The Matinkylä metro station’s west entrance will be opened to passengers on 1 October. The entrance’s address is Suomenlahdentie 9. A hotel that connects to the entrance will also be completed by the end of the year. In front of the hotel, on Tynnyritie, a new parking area for 32 bicycles will also serve metro commuters.
The new entrance will connect Suomenlahdentie and Tynnyritie with the metro platform’s west end. It will provide an alternative route from the metro to the bus stops on Suomenlahdentie and buses heading in the direction of Finnoo. Matinkylä is the most-used metro station of all West Metro stations, calculated by number of commuters in 2019, and the second entrance will balance out the number of commuters on the existing route to the bus terminal and Iso Omena shopping centre. Like the West Metro’s other entrances, the new entrance on the west side is wheelchair accessible.
Architecturally, the new entrance complements the existing architecture and appearance of the Matinkylä station. The colour scheme for the new entrance differs from that of the east entrance, helping commuters tell the entrances apart. Starting from the bottom of the escalators, the backlit glass on the east-side escalators changes from yellow to green and then blue. The wall of the new west entrance is adorned with different colours of the spectrum, from red and orange to violet.
The entrance can now be opened, since other construction in the area has moved forward. Other services being built on the so-called Tynnyripuisto block are a new indoor swimming pool and a seniors’ residence. The area will also include new residential housing as well as the ‘Life and Living’ senior centre in Matinkylä, along Suomenlahdentie. All in all, an estimated 70,000 residents will live in the metro’s catchment area in the coming decades. Correspondingly, the south entrance to Tapiola station was opened to passengers in the spring of 2019 as construction there progressed.
Länsimetro Oy’s task is to build, own, maintain and develop the West Metro system, tracks and stations from Ruoholahti westwards. In the operating section of the West Metro, Länsimetro Oy is responsible for the functioning and safety of the infrastructure and systems, and oversees that the required maintenance and repairs are taken care of as planned. HKL is responsible for repairs and maintenance as well as for the metro traffic.
“As a responsible owner, we wish to continuously develop and improve the commuter experience. We are making sure that our part is technically modern, based on digital control and maintenance, and world-class in term of safety”, says Länsimetro Oy’s CEO, Ville Saksi.
Construction of the second phase from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti is ongoing and progressing on schedule and within budget. Work is also taking place around the architecture and look of the second phase stations.
“We want to build appealing stations that are iconic landmarks in their area. Each new station will feature a work of art that will reinforce the station’s identity”, says Saksi.