Research Collaboration Functional and Safe Railway Track (TUTOR)

Research Collaboration Functional and Safe Railway Track (TUTOR)

Tampere University and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency have entered into a cooperation agreement concerning research, education, and expert collaboration. The goal of the TUTOR collaboration is to develop railway maintenance in a way that ensures safe train traffic and enables sustainable and cost-effective mobility on the tracks.

The content of the collaboration aims to address phenomena identified in the railway sector:

• Reduction in resources allocated to railway maintenance
• Ensuring functional and safe train traffic
• Increasing data-driven decision-making
• Broader recognition of the benefits of railway maintenance in developing impact assessment
• Reducing environmental impacts and promoting circular economy
• Securing expertise in the field

Achieving safe and functional railway maintenance requires high-quality data and its effective utilization. The research framework consists of six focus areas (Figure 1), which reflect the goals of the research. The actual research comprises separate, more precisely defined research projects, each contributing to the achievement of the overall objectives. The research covers the years 2025–2028.

Loads, travel speeds, and traffic needs change over time. In particular, rail freight transport has changed rapidly, issues of security of supply have become more prominent, and preparedness for various crises has become routine. Emission reduction targets in transportation strongly guide operations, and the general rise in cost levels requires doing things more sustainably and cost-effectively than before as the circular economy is playing an increasingly important role in railway maintenance. A shortage of skilled professionals is a daily challenge in planning and construction.

Research aimed at lifecycle economic railway maintenance has already been conducted through four research programs in collaboration between the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and Tampere University. Continuous research cooperation enables the accumulation of knowledge and the growth of expertise.

Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency