After several years of work, Västlänken’s first underground railway station is now almost complete. We had the opportunity to go below ground and see the full impact of our extensive delivery of secure glazed elements within the finished station environment.
Deep beneath central Gothenburg, Station Centralen is taking its final form. Despite its underground location, the station feels bright, open and spacious, with marble and granite floors and extensive glass surfaces. Long, uninterrupted views stretch through the station, past the escalators and along the platforms.
Awaiting the first passengers
For now, the station remains empty and quiet. The escalators are sealed off, and there are no trains in sight. The station is scheduled to open to passengers in December 2026. In time, Station Centralen will connect commuter and regional rail services with the rest of Gothenburg’s public transport network and is expected to become the busiest of Västlänken’s three stations.
Long glass façades and door assemblies framed by black-coated steel profiles run throughout the station. Behind their slender appearance lies our security solution, Keep®safe system, developed to withstand extremely high levels of impact and force.
– One of the strengths of Keep®safe system is that you cannot see the security built into it. The assemblies blend seamlessly into the architecture, while a high level of protection is built into the construction, says Tomas Persson, co-owner of Keep the company AB and project manager for Västlänken.
The only solution that met the requirements
NCC spent considerable time searching for a suitable solution for all the station’s underground glass façades and door assemblies. The security requirements were extremely high, and extensive calculations ultimately showed that Keep®safe system was the only solution capable of meeting the project specifications.
Keep®safe system is a patented security solution for doors, windows and façades. The system can be adapted to provide protection against gunfire, explosions, fire, terrorist attacks and various forms of forced entry. The specific protective features are determined by the threat assessment and the requirements of each individual project.
The system also makes it possible to combine a very high level of protection with slender profiles and large glass surfaces – a combination that has been essential to this project.
– Västlänken truly demonstrates the strength of our system. Security is critical here, while the requirements for design and functionality are also extremely high. The fact that our solution can meet all these demands is strong evidence of the system’s capabilities, says Tomas.
Security throughout the station
As a subcontractor to NCC, and in close collaboration with Stålpartier i Norr AB (SPINAB), Keep the company has been responsible for the entire delivery. It comprises approximately 1,000 units, all equipped with Keep®safe system. Every unit was manufactured at SPINAB’s production facility in Öjebyn and subsequently installed on site. The work has continued for several years and was carried out in stages as the new underground station gradually took shape.
The assemblies extend along the station’s long platforms and around its eight escalators, where large steel and glass sections separate the accessways from the platforms and track area. Only now, with everything installed and the station itself nearing completion, is the full scale of the delivery clearly visible.
– This is the first time Keep®safe system has been used on this scale within a single station environment. Seeing the solution extend throughout the station while becoming such a natural part of the architecture is a truly significant moment for us, says Tomas.
An important reference project for the future
Västlänken is one of Sweden’s largest and most complex infrastructure projects. Construction beneath central Gothenburg has been under way since 2018. Station Centralen is one of three new underground stations and will be the first section to enter service. The entire Västlänken railway, including the Haga and Korsvägen stations, is expected to open to traffic around 2030.
For Keep the company, Station Centralen is a highly significant project. It demonstrates that Keep®safe system can be implemented on a very large scale and integrated into complex public environments where the demands for security, functionality, quality and design are exceptionally high.
The project has required close cooperation between many stakeholders over an extended period. Maintaining a close dialogue with NCC Infrastructure throughout the process has been an essential part of the work.
– We are proud that Keep®safe system has been given such a central role in one of Sweden’s largest infrastructure projects, and deeply grateful to NCC for the trust placed in us and for the excellent cooperation throughout the project, concludes Tomas.
