Year: 2019

Now when the Metro is to be extended southwards from the station in Kungsträdgården, the same construction tunnel will be used as that used in the 1970’s. The tunnel contains fill from the last time the Metro was extended.

In October, Region Stockholm and the City of Stockholm performed a test by loading some of the blasted rock and excavated soil on to a ship, to determine, among other things, how the noise generated by the loading would be experienced in the surroundings. We have now received the results:

“From what we can see, there will be no major difference for the immediate surroundings when it comes to noise. Both transporting the excavated rock by truck and loading it on to a ship or barge fall below the noise requirements that we have been ordered to meet in our environmental rulings,” says Andreas Burghauser, Project Director for the Blue Line to Södermalm. 
Boat transport better for the climate
The report that is now finished has not only looked at sound in the surroundings, but also at the economy and the impact on the climate. The costs will be approximately the same for both alternatives. On the other hand, boat transport is better for the climate in the scenario that is considered in the report. The trucks will need to drive through the inner-city area via Strandvägen, whereas the boats in the scenario will pass through the locks at Hammarby and then continue to Södertälje. 

“Now we have learnt a lot more. This outcome means that we will continue as planned and those contractors who want to submit tenders for the work will need to show us how they intend to work with both alternatives and what they cost,” says Andreas Burghauser.

Not yet clear where the material will be transported
The continued work on drilling and blasting the Metro from Kungsträdgården is calculated to begin in approximately a year’s time. Then the construction tunnel will be used to remove excavated rock and soil for another two to three years. Exactly where the excavated rock material will be received has not yet been decided, irrespective of how it is transported. 

“This is something we are continuing to work on together with the City of Stockholm,” says Andreas Burghauser. 

“Early next year we’ll start getting organised to work on the new project”, says Stefan Persson, Head of the Planning Department for Region Stockholm’s Extended Metro Administration.

He will take initial responsibility for the extension from Fridhemsplan to Älsvjö. And he knows what to expect – because Stefan was one of the first people to start working on the new underground line in spring 2014.

48,500 new homes
“It’s great that we can benefit from everything we’ve learned over the years. It’s going to be fun to start again from the beginning with studies and consultations”, says Stefan Persson.

The new line will have six stations: Fridhemsplan, Liljeholmen, Årstaberg, Årstafältet, Östberga and Älvsjö. The exact route of the line and the station positions may change during the investigation and consultation periods. According to the contract, the City of Stockholm will build 48,500 new homes close to the new line.

Optimal station positions
“Now we just need to find the best route for the line. Together with the City of Stockholm we’ll also be finding the optimal station positions, so the underground line is as useful as possible to future travellers”, says Stefan Persson.

On Blasieholmen, a work tunnel still remains from when the Kungsträdgården underground station was constructed in the late 1970’s. The tunnel is currently full of rubble, but because the tunnel will be used again when the Blue Line is extended south, this needs to be removed.

“We’re taking the opportunity to run a test over several days to see whether it’s effective to remove rock from here by boat”, explains project manager Andreas Burghauser.

Region Stockholm and the City of Stockholm are carrying out the test together to evaluate the environmental impact of boat transport compared to transport by truck.

“We’ll be measuring noise, but also calculating the climate impact”, says Andreas Burghauser.

Many factors involved
During the construction period, the work tunnel on Blasieholmen will be used for two to three years to remove blasted rock from the underground construction site.

“We’ll take into account the results of the tests when we decide how to transport the rock away from the site. But there are a lot of other things that also play a role. It must be financially reasonable and it must be possible to satisfactorily resolve reception of the rock”, says Andreas Burghauser.

How the test will be carried out:
The rock and soil in the work tunnel will be transported with a wheel loader to a boat moored at the museum quay. The entire test area will be fenced in, and the quay will be restored to its original condition when the test is completed. The work will take place from 14 to 31 October. It will take about a week to open the old work tunnel and set up the work area. Then the actual test will run for three or four days.

Up until now the tracks at Kungsträdgården have ended a hundred metres or so into the tunnel south of the platform. At this point the entire platform structure will be demolished before work can start on construction of the new tunnels to extend the Blue line southwards.

“We have been looking forward to this for a long time. Now we are one step closer to an extended Blue line towards Nacka and Söderort,” says Ann-Christin Zander-Holwaster, Project Manager for BEST (Track, Electrical, Signal and Telecom) works.

Work started on the night before Monday 26 August with the erection of a new buffer on one of the tracks at the southern end of the platform. Now the rails will be cut and transported away to provide space for the machinery and vehicles that will be used during the tunnelling work.

Temporary roads will also be built a few metres into the tunnel to provide protection against the spread of dust and noise once work starts on the tunnel extension.

The preparatory works will take a couple of months and in the meantime passengers will be able to use the station in the normal way.

Published: 2019-06-13

The number of work environment accidents with a fatal outcome has increased in Sweden during recent years. And the construction industry is one important area in which there are far too many deaths at work. 

The focus of the work being done for the Extended Metro Administration is that there shall be no serious workplace accidents. 

“This is a self-evident goal. I could even go as far as to say that it is our most important goal,” says Fredrik Moback, who is Sustainability Coordinator with responsibility for the Metro to Arenastaden, the Metro to Barkarby and for the extended depot.
Preparations are the most important factor
Despite the fact that construction of the Metro is so far only in progress in Barkarby, work environment activities at Extended Metro Administration have already been underway for some time.

