Year: 2020

Landscaping at the Sammalvuori metro depot – 600 trees to be planted in the worksite area

17.9.2020

Landscaping is currently under way at the Sammalvuori depot. Sammalvuori is a recreational area for many of the neighbourhood’s residents, so the aim is for the depot to blend in with the surrounding terrain as much as possible and at the same time to offer the depot employees a more natural environment to work in. The area used by the metro worksite is being landscaped with the original topography and heights in mind: the area is not a level field of asphalt, but instead has rises and indentations. The landscaping also includes fencing around the depot area, driving lanes, pedestrian/cyclist routes, asphalt, kerbstones, paving, stone embankments and a so-called dry riverbed.

Some of the landscaping also includes planting. After the soil maintenance, grass, trees and bushes were planted. Lawn covers approximately 3,000 square metres and meadows roughly 5,000 square metres, and there are 600 Scots pine trees in the area.

The yard area of the depot will be covered with close to 1,600 square metres of transplanted forest floor shrubland, which will blend in nicely with the surrounding forest landscape.

 

On 20 August 2020 at the Sammalvuori depot, the Espoo City Museum planted a unique variety of hops that has thrived for centuries at the Glims Farmstead Museum. 
Photos: Henna Aaltonen, Espoo City Museum

Sammalvuori’s underground metro depot houses two underground halls: one, a storage space for metro cars and the other, a service hall. Only three buildings at Sammalvuori can be seen aboveground: staff premises, including parking spots, the entrance building to the service tunnel and the technical shaft. In addition, a building for the second technical shaft is visible on the Espoonlahti side. Both areas are fenced in.

Systems testing is currently being carried out at the depot. During the testing period, all systems installed in the depot will be tested first alone, and after that, testing will be carried out to ensure that the systems all work together. These scenario tests will determine how the inter-system functions operate in emergency situations, such as a fire. The tests will ensure that the systems function safely and as planned. HKL will begin to outfit the depot in the course of 2021. The Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section will be handed over to HKL in 2023.

Summary of Länsimetro’s meeting of the Board of Directors on 27 August 2020

2.9.2020

Länsimetro Oy’s Maintenance Manager presented to the Board of Directors West Metro’s phase 1 Q2 report and HKL’s performance reporting. HKL reports to Länsimetro Oy on the use of the rail line and stations and related service and maintenance tasks. A report on the use and property risks linked to Länsimetro Oy’s metro property management was presented to the Board.

The Project Manager submitted a status report on the construction and cost monitoring of the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section to the Board through a view of the war room. A risk report on the construction of the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section and the Q1–Q2 interim report for construction were presented to the Board of Directors. Construction is progressing in line with the project plan’s risk-assessed schedule and budget.

Länsimetro Oy’s Technical Director presented the situation for the planning of the commissioning of the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section. The commissioning planning is proceeding on schedule.

Länsimetro Oy’s CEO outlined for the Board the construction project’s measures for combatting the grey economy. Already at the procurement phase, open tendering prevents the forming of grey economy. At the construction phase, Länsimetro requires contractors to take care of their employees’ statutory insurance and to also comply with other laws, regulations and collective labour agreements that apply to employees. Länsimetro monitors contractors’ documents in accordance with the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations through a service offered by an external partner. Additionally, the West Metro project monitors employees’ induction, access permits and ID cards through weekly contractor evaluations, third-party evaluations and with spot checks if necessary. Other measures by the main contractor include the induction of all of the employees arriving at the worksite. Their tax numbers are also checked from the tax authority’s portal. Länsimetro co-operates with the Tax Administration and Regional State Administrative Agency through regular meetings.

Länsimetro Oy’s CFO presented the cost monitoring for the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section and a market outlook for the construction industry. Construction is progressing in line with the project plan’s budget.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on 23 September 2020.

Further information:

Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)50 593 3359

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

Media contacts: Satu Linkola, Communications Director, tel. +358 (0)46 877 3392

Finnoo wins Länsimetro’s Co-operation Award

2.9.2020

The Co-operation Award is Länsimetro’s own perpetual trophy that is awarded twice a year to a winner selected from its own active contracts. This marks the second time the award was given out, and the winner was the West Metro’s Finnoo worksite. The Finnoo metro station includes the Finnoonsilta and Meritie entrances. Learn more about the Finnoo metro worksite.

“A construction project of the West Metro’s magnitude highlights co-operation and interaction between the various players. 2020 is a year of fast-paced construction, and this is currently one of the busiest periods of the project, which means cracks in the collaboration may happen easily under such tremendous pressure. We want to measure co-operation and trust in every construction contract and address potential obstacles to the collaboration as early as possible before they pose problems for the progress of the project. Thanks to the solid co-operation between the different players, we are making it through the challenges, and when Länsimetro simultaneously hands over all five stations and the rail section to HKL in 2023, we can be proud of what we have accomplished together,” says Länsimetro Oy’s CEO Ville Saksi.

