The beginning of the year for the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan (ToTo) project has been marked with the expansion of the project to several substantive areas and the launch of several new work packages. In particular, the preparation of the operating concept and scenarios, as well as various technical reports and descriptions, have meant a major workload for the project.

The implementation plan for the implementation phase is a comprehensive description of how and what kind of ERTMS system will be implemented throughout the Finnish state-owned commercial rail network by 2040. The implementation plan not only describes the requirements for the major equipment purchases during the implementation phase, but also the project’s operating models during the implementation phase, the phasing of the implementation phase and the internal organisation of the project. The implementation plan can be described as a kind of a script, according to which the implementation phase will work towards the aspired goal.

In the first trimester of the year, the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan (ToTo) project launched several major tasks that will play a crucial role in the successful outcome and implementation of the whole implementation phase. These include, for example

  1. A system development model to guide system development during the implementation phase. An implementation phase system development model is a work model for developing the implementation phase system from concept to deployment. This work is important to ensure that the systems being developed separately will eventually form a single, coherent whole that meets the project’s objectives. For this purpose, the systems include the Centralised Control Command and Signaling System and the Object Controllers (CSS and OC), the Traffic Management System (TMS), radio and telecommunications, the infrastructure model and the cyber security aspect.
  2. Operating concept and scenarios for the implementation phase. The operating concept is the basis for the development of the implementation phase system, and the concept will help in ensuring that the implementation phase system is designed with the user in the centre. This is why the operating concept plays a very important role in the development of a successful implementation. The operating scenarios detail the characteristics and functionalities of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) functions and systems, and therefore also serve as the basis for the definition of system requirements. 
  3. A set of technical reports and descriptions where we refine the operating concept and scenario work at a technical level. This comprehensive whole will then result in the equipment procurement requirements for the implementation phase.

All the work in the Digirail project is guided by the objectives set for Digirail. During spring and early autumn, we have reinforced the guiding role of the objectives in the development of the implementation plan and identified areas for further strengthening to ensure the delivery of the objectives during the implementation phase.

“With regard to the key work in the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan (ToTo) project, the work has been transferred to practical implementation during the second trimester of the year and taken forward according to plan. This is important for the success of the whole project. The practical work will continue, and the pace of the work will accelerate towards the end of the year and next spring,” says Saara Haapala, Project Manager for the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan project.

The next public version of the implementation plan will be published in January 2026.

Additional information:
Saara Haapala,
Project Manager for the Implementation Phase Implementation Plan project 

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