The Tampere tram would not run without digital tramway management and control system

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    The system makes it possible to see in real time how traffic runs and whether the various partners are sticking to their service obligations.

    Updated 25.4.2022

    Author Ambientia

    The Tampere tram has been one of Finland’s most significant public transport projects of the past decades.

    What is special about the company that handles the entity, Tampereen Raitiotie Oy, is that they do not carry out any operational activities themselves but purely collect and connect all service providers and partners around the market that enable traffic and maintenance for both carriages and infrastructure.

    Bringing systems and data of several different actors together

    As the number of partners is large, a digital tramway management and control system was needed to facilitate the management of the system as a whole.

    In practice, a management and control system brings together the systems of several different actors and the data they produce. The system makes it possible to see in real time how traffic runs and whether the various partners are sticking to their service obligations.

    “We wanted to have an information system that shows us how the carriages are moving, what the traffic situation is and how the maintenance is coming along. Our goal was to collect all the scattered information in one place, ”recalls Jonna Anttila, Security and System Manager at Tampereen Raitiotie Oy.

    When selecting the system supplier, the company conducted a market survey. On this basis, bids were requested from potential system vendors with the capacity to complete the project within the given schedule and cost framework. From the companies that responded to the tender, Ambientia was selected as a partner.

    “We already had some thoughts on what information we wanted to get into the system, and we held several workshops with Ambientia. We had a really tight schedule and only very limited time for meetings, but Ambientia took this nicely into account. We got clear steps, which we adhered to and actively communicated on both sides, ”says Anttila.

    “Ambientia was able to extract the essentials from us during the workshops. Well-organized workshops were one of the decisive factors in ensuring that the system was completed on time,”Anttila continues.

    “We wanted to have an information system that shows us how the carriages are moving, what the traffic situation is and how the maintenance is coming along. Our goal was to collect all the scattered information in one place.”


    Jonna Anttila    , Security and System Manager, Tampereen Raitiotie Oy

    Tight schedule was a challenge

    Due to the busy schedule, the team decided to make a scaled-down version of the system that included the most essential features, so that traffic could start on schedule. One of the topics of the workshops was to go through which features should be included in the first version and which could be left to the next stage.

    “We now have the most essential things selected and they are visible in the system. We get a good idea of ​​our key functions: where the carriages go, what the maintenance situation is, and so on. Based on the use of the system, we can make plans for the future and think about what information we still want to highlight and how the existing one can be further developed, ”says Anttila.

    "Communication with Ambientia will continue during this maintenance phase, although no active development work is currently underway."

    Agile development convinced

    The company's CEO Pekka Sirviö also thanks Ambientia. He was particularly impressed by the professionalism of the service designers.

    “The process was done using agile development methods that were new to me. Their way of working displayed that Ambientia's team had already made a lot of effort at the public tender stage. It was great that also the costs stayed within the given framework. All this led us to order some more features along the way, ”Sirviö describes.

    “Ambientia has an intrinsic desire to develop this system . Whenever there are been any questions, the answers are good. They are very active in this, ” Sirviö continues.

    “Good interaction and enthusiasm emanated from their work. The chat connection was open all the time. The level of enthusiasm and dedication with which they have been involved in the project has been a great experience, ”concludes Anttila.

     

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