We continue our series introducing the people behind Digirail. This time, we are introducing Process Expert Olli-Pekka Maasalmi.
How long have you worked on the project? How did you get involved in Digirail?
I have been working on the project since spring 2022. At that time, I applied for an open position as an expert, for which the employer was looking for expertise in the operational activities of traffic control and in the area of the EKA track section in particular.
At Fintraffic Railway, I started as a traffic controller in Tampere in 2015 (then Finrail), and over the years I have worked, among other things, as a work instructor, traffic control expert and a main instructor. I have also been involved in a variety of remote control and safety equipment projects, so I have experience in traffic control from different perspectives and I am well acquainted with the current traffic control area of Satakunta, which corresponds to the EKA track section.
Digirail was therefore the natural next step to get involved in the development of the Finnish railway system on a larger scale.
Tell us more about your job.
The project takes 50% of my working hours, but nowadays a major part of my other work tasks also involve working with matters related to Digirail. My tasks have varied as needed, and during the past year I have worked, for example, in the development of EKA’s safety equipment and remote control system procurements, the radio network monitoring concept, EKA track’s operation scenarios, and the development of shunting.
My goal is to bring competence and insight on traffic control into the project, as the Digirail project not only implements a technical renewal of train control and safety devices, but changes are inevitably also required in many operation-related guidelines and concepts with the deployment of new systems. I am assisting the project in taking into account the perspective of traffic control and traffic controllers to make the transition from JKV to the ETCS world as smooth as possible.
What do you find most interesting about the project?
With Digirail, what is absolutely the most interesting thing about the project is that you can continue learning new things all the time. Throughout my career in the railway world, I have been interested in how the current interlockings and control systems work, and Digirail has provided me a unique opportunity to get to know the inner workings of the European Train Control System. The project has also required that I broaden my general understanding of railway technology much more than I have had to do in any of my previous work tasks.
What do you do in your free time?
In my leisure time, my two small children still under school age ensure that there is no idle time left in my days. In addition to my family life, I enjoy spending time watching sports and playing video and board games.