News

Press release, EMMA: New public artwork unveiled at Tapiola subway station

19.9.2017

EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art celebrated the September 19 unveiling of Emma leaves a trace, a new public artwork by the Finnish sculptor Kim Simonsson at Tapiola’s new subway station. The piece was co-commissioned by EMMA and Länsimetro Oy. The monumental white sculpture is the centrepiece in a multiform ‘total work of art’ filling the subway space. The bronze sculpture is painted completely white except for one colourful hand. Also forming part of the work is a trail of traces reiterating the rainbow hues of the colourful hand, along with a series of digital animations featuring the figure in the sculpture “colouring in” Tapiola. The animations will be screened on digital media panels around Tapiola and on social media platforms.

Public art in subway stations has achieved great worldwide popularity: there are many impressive works around the world that lend a unique visual identity to subway environments. Simonsson – an artist known for his white ceramic sculptures – is the perfect match for the architecture of Tapiola subway station, which is airy and predominantly white. The artist was asked to create a piece breaking new ground in public art: the brief was to create a landmark identifying the subway station and cultural centre of Tapiola  in a multiform artwork assuming various forms beyond just the centrepiece sculpture.

Emma leaves a trace was produced with the kind support of the City of Espoo, the Saastamoinen Foundation and the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.

For further details:

Pilvi Kalhama, Museum Director, EMMA

pilvi.kalhama@emma.museum, p. +358 40 533 4070

Satu Linkola, Communications Manager, Länsimetro project
satu.linkola@lansimetro.fi , p. +358 46 877 3392

Kim Simonsson: Emma leaves a trace
photo: Yehia Eweis / EMMA

Länsimetro Oy and HKL announcement: West metro Espoo stations handed over to HKL

6.9.2017

Six stations of the west metro’s first phase, i.e. the Ruoholahti–Matinkylä section, were handed over to HKL today to start preparations for the initiation of metro traffic. The aim is to hand over the Helsinki stations next week. The management of the stations and rail line will be handed over from Länsimetro to HKL later in September.

The Länsi-Uusimaa Department for Rescue Services has given Länsimetro Oy permission to hand over the six stations and rail line in Espoo to HKL for preparations to initiate metro traffic. The handover for the two stations in Helsinki is planned to take place next week.

“The handover process for the west metro is now underway and progressing.  HKL can now begin its own preparations for commencing traffic,” says  Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy.

HKL can now begin some of its own service and maintenance operations. Not all the control systems are in operational use yet. In Länsimetro’s estimate, these systems can be gradually transferred to operational use starting from next week.

“HKL will do its best to proceed with the tasks related to the initiation of metro traffic that are possible at this stage,” says Ville Lehmuskoski, Managing Director of HKL.

In HKL’s initial estimate, it will take about four weeks for it to start operational use after the management handover planned for late September.

“Our goal to reduce this preparation period now that we can use the stations. In the current situation, however, HKL cannot commence operations of all the systems, so it is impossible to state the final timetable required for the work. The most crucial factor for the operational use of the west metro infrastructure is when the control systems that function as the metro’s “central nervous system” can be handed over to HKL fully operational,” adds Lehmuskoski.

HKL will need time to start up the various building services and control systems and ensure their undisturbed functioning before starting traffic. Test drives and training metro drivers has been ongoing on the west metro section for a long time now.

“The drivers must familiarise themselves with several systems that are not present in the existing metro, as well as systems that are operationally different from those that were built for the current metro almost 40 years ago. These include the ventilation system of the west metro stations that the existing metro lacks,” remarks Ville Lehmuskoski.

The schedule for HKL to allow metro traffic to commence on the west metro section will be confirmed later.  HSL will decide on the starting date of metro traffic when HKL has confirmed how long it will need for its preparatory work.

Further information:

Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board, Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 50 593 359

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

 

Excavations of West Metro’s Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section are almost 90% complete

4.9.2017

The excavation contracts of the West Metro’s second phase, i.e. the metro line from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti, are nearing their end. Altogether, the second phase includes the construction of five new stations – Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti – and an underground metro depot in Sammalvuori.

The Sammalvuori excavation contract was completed in July 2017, and the construction project for the depot has already started. Tunnel excavations have also been completed in Soukka – only the Yläkartano entrance remains to be excavated, and is estimated to be completed in the spring of 2018. Station excavation work will continue until November in Kivenlahti, and until October 2017 for the Kauklahdenväylä shaft.

Excavation work is well under way also at other worksites – excavations are 92.5% complete for the Espoonlahti contract, 83.7% in Kaitaa and 74.1% in Finnoo. Overall, 89.5% of all the excavations for the second phase have been completed, and a total of 13,940 solid cubic metres of stone have been excavated between Matinkylä and Kivenlahti.

In many of the second phase tunnels, there is only a thin rock plug separating the different projects from each other. Connections between adjacent tunnels will only be made towards the end of the projects or when it is the most convenient in terms of work stages. The first connection from one tunnel to another was made between Finnoo and Kaitaa in August 2017, and connections will be made between Espoonlahti and Sammalvuori as well as Espoonlahti and Soukka in September.

You can follow the progress of the excavation work in the West Metro follow-up service: seuranta.lansimetro.fi.

Excavation of Kauklahdenväylä shaft starts in Kivenlahti

4.9.2017

Excavation work of the Kauklahdenväylä shaft will begin in week 36 at the Kivenlahti site located in the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section of the West Metro. The Kauklahdenväylä shaft is located at the westernmost end of the rail line, i.e. right at the end of the future metro line.

