Länsimetro West Metro Extension

Amidst the relaxing and picturesque Finnish landscape, where sustainability lies at the heart of urban planning, the extension of the West Metro system has emerged as a pivotal catalyst in enhancing public transportation. This development has led to creation of vibrant, pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods characterized by a harmonious blend of residential and commercial spaces centred around strategically positioned stations.

Linking East Helsinki to the western suburbs of Espoo, the two metro lines are the central veins of the city. Since its opening in August 1982, the 43-kilometer track has been subject to extensions supported by the development of better safety and control technologies. With a growing number of passengers in 2019 reaching 92 million people, the transport system needed to grow as well.

As Helsinki seamlessly integrates unique outdoor experiences, such as mobile saunas, seasonal transport boats, and avant-garde trams, the West Metro's expansion marks a significant advancement in the network and extends its influence beyond Helsinki. The two-phase project extends the West Metro from Ruoholahti to Kivenlahti to accommodate the increasing number of commuters and tourists. This progress not only fosters sustainable growth in outlying towns but also significantly elevates the overall efficiency and accessibility of the public transportation network.

Jensen Hughes Europe has been actively involved since the commencement of the expansion in 2007. Our team of experts helped develop evacuation procedures that work in the older and newer segments of the tracks and stations while remaining code compliant.

One of the most exciting aspects of this project is developing a fire strategy that could work with the old structure of the railway and the new proposed rail. Where the new structure is built according to the new set of codes depicted by the local Helsinki City Transport Authority, our team of experts needed clarification to mark the discrepancies between old and new designs. Working on solving these differences made this project ultimately exciting and stimulating to find innovative solutions.

Collaboration between the Helsinki City Transport Authority, Länsimetro Oy, SWECO PM, CJN Architects and main designer Hannu Mikola to overcome design issues has been paramount in adapting the fire strategy to align with the updated codes. Rigorous testing and simulations have been conducted to ensure that the new structure of the Länsimetro project meets or exceeds the safety standards set forth by the revised codes.

In the project's first stage, our fire engineering experts developed the fire technical design and risk assessment for a 14-kilometer extension, with eight stations built in a tunnel excavated in bedrock. We also inspected the development of the construction work on-site to test, control and check the progress.

At the successful completion of our services during phase one, we were also assigned to carry out the client’s internal quality control services in risk and fire through phase two of the western extension in 2014 that was planned from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti. Phase 2 extension includes a 7-kilometer track long and five stations and an underground metro depo.

In a culture renowned for being the happiest, inclusivity in urban planning becomes essential and imperative. JH experts were challenged to provide accessibility and easy evacuation plans when working with underground tunnels constructed at a depth of approximately 20 to 40 meters from the ground level. These evacuation models had to consider the needs of the most vulnerable individuals to ensure proper and effective escape routes that accommodate lifts and ramps.

Liaising with architects and designers, our technical staff used their expertise in building smart and innovative evacuation plans and simulations to develop a system divided into compartments of isolated parts in the underground structure. Fascinating rounds of simulations were conducted in order to visualize the best exit route and the compartmentation of the space.

The result is safe escape routes between dirty tunnels where incidents occur and clean tunnels that become isolated to keep passengers, workers, and tourists safe. Our team of engineers also successfully designed a new evacuation lift model for the underground and tunnels to respond to people’s need for easy and clean evacuation routes.

Currently, the evacuation system prototype we designed for this project is also used in other projects in Finland, such as high-rise towers and a complex shopping mall project.

Our team provided regular support for code compliance reviews and site inspections. More than 160 inspections were facilitated to study the alignment of the on-site work with the design intentions. We detected any deviations from the plans at the early stages, preventing additional costs or construction time.

Overall, Länsimetro represents a significant advancement in Helsinki's transportation network, enhancing connectivity, accessibility, and sustainability for the entire region. Where Länsimetro is famous for being the ‘safest metro in the world,’ Jensen Hughes’s contribution to developing a fire strategy for over 15 years makes this modern urban transport successful.

‘We have had a long-term cooperation with Jensen Hughes. We always need experts, it's such special expertise that is needed; Jensen Hughes has all good specialists. In fact, the best producers in Finland. I am delighted that the quality is what is promised and that the delivery schedules are kept. It will do well in the market.’

Mikko Piitulainen, Project Manager, West Metro project

“Jensen Hughes helped us to ensure the compliance with statutory requirements by identifying the hidden defects and deviations in early stage and by avoiding repeated mistakes. No surprises in implementation phase and minimised risk for schedule delays.”

Mikko Mauro, Safety specialist, West Metro project.