The Tampere-Pori/Rauma track section is being built at a brisk pace. Over the past year, the focus has been on field work, such as cabling and installation work. The first system integration tests have also started in a laboratory environment. Next year, the focus will gradually shift to testing.
The first commercial track section (EKA) is currently under construction on the Tampere-Pori/Rauma line. The purpose of the track section is to test the new European Train Control System (ETCS) and to provide valuable information for the planning of Digirail’s long-term, cost-effective and rational implementation throughout Finland.
The massive preparatory work for the EKA project was completed in 2022–2023. The preparatory work has resulted in a vision and a set of requirements for how the new train control system as a whole will be procured.
“As a result of thorough preparation, last year we were able to go through major tendering, such as for the centralised signalling system, object controllers and remote control systems. In October 2024, the construction of the EKA track section was really off to a start. This year we have been very much involved in field work, doing a lot of construction work, such as cabling and installation. As the construction work progresses, the focus will gradually shift towards testing in 2026,” says Aapo Tiilikainen, Project Manager for the EKA project.
How has the work progressed this year?
In the spring, the digital laboratory environment for the Rail Training Centre (RTC) was completed, and system integration testing has already started. In practice, the laboratory environment will be used to test the interoperability of the centralised signalling system and the external equipment. Later, the laboratory environment will also be used to test the interoperability of rolling stock. The test laboratory means that as little testing as possible needs to be done in the field.
This year, the plan is to complete the cable routes and, by autumn, the installation of the signalling system in the equipment rooms. Construction of the remote control system will also begin this year.
In addition, the first ETCS balises will be built on the track section later this year. The chosen balise supplier is Siemens Oy and the company will also supply the centralised signalling system for the track section.
What’s in store for next year?
SIT (System Integration Testing) will start next year, and once the testing is completed, the plan is to start operative testing in late 2026.
Hybrid Train Detection (HTD) functionalities will be ready for testing on the EKA track section in 2027. HTD functionalities can bring significant capacity benefits, especially on the track sections that will have busier traffic with Digirail. With the HTD solution, blocks can be implemented programmatically.
“In just a few years, we have come a strikingly long way in terms of the know-how regarding the new system in Finland. That is something we can be genuinely proud of in our Digirail team. I do not think that there is a single analogue country in Europe that has hit the ground running quite as we have with regard to achieving a similar level of know-how in the same time. This is a good place to continue our work,” Tiilikainen says.