Metro or Light Rail - this is the future of the railway business!

Who:
Erikas Krukauskas graduated as a candidate from DTU on the programme Transportation and Logistics in February 2016. He is originally from Lithuania. He has always had an interest in the railway - and especially metro systems - and it is now his plan to continue his career in the rail industry.

Bonus info:
Erikas considers himself a born again car driver! During his studies in Lithuania he had a car and hardly ever used public transportation. But when he moved to Denmark, he was converted to public transport and now feels completely comfortable with this - because it works ... On the other hand, he has never gotten used to the Danish cycling culture - he did not grow up with cycling as a means of transport and is today still not confident about cycling as transportation .....

How did you end up at DTU?
"I came to DTU with a Lithuanian bachelor's degree in Transportation Engineering. I am particularly interested in urbanization and city line systems, and since there is no metro in Lithuania or a railway study line with this focus, I knew that I had to leave my home country to pursue this interest. "

Erikas researched the candidate opportunities in Europe which included studies in Holland, Germany - and at DTU. That he ended up at DTU was therefore almost by chance. But it was then for him a bonus that he at DTU had the opportunity to study a metro line, which is both newer, cleaner, more modern and innovative than e.g. the subway systems in New York or London.

Erikas fascination of metro systems is caused by the fact that rapid transit systems are highly efficient and allow for the movement of many people in a short time and then also under ground, which means that the impact on the environment is minimal. Furthermore sustainability plays a role to Erikas.

How have you enjoyed the courses at the Railway Technology study line?
"I came to Denmark with a specific aim to study at the Railway Technology study line at DTU. And I have taken all the courses offered in this programme. My favorite course has been the Railway Design and Maintenance, which was a really good introduction to how a railway is put together all the way through. And we had good teachers - both from DTU but also from COWI, Atkins, BaneDenmark, Ramboll etc. which made the teaching both inspirational and practical. Also the course Railway Engineering with Associate Professor Steven Harrod was a good introduction to the railway technology - with special focus on the business side. "

In general, according to Erikas, the courses have been a good combination of theory and practice. He has been on several field trips, which all have been a nice change and the chance to visit the world outside DTU.

If he was to suggest any changes to the programme, he would have liked to meet more newly graduated engineers to learn about where and how they have made their way to a job in the industry. RailTech DTU held such a network event in January 2016, when a number of young engineers presented their job and the life as a recent graduate - and Erikas participated enthusiastically at this event.

You worked on your thesis in collaboration with the Copenhagen Metro - how did this collaboration come about?
"As I approached the end of the studies, I participated in the annual Rail Conference held in May by the Danish Rail Sector Association. Here I attended a presentation by the Metro which caught my interest. I was actually already embarked on another, more economic and academic thesis topic, but I decided to write to the Metro - to ask them if they had a current issue, which I could work with. An issue based on one of the current challenges of the Metro".

Erikas tells that the topic of the thesis were the schedules of the Metro - how these could be improved and optimized. It was with an intention to save energy - without it effecting the efficiency. He had a supervisor from the Metro and the company followed with great interest in the preparation of the thesis. Upon completion of the thesis he has presented the results to the Metro - and the conclusions have also been presented to the Metro's American partners - by the Metro itself.

"I got a desk at the Metro and spent three out of five days at their office, which was like having a real job - with keycard, lunch breaks and colleagues! I received a good and professional introduction to the company, so the transition from being an ordinary DTU students to being a master student at the Metro company was easy. It was a good experience to be part of the company's work culture".

And now what - how do you see your future career?
Erikas would like to stay in Denmark. His goal with his studies abroad was - in addition to the fact that he would experience something new and be able to study railway technolgy - also to improve his language skills. And maybe even learn a new language although he has found that Danish is not easy!

And the language may be a challenge in his hunt for a job, at least in the hunt for a dream job in the railway industry. He applies to jobs and are invited to interviews, but his Danish language skills must improve in order for him to join a Danish company. But he still hopes to make a career with an infrastructure company - "hopefully with a metro line company or a light rail company, which for sure is the future of transport" according to Erikas. Lithuania has currently more limited options; here the railway industry especialises in freight, which Erikas does not have much interest in.