Construction of the West Metro’s Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section is underway at all five stations and the rail section. The construction of the Sammalvuori depot has progressed to the testing phase. The schedule and costs of Finland’s largest automation, HVAC and electricity and infrastructure project are monitored in the project’s war room. The project is progressing in line with the project plan’s schedule and budget.
The nerve centre of the situation management model is the war room, which produces real-time information on the various construction areas. The project’s schedule, costs, risks, quality, smoothness of co-operation and occupational safety are monitored from the war room.
In terms of space, the construction of just one modern West Metro station is the equivalent of building a mid-sized shopping centre underground. The project involves a number of players – the developer, designers and engineers, equipment suppliers, contractors, subcontractors and authorities – who must all stick to the same schedule and pull together.
Data is supplied to the war room by contractors and West Metro’s worksite supervision. It is important not to manage the project based on information obtained from a single source; integrated situational information compiled from a number of sources helps create an overall picture of the project. The quality of the situational information has also been a focus area. The war room processes and refines recent and accurate information that is verified by several sources.
“In terms of schedule, we monitor, for example, the schedule announced by the project management contractor and the progress of the sub-contracts at each of the stations. The monitoring of the schedule is supported by cost monitoring based on several sources and West Metro’s own worksite supervision. In addition, we monitor the progress of the work through worksite visits and documentation,” says Ville Saksi, CEO of Länsimetro Oy.
Without the situation management model, monitoring such a large project and ensuring that it is kept on schedule and on budget would be a daunting task. The model was especially designed for managing a large project such as the West Metro based on the experiences gained during Phase I of Länsimetro’s project. The project is responsible for monitoring and ensuring that each contract and job is completed on time.
“Situation management means management through data, in which we are forerunners. With the help of the model, we are able to react to issues, quality problems and schedule challenges before they pose a threat to the entire project’s targets. It all comes down to proactively promoting work and addressing problems in time,” Saksi continues.
2020 will be an intense year of construction for the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti metro section. The focus of construction shifted in the spring from structural work to surfaces and interiors, HVAC and electricity and automation installations. On Länsimetro’s part, the construction will end with the simultaneous handover of all five stations and the 16.5-kilometre rail section to the metro operator in 2023.