“Our preventive work is extremely important. With good procurements, training courses and safety inspections we will come a long way. Giving the contractor enough time will take us still further because it is most often when we are stressed that we are tempted to take short-cuts,” says Anna Ruhn, Work Environment Manager for the Metro to Nacka and Söderort.
Shared responsibility
As facility proprietor, the Administration has the overall responsibility for the work environment, whereas the appointed contractors have client responsibility.

“This is really an area in which our own interests, and those of our contractors, coincide. Nobody wants accidents to happen. At the same time, it is important to recognise that a good work environment does not come cheaply,” says Fredrik Moback.

Personal presence an important factor
At the procurement stage, it is of decisive importance to show the contractor just how important work environment matters are. And once the wok is in progress, Fredrik Moback, Anna Ruhn and their colleagues will have to be present at the building site, taking part in the safety inspections and checking the work of the contractors. 

“As a major public player we have enormous responsibilities. We have to keep the flag flying high and make sure that the issues involved always remain high on the agenda,” says Fredrik Moback.

“We cannot overlook these issues – we must be hard and ruthless in this respect,” says Anna Ruhn.

Published 2019-05-06

When the Blue Line is extended from Kungsträdgården, the first stop will be Sofia in East Södermalm. The tunnels will go through rock, on a straight course under Saltsjön.

That is one of the explanations why the station will be so deep – 100 metres below the surface.

“Under Saltsjön there is a weakness zone in the rock that we need to go beneath. Södermalm is also at a high level, so overall it will be this deep,” says Andreas Burghauser, project director for the Blue Line to Södermalm.

The station itself, with the platforms underground and the ticket hall in Stigbergsparken 100 metres above, will be built both from below and from above.

“We will build a very large shaft and then fill it with content. You could compare it with building a high-rise, but downwards instead of upwards,” says Andreas Burghauser.

The deepest station in the world today is 105.5 metres below the ground, in Ukraine’s capital Kiev. But Region Stockholm has no ambition to beat the record.

“We are building as deep as we need to and we have a responsibility to look after the taxpayers’ money. Building the deepest in the world is not a goal for us,” says Andreas Burghauser.

New conditions and requirements
The last major expansion of the Metro took place around 40 years ago, when the Blue Line was built. Now another annual ring is being added to Stockholm’s Metro network and this time there are new rules, requirements and construction methods.

What is new at Sofia Stations is that passengers can take lifts instead of escalators up to street level.

“As a passenger, it is hard to tell if the platform you are standing on is 10 or 100 metres below the surface, but taking the lift up will certainly be a novelty for many. There will be eight lifts with space for 30 people in each. There is nothing like that on the Metro today,” says Andreas Burghauser.

Going up in the lift will take about 30 seconds, a lot faster than it would have been with escalators and a faster trip up to ground level than at many of today’s stations.

The first part of Sofia Station to be built is a work tunnel from ground level at Londonviadukten, where machinery, personnel, building materials and rock spoil will be transported throughout the construction period.
If all necessary permits are in place, work will begin in autumn 2019.

Published: 2019-03-18

Construction began with a ceremonial starting blast in a rock cavern in Barkarby, which brought together all the parties who are involved in paying for the new Metro.

The rock cavern is a legacy from the time when the location was a military airfield. The first new Metro tunnels will be built from there, and soon we will see huge trucks driving around – filled with the stone that has been blasted out.

A long-awaited day
“We’re finally beginning construction! This is the day that I and all my colleagues have worked so hard for and longed for, for several years,” says Anna Nylén.

She is project manager for the Blue Line to Barkarby, which is the first part of the new Metro to be built, although today’s starting blast is for the whole construction:

“We are now starting the largest expansion in Stockholm public transport since the Blue Line was built in the 70s! “It really feels like a historic day,” says administration director for the new subway Mårten Frumerie.

A new Yellow Line
The metro’s Blue Line is to be extended from Akalla to Barkaby, and from Kungsträdgården to Nacka and the southern suburbs. A brand new Yellow Line will be built from Odenplan to Arenastaden and eventually a new line will also be built from Fridhemsplan to Älvsjö.
 

Speakers in the picture:
Kristoffer Tamsons (M), Traffic Region Council
Irene Svenonius (M), Financial Region Council
Anna König Järlmyr (M), Municipal Chairman of the City of Stockholm
Mats Gerdau (M), Municipal Chairman of Nacka Municipality
Pehr Granfalk (M), Municipal Chairman of the City of Solna
Emma Feldman (M), Municipal Chairman of Järfälla Municipality
Helena Sundberg, Stockholm Regional Manager, Swedish Transport Administration

This is the start of a building project that will be noticeable in the surrounding area for years to come.

“Our construction time is about six years, from now until the subway is up and running. It will be most noticeable in the first few years, and least noticeable towards the end, when we will be conducting test drives down in the newly constructed tunnels,” says Anna Nylén, Project Manager for the Blue Line to Barkarby. 

In January, excavators will start rolling into the work areas, and the first blast will be carried out sometime in March.

“I’m looking forward to it! We’ve been working for a long time to finally get to that day,” says Anna Nylén.