Raiteilla

Raiteilla is a Finnish locative form derived from raide, meaning rail or track. The word is used to denote that someone or something is located on railway tracks or on the rail system in general. It appears in everyday language, media reporting, and railway communication to describe position, movement, or activity related to tracks.

Etymology and form: Raiteilla combines raide (rail/track) with the plural noun ending raiteet and the adessive suffix -lla/-llä, which yields on the tracks. In Finnish, similar constructions exist for other location expressions, such as raiteilla (on the tracks) and raiteille (onto the tracks). The form raiteilla is typically used for describing where something currently is or operates within the railway network.

Usage and examples: In common sentences, raiteilla conveys physical location on the rail lines. For example, Juna kulkee raiteilla means “The train is traveling on the tracks.” Henkilö jäi raiteille can be used to indicate that a person ended up on the tracks, often in news or incident reports. In contrast, raiteille (with -lle) would be used to express movement onto the tracks, as in Henkilö menossa raiteille, meaning “onto the tracks.”

Relation to related terms: Raiteilla is distinct from radalla, another Finnish locative form sometimes used to indicate being on a track or on a course, with radalla more commonly used in figurative senses like “on track” or “on schedule.” Raiteilla focuses specifically on the physical rail infrastructure.

See also: Finnish grammar of locative cases; rail transport terminology; railway safety.