We set a new record for a finishing time at the last project meeting. As per usual, we had a 1pm start and a scheduled 4pm finsh. The 1pm start is never a problem, you can set your watch by it. The 4pm finish, on the other hand, that's up there with unicorns and Free Markets. Last week, for the first time, we crossed the 8pm threshold. It's beyond ridiculous now. More than half the time is spent talking about issues which only involve maybe 2 people. Stuff that can be resolved by telephone or email after the meeting. Another big chunk of the time is spent stressing over work which isn't even part of our current delivery package. We have a large package to deliver in a couple of weeks. Then we have a second package which is due in March/April next year. Yet again I had to play project Grinch and suggest that we start talking about those secondary issues in November, after we have delivered the first package. Yet again, the table seemed thoroughly pissed off with me, including the highly paid project manager who's job it is to keep these meetings on track. The irony was that everyone has now starting wailing about wanting an extension of time for their work. They wouldn't be needing one if they just did what they had to do. This is a big client but, in my eyes, they have really lost control of this project. With a project value of 250M SEK, you'd think they would be a little better organised.
It wasn't all bad, mind. Earlier that day we had a trip down into the mine itself. Right down to the base which is at 1700 something metres. As someone cleverly pointed out to me, I was now one mile closer to NZ. I hadn't thought about that. The trip down into the mine was quite entertaining. The road tunnel is maybe 6 metres wide, and about the same height. It spirals the whole time, with the longest straight section being maybe 200m long. It's also completely unlit, which means that you are dependant solely on vehicle headlights. The van we were in seemed a bit dodgy so I wasn't full of confidence. Getting down to the bottom level takes about half an hour. Because the mine hasn't all been built at the same time, the road veers off in all directions as branches and levels have been added. I could see that it would be very easy to lose your way down there. Every now and then we'd come across a street sign, of a depth sign but they were few and far between. Intersections gave a bit of added excitement. The Right Hand rule seemed to have been replaced by the Fastest And Biggest rule. There were traffic lights at a couple of intersections but they seemed to be more of a guide. As well as the vehicle tunnels, there are also rail tunnels, where they haul out the ore. The problem is that they all look exactly the same. I was sitting in the van, casually looking at a side tunnel road and suddenly a massive train and wagons shot through. I don't know how fast they were travelling but it wasn't slow.
The working conditions down in the mine were a shock to me. Ok, it's an underground mine, but I expected conditions to be a bit more modern and civilised then they turned out to be. The air quality was a shock. I could feel after only a few minutes that it was a lower quality than my body was used to. Humid, full of particles, and quite a lot of temperature fluctuations. It's not somewhere I would want to spend my days. I know they get paid well, but still. I thought we were better than that with people these days.
The trip back up took 45 minutes, and it was here where we could really appreciate the slope of the road. In many places it wasn't much more than a crawl. It's not the sort of place where you can pop out during morning tea time to pick up some cat food or milk. I was surprised by the volume of traffic going up and down the whole time. There seemed always to be a vehicle on the same stretch as us. Many seemed to be personal cars as well. As part of my mine entrance certifying there was a section on requirements for taking personal cars into the mine, so it is allowed. But who would want to subject their car to that ?
The LKAB mine in Kiruna is an amazing operation. During the summer months they take public bus tours down. If you get the opportunity to do so, it's worth the experience. Feels like the closest you would get to actually being in The Lord Of The Rings. Or being a Troll.
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