The excavation of the shaft is estimated to take approximately one month. The excavation work is performed underground from the tunnel, meaning that the noise created in the surrounding environment will be lower than with open excavation performed above ground. A connection will be made from the shaft to the surface only at the end of the excavation work.

Excavations will be performed at the shaft on weekdays from Monday to Friday at 7.00–22.00 in accordance with the noise permit.

All in all, the excavation work at the Kivenlahti site is excepted to be completed by the end of the year.

Further information: West Metro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00): +358 50 377 3700

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

More information on shaft buildings

Tunnel excavation begins at the Opettajantie shaft

28.8.2017

Excavation on the work site for the Opettajantie shaft at the Länsimetro Espoonlahti work site will begin in the lower tunnels of the shaft on Friday 25th August. The tunnel excavation is expected to last 3-4 weeks.

The Opettajantie shaft has already been bored through all the way to the surface, so the excavation of the tunnel may cause noise in the surrounding environment. For excavation work, Länsimetro complies with the noise permitissued by the Espoo Environment Centre.

Once the tunnel excavation is complete, work will begin to reinforce the shaft and will include e.g. bolt drilling. Overall, work on the shaft is expected to continue until November 2017.

Further information: Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00), +358 (0)50 377 3700

24-hour hotline for the Espoonlahti site: +358 (0)40 637 5377

Further information about Länsimetro shafts

More building services expertise for the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti phase

28.8.2017

Engineer Antti Porkka (B.Eng.) began work on 21 August as the HVAC supervisor for the Finnoo station on the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section of the Länsimetro.

Porkka was already involved in the construction of the first phase of the Länsimetro (Ruoholahti-Matinkylä), when he worked as ventilation site manager for the Matinkylä and Koivusaari stations for Consti Talotekniikka Oy.

”Now I get to see things from the other side – I’m supervising the work I carried out earlier. I have ten years of experience in contracting behind me, and I wanted a new challenge,” says Porkka.

Porkka also has previous experience with renovations on hospitals, various renovation sites in city centres and in building services construction for logistics halls.

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

 

Excavation of Iivisniemenkallio entrance begins

28.8.2017

Excavation of the Iivisniemenkallio entrance to the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section of the Länsimetro will begin at the Kaitaa work site in week 34. This work only concerns one of the station’s entrances – the excavation of the other, on the Kaitaantie side, will begin soon, in week 35.

Excavation work phases include boring, charging, and removing rock material. This excavation is a surface-level excavation of a shaft, which will create noise in the surrounding environment. Boring work will be carried out on weekdays between 7.00 – 18.00, and signals will be sounded to warn of explosions in advance.

The excavation of the shaft is expected to last 2-3 weeks.

Further information: Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00), +358 (0)50 377 3700

Hotline for the Kaitaa site (24/7): +358 (0)40 183 0090

Board of Länsimetro Oy, summary of decisions – 24 August 2017

25.8.2017

The Board of Länsimetro Oy decided that management of the stations, shafts, track and building services systems of the Ruoholahti to Matinkylä will be handed over to Helsinki City Transport (HKL) at the beginning of September 2017. Following this, HKL will begin preparatory work for the initiation of traffic. HKL will decide on when traffic will begin running.

The Board approved an agreement with the City of Espoo’s Technical and Environmental Services on the management and maintenance of external areas for phase one of the metro in the Espoo city area.

Progress with the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti line, belonging to the second phase of the project, was presented to the Board. The excavations on this section are progressing as planned.

Hannu Mikola (main design, architecture) presented the architectural design principles, the location of stations and shafts in the urban environment, and visual representations of stations related to phase two of the West Metro, Matinkylä-Kivenlahti .

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

The next meeting will be held on 9 September.

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

Excavation of Kaitaantie entrance begins

23.8.2017

The excavation of the Kaitaantie entrance will begin on Länsimetro’s work-site on Kaitaantie in week 35.

This involves the surface excavation of an escalator shaft, which will create a noise disturbance in the neighbourhood. A sound signal will be used to announce detonations in advance during the surface excavation.

The excavation will be performed from 7am to 6pm and will continue for around 3-4 weeks.

After the excavation, pressure grouting and the excavation of the foundation bases will begin at the base of the station hall. Shotcreting will begin in the station hall area at the same time.

Further information: Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00), +358 (0)50 377 3700

Hotline for the Kaitaa site (24/7): +358 (0)40 183 0090

You can use our monitoring service to follow progress with the excavation and view the location of the work-site areas: seuranta.lansimetro.fi

Tunnels meet up for the first time in phase two of Länsimetro

16.8.2017

In the second phase of Länsimetro (Matinkylä-Kivenlahti), the first connection between two different tunnel worksites has now been made by joining the tunnels for the future rail line between Finnoo and Kaitaa. In the various Länsimetro contracts, several tunnels are excavated simultaneously, and they eventually meet at the contract area boundary.

The historical breakthrough took place on Thursday 10 August 2017 at 7 a.m.

”The two tunnels met up very well: the difference at tunnel mouths was only a few millimetres,” explains Aatu Airaksinen, who supervises the Kaitaa worksite.

Before the breakthrough on 10 August, there was approximately three metres of stone between the tunnels. During the breakthrough, approximately 110 m3 of stone was excavated from both tunnels.

Excavations in Länsimetro’s Matinkylä-Kivenlahti stretch are now 88.3% complete.

Further information: Länsimetro feedback phone number (Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00): +358 (0)50 377 3700