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Jere worked with commuter trains at Helsinki depot during the summer 2024.

Young Talents in Maintenance – How the Mechanics in Helsinki Depot Keep the Trains on Track

17. October 2024 Articles

VR FleetCare's mechanics do important work to keep rail traffic running smoothly. The results of their work are tangible for everyone who travels on the trains. Tessa, who worked as a refrigeration mechanic at the Ilmala depot in Helsinki during the summer, made sure that the trains' air conditioning and food freezers worked while Jere, who worked in commuter traffic during the summer, maintained and repaired commuter trains, for example, doors and traction motors.

Tessa applied to work at FleetCare on the recommendation of a friend when she heard there was nice work and nice people to work with. She had first studied to be a vehicle mechanic, then went on to become an electrician, and finally a refrigeration mechanic. At FleetCare, Tessa worked on the refrigeration side, although she could also use her skills as an electrician from time to time.

In practice, Tessa's work consisted of air conditioning maintenance and repairs on trains, as well as troubleshooting. Food freezers and other refrigeration equipment fell also under Tessa's care. She describes the work as pleasant and interesting.

"Of course, there were a lot of tight spaces," Tessa laughs, "you always have to think about which side to work from and how to do it."

However, the cramped spaces did not slow Tessa down. She says she learned a lot of new things and gained a lot of practical experience that doesn’t necessarily come by sitting on a school bench. This experience will certainly be useful in the future.

Tessa worked at Ilmala depot for the summer

At the beginning of every work shift, Tessa went to get the work orders. Once she had her to-do list for the day, she could start work. If ideas came up during work on how to streamline certain tasks, her supervisors were open to suggestions for improvement. It's important to Tessa that employees are heard. If the employer can help the employee to perform better, it's always helpful.

FleetCare is an interesting place to work in Tessa’s opinion. "This has been the coolest workplace I've ever been in," she says. Tessa has been well received by her colleagues and they’re happy to help her if needed. Tessa also says it's great to learn from colleagues who have already made a long career at FleetCare.

"I think it's great that someone who has been here for twenty years and knows the trains like the back of their hand still wants to help those who have newly arrived."

Work shifts were up to 12 hours, but that was fine with Tessa. During the workday, her brain switched to work mode and she concentrated only on her work. Between workdays, she went home only to rest. And when she had time off, she could enjoy her free time in peace knowing that all her tasks were completed.

Jere first came to FleetCare as a mechanic back in 2020. In 2022, he left to study automation technology and returned to FleetCare for the summers during his studies. It’s nice to come back as the work is familiar.

At FleetCare, Jere's responsibilities included maintenance and repairs of the Sm2 commuter train fleet. Tasks included, for example, repairing the traction control or making sure that the doors work as they should.

According to Jere, there was no such thing as a typical workday, for the tasks of a day depended on what faults the trains happened to have each day. Jere found the variety in workdays interesting and motivating: he got to work on a wide range of jobs and no two days were the same.

"The people I work with are also nice. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to keep coming here," says Jere.

Colleagues could also help if he came across something he couldn't solve straight away. Everyone is happy to help each other, and the team spirit is great.

While working at FleetCare, Jere has learned things that will benefit his studies. Practical experience helps him to better internalize what he learns in school. One example is the use of an oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a measuring instrument used in fields such as electrical engineering. It helps to detect and analyze the functioning and possible faults of electrical equipment. As Jere had already used an oscilloscope at FleetCare, he had a good understanding of how it works when he went through its use in school.

The railways are a unique environment. This is already evident in Jere's day-to-day work. When working in a hall with rolling stock, one must stay alert to whether a train is moving. That is something that is rarely an issue in other workplaces. Everyone who works in the depot receives safety training, during which they go over how to work safely in the depot.

The importance of Jere's work is visible for train passengers. He maintained the rolling stock and fixed faults so that the trains could run and stay operational for a long time.

"My work is reflected in the fact that the trains are moving and there are the planned number of trains in service."

Tessa and Jere have their tips on how to perform well at work. Tessa says attitude is key, and Jere says it's important to be open to learning things that might not be useful anywhere but the railways.