Light at the end of the tunnel: all exits along the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section now open

All the stations and access shafts for engineering works along the West Metro’s Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section now have exits above ground. The last shaft, which provides an exit from the station in Soukka on Yläkartanontie, broke through to the surface on Monday, 8 October.

There are a total of 19 exits and access shafts along the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section. All the rail tunnel sections have been interconnected since February 2018.

“The exit is now in place, but we still need to shape the archway this week. There is therefore still some excavation work to be done. The next steps will involve removing excavated rock and reinforcing the structures, bolting and shotcreting”, explains Construction Manager Meeri Kaartinen from Kalliorakennus-Yhtiöt Oy, which is the excavation contractor.

After the Yläkartanontie exit, the only building site along the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section where excavation work is still needed will be an exit on Solmutori in Espoonlahti. All excavation works will nevertheless be completed by the end of 2018. The site in Soukka has now progressed to the construction phase, and the final excavation works and construction works are being carried out simultaneously. Other active building sites relating to the project can be found in Kivenlahti, Kaitaa and at various points along the track, and construction works in Finnoo are due to begin in October. The construction of the Espoonlahti station is scheduled to start in December.

Yläkartanontie entrance. Photo: J. Kivikoura