The railway sector strives to provide high-quality service which also includes effective train run management with optimal resource management of all stakeholders involved in the transport chain. This is challenging, especially in international train operations and long train runs.

The significant supporting element to reach the goals in this area is forecasting the train run during its entire journey. This information enables reducing the negative impact of the trains not running according to the agreed timetable. It helps to arrange the resources of involved stakeholders and better utilise the network capacity and related resource management.

Forecasting of the train departure, arrival, run-through, handover, or interchange at the borders supports traffic managers and all stakeholders involved in the train run in optimising involved resources.

Some Infrastructure Managers already exchange train running forecast information, however, this is not the case for the entire European network, where this information is expected. Already successfully tested solutions in generating train running forecasts by IT companies were the subject of RNE EU-funded Digital Train 1.0 & 2.0 projects. The high prediction accuracy of such an approach convinced the sector to continue in this activity, ensuring train running forecasts for the whole European network via the RNE Train Information System (RNE TIS) application.

The positive feedback and requests of the sector supported RNE’s Members in their decision to ensure a solution providing train running forecasts for the whole European railway network, using Artificial Intelligence technologies.

Project Description

The goal is to provide train running forecast information in the RNE TIS by implementing a forecasting module providing predictions for any train run with an available timetable, and afterwards train running information, within the application.

RNE plans to find an IT developer via public procurement in the first half of 2024. The forecasting module for the RNE TIS shall be developed and implemented in the first six months of the three-year contracted period.  The tendering process will be an official call for tenders published via the EU tender platform:TED-Startseite – TED Tenders Electronic Daily (europa.eu).  The tender process will be run electronically via the following platform:auftrag.at – Die Vergabedrehscheibe für BieterInnen