From the outset, the aim of the Digirail project has been to create opportunities for new business and export operations for companies through innovation and pioneering. Now these efforts are bearing fruit, as the expertise and know-how developed in Finland have opened doors to global markets. WSP’s Finnish experts are currently exporting their expertise to Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand.
When the Digirail project was launched in 2019 and work began on studies related to the European Train Control System (ETCS) and on laying the foundations for a new train control system, several experts from Proxion (now part of WSP) joined the project to carry out tasks such as the initial architectural specifications. The technologies and implementation methods were completely new to everyone, but Finnish experts boldly took on the challenge. The aim was to learn together, explore and seek a new solution that would best benefit Finland.
Proxion and the Digirail project had a clear vision of the future and a strong desire to change the world. That is why Proxion boldly joined the project, investing in hiring experts and developing expertise. Among other things, Proxion was the first company in Finland to bring radio network experts with a work background in Nokia to the railway industry and to establish its own ETCS design team.
“Without the courage of Proxion’s chief shareholder, the Digirail project, as well as the support provided by the project, we would not have developed to the level we are at today. We took risks, tried new things and participated in the development of the industry. The solutions did not always go as planned, but the end result has been a success,” says Mikko Saarinen, Sector Director Rail & Advisory at WSP Finland.
Finnish expertise is being exported to global metropolises
In 2024, Proxion became part of WSP. The acquisition created an enormous number of new international opportunities for the experts involved in the Digirail project. As part of the global WSP network of 72,800 employees, Proxion’s expertise gained even greater value.
“The acquisition was a turning point. We got to introduce ourselves to WSP’s global management team in Berlin, and they were amazed at how Finland could produce such top-level expertise,” Mikko Saarinen comments.
“Following the acquisition, we quickly realised how comprehensive and unique our community of experts is. Our international colleagues began asking us to participate in global projects, and soon Finnish expertise became a selling point for WSP’s customers around the world,” says Lauri Aarnio, Business Area Director in Rail Technologies for WSP.
One major international reference is the Digirail project, which involved surveying the coverage and audibility of commercial radio networks across the entire Finnish rail network. Proxion supplied the measurement systems and carried out the measurements. Nothing similar has been done elsewhere.
Based on the joint efforts made and the expertise gained in the Digirail project, Finland has developed an international export product. Finnish experts provide consulting services across Europe and elsewhere, including in the ETCS project in New Zealand, the system design of the underground in Chile and the 5G radio network solution for the New York subway.
Exports also bring new expertise to Finland
International projects are not just about exporting expertise to other countries; they also bring new know-how back to Finland. International assignments offer WSP’s experts the opportunity to grow and develop, and to bring valuable experience to Finnish projects.
“International assignments motivate our staff, and we are delighted to be able to offer them significant projects. The development of expertise achieved through collaboration in the Digirail project has enabled Finland to nurture new top experts and take its existing expertise even further,” Mikko Saarinen reflects.
“The example of WSP shows that Digirail is not only a Finnish railway development project, but a gateway to the world. It shows how expertise developed in Finland can achieve global scale and shape future transport solutions around the world,” says Jari Pylvänäinen, Digirail Project Officer at Fintraffic Railway.