HKL, at the forefront of railway simulation systems in Finland

The first thing that comes to mind when we think about Finland is cold and snow or the contrast between the midnight sun and polar nights. However, it has much more to offer and it is for this reason that Finland has been ranked the world's happiest country, according to a United Nations report.

For those who want to know why Finland is the world's happiest country, the best thing would be to visit the cold and charming Finnish regions and, among other places, its capital, Helsinki. The capital of Finland is known for its beautiful modern buildings, its many different islands, etc. In addition, another noteworthy aspect of the capital is its accessibility, which undoubtedly improves the quality of life of its inhabitants.

HKL, the entity managing Helsinki's transport networks, is committed to offering a multimodal public transport system that guarantees a comfortable, safe and environmentally sustainable service. It is responsible for managing the subway, tram, urban bicycles and ferry services, so all upgrades are implemented across the public transport system with the aim of improving it and guaranteeing an efficient network.

Recently, HKL has invested heavily in rolling stock, which uses sustainable sources of energy to move around the city. In addition, the entity has worked during these intense months in the definition of the common training centre with simulators for subway and tram drivers, which will help improve the system and achieve the ambitious goals set forth.

As a result of this work, HKL recently announced that LANDER will become its sole supplier of the new tram and subway simulation centre. This contract was awarded in a public tender in which LANDER became the successful bidder with the highest score.

In general terms, the project will include the supply of four tram driver simulators and four subway driver simulators, which will be used to simulate the operations of Artic Transtech SKODA trams and the M300 subway manufactured by CAF, respectively. The software includes many different functions that will be described later on and it will guarantee a realistic training method, according to the HKL's operation of the simulators.

LANDER is immensely proud of being an active part of the design, installation and maintenance of this innovative training centre over the next few years. This is also a very important step for LANDER, consolidating its position in Nordic countries with the existing projects, such as the driver simulation centre of Stockholm Subway or the Oslo tram in Norway, which is currently being manufactured.