The award is given twice a year to a winner selected from Länsimetro’s own active worksites. The objective is to continuously improve co-operation and trust. Länsimetro measures the smoothness of co-operation on its worksites four times a year using a questionnaire that is integrated into the project management model. Measurements have been made since June 2018 as the construction contracts have started up. All parties involved in the construction answer the questionnaire. The respondents give a numerical grade, as well as open-ended comments on various themes. The Celkee Insight service is used for the measurement, which provides information on communication, co-operation, trust and professional pride. The criteria for the award are, in addition to the average score given to the themes in the survey, the positive development of the worksite’s results, the response rate for each respondent group and the number of comments.

A constructive feedback culture stems from common goals and trust

At the Finnoo worksite, the average score given to the themes evaluated in the survey developed favourably since the results obtained at the start of the year. The results improved in the areas of communication, co-operation, trust and professional pride. The results were also at a good level. It is worth noting that at Finnoo, the survey respondents left numerous comments. The comments were made in people’s own names and in a constructive spirit. Finnoo’s response rate was 49%. The response rate decreased from the previous survey both for Finnoo and other worksites.

“Conscious efforts have been made by both the contractor and the customer to improve the feedback culture at Finnoo. These efforts are reflected, for example, in the number of comments made by the survey respondents in their own names. We are working together on a project management contract, and we share the opinion with the contractor that giving feedback in your own name is an inherent aspect of collaboration. We openly discuss matters. We don’t single out individuals or lay blame if there is a problem. A multi-year project involves a range of situations and sometimes even challenging moments, but co-operation is necessary in order to resolve problems and reach the finish line,” says Finnoo’s Construction Manager Mika Malkki.

Espoonlahti wins Safest Metro Worksite competition for the third time

2.9.2020

The Safest Metro Worksite competition is Länsimetro’s own occupational safety competition that encourages worksites to take a preventive approach to their work and to continuously improve safety. The goal is zero accidents.

It’s a hat trick for Länsimetro’s Espoonlahti worksite! This is the third time in a row the worksite, whose project management contractor is SRV, has won the Safest Metro Worksite competition. Länsimetro’s occupational safety competition awards the safest worksite of all the active metro construction contracts. As the developer, Länsimetro wants to focus attention on safety and encourage contractors, subcontractors, the developer’s representatives, engineers and everyone working at the construction sites to develop an occupational safety culture that targets zero accidents. The award is given twice a year.

Jonne Juutilainen, SRV’s OHS Manager for the Espoonlahti project, stresses that the safety award was won thanks to the entire worksite.

Safety starts with the right attitude

“With the Safest Metro Worksite competition, Länsimetro encourages construction sites to pay attention to safety by taking a preventive approach and applying corrective measures to avoid accidents. The goal is zero accidents,” Länsimetro’s Risk and Safety Manager, Susanna Laukkanen, sums up.

In the competition, six occupational safety areas are taken into account. These are MVR/TR indicators*, safety observations that lead to measures, near-miss situations, accidents, environmental damage and property damage.

The Espoonlahti worksite gained the most points in the competition in terms of MVR and TR indicators. The Espoonlahti worksite also made the most safety observations that led to follow-up measures, altogether 645. In the previous competition round, Espoonlahti had 793 observations. It is also worth noting that not a single accident occurred at the Sammalvuori depot.

“A worksite can be summed up precisely by its occupational safety culture. At the Espoonlahti worksite, safety is present in all day-to-day work: it can be seen and heard at all times. A safe worksite is no coincidence and it doesn’t just happen – it demands continuous and consistent behaviour. The strong emphasis on safety at the Espoonlahti metro worksite is reflected directly, for instance, in the low number of accidents. Occupational safety also guarantees the progress of the construction project, as employees play a key role in construction,” Laukkanen says, reflecting on Espoonlahti’s third win in a row in the Safest Metro Worksite competition.

Right from the start, SRV’s worksite has had a clear and systematic policy regarding working methods and ground rules. Safety is not built on guidelines alone, however; it really comes down to attitude.

“The most important thing for us at Espoonlahti is that every person working at the construction site makes it home safe and sound every day. Our occupational safety ground rules are apparent at the worksite from one day to the next, and taking occupational safety into account is a normal part of our day and something we don’t mess around with. I believe that attitude is the most important tool in promoting safety. With the right attitude, it’s easy to start building occupational safety,” says Jonne Juutilainen, SRV’s OHS Manager for the Espoonlahti project.

*MVR, known by its Finnish acronym, is an observation-based method for civil engineering measurements to ensure an acceptable level of safety at an earth and water construction worksite. The MVR measurement is used for observing both safety issues that are in order and those in need of improvement. The TR measurement is a method for measuring the safety of building construction sites. The safety measurement focuses on the correct issues, and the positive feedback provides motivation to develop work methods.

Take an art tour around the metro worksites starting on Espoo Day

26.8.2020

The metro worksite fences from Finnoo to Kivenlahti will come alive with art created by 12 individuals or groups.

