is tasked with the construction of the West Metro from Ruoholahti to Kivenlahti. The Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section of the West Metro will consist of 7 kilometres of rail line and 5 stations. An underground metro depot will be constructed in Sammalvuori. In 2017, a 14-kilometre rail line from Ruoholahti to Matinkylä and eight new stations were completed.  The metro operates completely underground in two parallel tunnels. www.lansimetro.fi, @metrorakentuu

Today, on Tuesday, 3rd of October, Länsimetro Oy and HKL signed a protocol transferring the management of the West Metro rail and stations to HKL. In practice, the transfer of management means that HKL may now fully begin the so-called initial production phase which precedes passenger traffic.

Länsimetro Oy remains responsible for a number of tasks which Länsimetro Oy shall finalise during the initial production phase before passenger traffic is commenced. The finalisation of these tasks has been scheduled.

The rail, its technical systems and the eight stations remain in the ownership of Länsimetro Oy. HKL shall report to Länsimetro Oy on the use of the rail and stations and the related service and maintenance tasks as agreed.

In a few days time, HKL will initiate the joint use of all 52 systems of the metro as well as their regular maintenance and testing. The systems control, for example, the technical building services, monitoring, operation, rail and safety of the West Metro. The systems are tested to ensure that they operate reliably and traffic services may begin without disruptions.

During the initial production phase, further test runs are also carried out for the entire metro line.

Before passenger traffic can begin, the systems must operate without disruption for a continuous period of two weeks in the initial production phase, after obstacles to the commencement of passenger traffic have been removed and the necessary tests completed. A sufficient number of successful test run days is required for the metro to be opened for traffic. After this, HSL shall decide on the commencement of passenger traffic.

Further information:

Ville Lehmuskoski, Managing Director, HKL, tel. +358 40 520 6710

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