The Digirail project for reforming Finland’s train control system is moving forward with a collaborative alliance model. The agreement between the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and Fintraffic on the implementation phase takes the project from development work towards broader implementation and demonstrates how a partnership based on trust can accelerate the reform of the entire railway sector.
The Digirail project will reform and modernise Finland’s train control system by introducing a modern, radio-network-based European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The goal is to have the new system in use across the entire 6,000-kilometre rail network by 2040.
This is one of the biggest technical reforms in the history of Finland’s railway system. Such a large-scale project requires development work in which the system is designed and coordinated from the perspective of the entire railway system.
Digirail work has been conducted with the alliance model since 2022. The alliance between the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and Fintraffic started during the development and verification phase, during which the key principles of the system, technical solutions, and Finland’s national implementation path were defined.
In February 2026, the parties also signed an alliance agreement on the implementation phase. The task of the alliance is to continue leading the development of Digirail and to ensure that the solutions work from the perspective of the entire railway system.
The alliance model supports joint decision-making
The alliance model has proven to be an effective way of promoting large-scale and complex infrastructure projects. The model emphasizes open cooperation, joint decision-making, and the sharing of the risks and benefits.
“In an alliance, we talk openly, solve challenges together, and share both the risks and the benefits. Working in the Digirail project has been smooth and harmonious, and there is a strong sense of trust between the parties,” says Esa Sirkiä, Department Director at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
The collaboration is based on combining the expertise of both organisations. As the infrastructure manager, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency brings its expertise in investment, procurement, and safety equipment for the benefit of the project, as well as a dialogue with the European Union and other international actors. Fintraffic rail traffic management, in turn, brings expertise in the development of traffic control and systems as well as project management.
“The alliance model is particularly effective in large and complex reforms. It enables joint solution development and decision-making, where the overall benefit guides actions rather than the individual role boundaries,” says Sanna Järvenpää, CEO at Fintraffic Railway.
Coordinated national solution
One of Digirail’s key strengths is that the system is defined and developed from the perspective of the entire railway system.
Although the actual alliance agreement is between the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and Fintraffic, Digirail is a wide-scale collaboration project on a national and European level. The work is carried out in close cooperation with, among others, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Traficom, VR, and several European infrastructure managers and teams of experts.
“A significant strength of Digirail is that the key players in Finland’s rail infrastructure are involved in its definition and testing. This enables solutions to be developed in an actual operating environment,” says Järvenpää.