Street art will liven up the areas surrounding the future metro stations starting on Espoo Day, 28 and 29 August 2020. In the West Metro’s low-threshold street art project, 12 artists or groups were given the opportunity to realise their artwork on the fences of the metro worksites. The project includes private individuals – children and adults alike – as well as players such as Espoon kirjailijat ry, a scouts group, Espoo day-care centres and the Deaconess Foundation.

There are a total of 14 pieces of artwork, and they can be found on the fences of the metro worksites, from Finnoo to Kivenlahti. The fence artwork was created using a range of techniques, including spray painting, acrylic painting, printed work and text. The artistic creations will brighten up the residential environments until summer 2021.

The themes of the street art strongly reflect the distinguishing features of the surrounding residential areas and matters that are important to residents of Espoo. Espoo’s impressive natural landscape, forests, animals and proximity to the sea are highlighted in much of the artwork.

The West Metro’s website contains information on all the street art and where it is located, as well as information about the artists and what is being built at each location.  (in Finnish)

In addition, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti have street art walls that can be freely used by the public. (in Finnish)

Work is proceeding on schedule – construction to end in 2023

The West Metro project involves the construction of five new stations (Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti), seven kilometres of rail line and an underground depot. Construction is under way at all stations and on the rail line, and the depot has already reached the testing phase. All work is proceeding on schedule. Construction will end when the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section is handed over to the traffic operator HKL in 2023. HSL will decide on the start of traffic.

Art is also a key part of the new Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section’s metro station architecture. The aim is to make the stations more attractive, inviting and recognisable. The creations represent different forms of art – light, sound, paintings and sculptures. Read more about the station art here.

Construction of Riihilahti shaft’s pipeline begins with the clearing of trees

3.8.2020
The construction of a pipeline to be built at the Riihilahti shaft will begin in early August with the clearing of trees to the south of the shaft. The pipeline will consist of two pressure sewers, connected to the manhole at Sammentie.
Trees and bushes will be felled and cleared from the area reserved for the pipeline, marked in red on the map.
We apologise for any inconvenience the work may cause.

Further information
Rail line contractor, GRK Infra Oy 24/7 direct phone line to the worksite: +358 (0) 50 516 7606
Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 1 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

 

Koivusaari metro station to open for passengers on 6 August

3.8.2020

The refurbishment of the Koivusaari metro station’s floor has been completed and the metro station will be re-opened to passengers on 6 August. The station will be opened when morning traffic commences. The first train from Koivusaari will leave the station in the direction of Vuosaari at 5:21 a.m. on 6 August. The timetables of all of the metro trains running from Koivusaari are already available on HSL’s Reittiopas service, alongside the other timetables.

The floor refurbishment was carried out at the station due to cracks detected in the platform area’s floor surface material. The floor refurbishment project proceeded according to schedule. In June, the old flooring was removed, while ensuring that metro traffic could continue amidst the dusty demolition work. After Midsummer, the installation of the new flooring was begun in the platform area. In conjunction with the installation, photoluminescent strip indicators used in the West Metro were installed at the station to assist visually impaired people. The work was completed at the end of July.

 

 

Civil engineering work at Kivenlahti from the week starting on 29 June to the week starting on 31 August

10.7.2020

Civil engineering work will be carried out at the Espoonlahti metro station service tunnel starting from 29 June 2020. The work will continue until the end of the week starting on 31 August. This may cause some noise nuisance in the vicinity. Work at the site will be carried out during the working hours specified by the Finnish Environment Institute.

Construction work at the service tunnel is related to the construction of the Kivenlahti Metro Centre in the City of Espoo, with a connection between Höyrylaivantie and the metro’s service tunnel.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the work.

 

Further information:

Direct phone line to the worksite (24/7): +358 (0)50 402 3044

Länsimetro’s feedback line (Mon–Fri, 9 am to 3 pm): +358 (0)50 377 3700

Situation management model keeps West Metro on schedule

29.6.2020

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.

Summary of Länsimetro’s meeting of the Board of Directors on 18 June 2020

24.6.2020

The Board of Directors approved the proposal concerning the transport of rails related to the West Metro superstructures contract via the metro. The rails of the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section will be transported from Vuosaari through the section in operation to be installed in Matinkylä. As the rails are 120 m long, the only way to get them to the rail section is to transport them at night through the metro in operation.

The Board of Directors approved the proposal concerning the feeder points for bikes to be implemented in connection with the Espoonlahti station.

The Board of Directors approved the framework bidding for expert services. The framework bidding was carried out in the form of public procurement.

The Board of Directors approved the review of the contents and the ceiling price of the construction management services for the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section.

A status report on the construction and cost monitoring of the Matinkylä–Kivenlahti section was presented to the Board through a view of the war room. Construction is progressing in line with the project plan’s schedule and budget.

The status of the commissioning planning for the Matinkylä-Kivenlahti section was presented to the Board. The commissioning planning is proceeding on schedule.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on 27 August 2020.

Further information:

Olli Isotalo, Chairman of the Board of Länsimetro Oy, tel. +358 (0)50 593 3359

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

Media contacts: Satu Linkola, Communications Director, tel. +358 (0)46 877 3392