The procurement of a testing system for the ETCS test laboratory will speed up the deployment of the European train control system in Finland. The ETCS test laboratory to be built in the learning centre for track engineering will enable safe and cost-effective testing of new ETCS systems in a virtual environment prior to field testing.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has launched a systems and equipment procurement project to ensure the safe and efficient deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS/ETCS) in Finland.
Finland’s current train control system (junien kulunvalvontajärjestelmä, JKV) is approaching the end of its life cycle toward the end of the 2020s. With the Digirail project, Finland will transfer to using the European radio-based ETCS (European Train Control System), which will bring rail traffic control into a new era.
The ETCS test laboratory tests ETCS-related systems before they are deployed.
“The procurement covers ETCS subsystem test equipment, software and related installation, maintenance, development, support and training services. The laboratory can simulate train traffic and the railway network for ETCS systems and comprehensively test interoperability before the systems are installed on the terrain,” Project Manager Juha Lehtola shares about the procurement content and objectives.
The main objective of the laboratory is to ensure that the systems of the Digirail project meet all technical and functional requirements, support ETCS integration and interoperability, and are ready for the testing phases required for deployment.
“Our aim is to create an entirety that will enable the commercial deployment of ETCS projects and the testing necessary for their approval. We also want to build an architecture that evolves as ETCS expertise grows and is able to meet future needs. This means that we would not need a separate laboratory for each track section, but are building a future-proof and evolving overall solution,” says Mikko Natunen, Head of the Testing and Approvals division.
Safe and cost-effective testing
The ETCS test laboratory will allow testing to start at an early phase, as well as testing methods that cannot be carried out on the terrain for reasons related to safety or costs. The laboratory provides a safe and cost-effective environment for verifying the interoperability of the system components prior to the testing phases to be conducted on the actual railway network.
In addition to laboratory testing, other forms of testing, such as field testing, remain important. In each case, the most appropriate test environment is chosen.
We welcome tenders until 20 November 2025; read more on the procurement.
The Digirail project is making rail transport in Finland safer, smoother and more efficient. The project is reinventing the outdated train control system and introducing a shared European radio-based train control system across the entire rail network. Digirail will enable safe transport, an improved service level and growth of capacity, and it will create a long-term technical foundation for Finnish railway traffic. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Fintraffic and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are collaborating in the project with other actors.