The future of rail does not begin on a construction site or in strategy documents, although that is often where public debate tends to look for it, writes Mihhail Kirejev, Head of the Railway Transport Curriculum at TTK University of Applied Sciences.
The real bottleneck is not whether the railway will be built, but who will be able to operate it once it is complete. The future of rail is therefore a question of competence – it begins with people who are able to understand and manage a complex system. This means that the next stage of railway development depends directly on education and its quality. Developing educational infrastructure is not a side issue, but a shared responsibility for the entire sector.
Railways are not simply rails, sleepers and trains disappearing towards the horizon. They form a complex technological system in which infrastructure, energy, digital solutions, safety, traffic management, standards and data are closely interconnected.
Estonia’s railway system is changing – not only physically, but also in terms of its role and significance. Increasingly, it is becoming part of Europe’s digital transport system. The question is therefore no longer simply what we build, but who will be able to operate and manage it in the future. This is why discussion about rail inevitably becomes a discussion about education.
Engineers and technical competences
In Estonia, there is increasing discussion about the need to encourage young people to pursue engineering and technology. Behind this is a very concrete problem – a shortage of engineers and technical specialists. The railway sector sits at the intersection of these fields.
Narrow specialist training alone is not enough. A future railway engineer needs to understand railway construction, digital traffic management systems, safety, design, surveying, the regulatory environment and the principles of European interoperability. This leads to a simple but often underestimated conclusion: railway education must be broad in content and practical in its approach.
Modern railways cannot be taught through theory alone. For specialists to be able to work with signalling, communications, automation and traffic management systems, they need hands-on exposure to these systems already during their studies.
The quality of railway education depends directly on the learning environment, including laboratories, simulators, training equipment, digital twins, sector-specific software, access to applied data and much more. These are not additional benefits, but an essential part of modern professional preparation.
TTK University of Applied Sciences as a practical response
TTK University of Applied Sciences is already moving in this direction. The practical dimension of railway education is being strengthened, while modern simulation tools are being introduced into the learning environment.
The simulation centre currently under development, together with a full-scale train simulator, is not simply a set of teaching tools but a step towards a different approach to railway education. Such a learning environment makes it possible to recreate realistic work and operational situations, analyse the interaction between people and technology, practise decision-making in risk environments, and connect learning with European requirements.This is a place where rail is no longer simply a theoretical subject, but a system that can be learned through experience. TTK’s simulation centre will provide a platform for developing the competences that the sector increasingly needs.
Cooperation as the only viable model
The Baltic region is currently undergoing a transition. On one side are historically developed infrastructure and technical systems; on the other are European interoperability requirements, Rail Baltica and new technologies and systems. Education must help bridge these worlds. Otherwise, a gap will emerge between infrastructure ambitions and the readiness of the people expected to operate them.
Such a transition cannot be achieved by one educational institution or one employer acting alone. The railway sector is too complex and highly regulated for fragmented solutions to work. What is needed are common competence models, joint development of curricula and learning materials, meaningful involvement of companies in practical training, continuing professional development for teaching staff, and joint development and funding of educational infrastructure.
Resources and a shared investment
This brings us to an issue that is too often approached with caution – resources. Modern railway education requires modern infrastructure. Laboratories, simulators and digital learning environments require investments that no single educational institution can bear alone. These are not costs for one school, but a shared investment by the sector in its future workforce and technological capacity. A modern learning environment is a place where education, companies, the state and applied research come together.
The role of professional higher education is particularly important here. In Estonia, there are few environments where railway competences can be developed systematically at the first level of higher education. This means that the issue is not simply about the resources of one educational institution, but about the capacity of the entire sector.
This is the basis for developing a broader competence-centre approach at TTK. The aim is not to create a new formal structure, but to establish a functioning cooperation mechanism that helps answer questions such as: What competences will be needed in five or ten years? What skills will a digitalising railway require? What content needs to be updated in education? And how can education be better connected with the actual working environment?
Young people and the future of rail
Railways have long since ceased to be only about rails and sleepers. Today, rail also means IT and OT systems, cybersecurity, data processing, energy efficiency, risk analysis and automation.
Engaging young people requires a more honest and meaningful approach. Young people are not only choosing a field of study; they are also choosing the environment in which they see their future. If they see outdated equipment, the sector may not appear attractive. If they see simulations, digital solutions, international projects and links to the European labour market, the field becomes more technological and future-oriented.
Estonia’s railway sector is relatively small, and our available workforce is limited. Today’s decisions in education directly shape the availability of specialists tomorrow. Railway education cannot be treated as a collection of individual courses, but as a comprehensive ecosystem.
TTK University of Applied Sciences already has a central role in this system – not only as an educational institution, but as a platform for developing applied railway competences, bringing together education, technology and practice.
The next stage of development will only be possible if the development of educational infrastructure is treated as a shared responsibility across the entire sector. Otherwise, the gap between Estonia’s technological ambitions for its railway system and the actual capacity of its workforce will remain too wide.
* Article was published on July 11, 2026 in Postimees.
