RETRACK (Reorganization of Transport networks by advanced Rail freight Concepts) is a project of the European Union to re-organize the trans-European rail freight service with the objective of creating a rail corridor from Rotterdam (NL) via Constanza (RO) to the Black Sea (TR).

The project is to create the prerequisites for cooperation opportunities between railway companies, sub service providers, and operators of railway infrastructure. The super-ordinate goal in this is the improvement of interoperability between all participants by overcoming barriers in transnational rail services.

In this SOPTIM AG took on project management in the field of IT strategy and software development.

Further information on the project RETRACK can be found under http://www.retrack.eu.

Task

Within the scope of the project SOPTIM, in co-operation with the RETRACK partners, designs and develops an IT platform that

• supports the participating railway companies in their daily operative processes (contract management, dispatch, train monitoring),
• controls communication with other partners and
• offers customers an opportunity to get information about the current status of their orders.

Objectives

• Optimization of both the internal and collaborative planning process at the participating railway companies.
• Optimization of the capacity utilization of locomotives and personnel. Prevention of unnecessary light runnings.
• Increasing transparency along the chain of transport so that partners can be informed in time about unforeseen events.

Key Data

• Project Duration: 4 years
• Number of Employees: 5
• Number of Users: app. 100 (planned)

Functional Range

The software product SOPTIM RMS (Railway Management Suite), enhanced by specific functionalities within the scope of the RETRACK project, forms the basis for the IT platform.

The IT platform provides all relevant operative data (especially dispatch, communication, monitoring, and preparation of invoices) that serve conducting operative processes to the participating companies. It consists of components:

• Train Control Center (TCC),
• Railway Integration Platform and Services (RIPS) and
• Customer Information Center (CIC)

Dispatch and monitoring of both your own and third-party trains takes place in the Train Control Center (TCC). It enables railway companies to manage contracts and transport service orders, to create optimized schedules and to give information about the current status of a rolling train. Selected functions:

• Contract management
• Route management
• Dispatch graph
• Runtime control on train monitor

Communication is conducted using the integrated communication platform RIPS (Railway Integration Platform and Services). Against the backdrop of transnational services conducted by several railway companies this is especially important (collaborative planning). Selected Functions:

• Sending and receiving of transport service orders
• Documentation of changes in the transmitted transport service orders
• Exchange of status information between the partners.

Customers are given the opportunity to get information about the status of their orders (train left, last reporting point, train arrived) via the Customer Information Center (CIC). Selected functions:

• Web portal for customers to follow the status of their orders
• Automatic sending of e-mail is when defined reporting points are reached

Technical Characteristics

• Classic client/server application with fat client and database server the software is based on a five layer architecture (data storage, data management, business objects, control and presentation)
• Supported Operating Systems Client: Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Supported Operating Systems Server: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008
• Realization of the TCC using Microsoft .NET (C#)
• Realization of the RIPS using JBOSS
• Realization of the CIC using ASP.NET
• Suitable Databases: Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2000, Oracle, Microsoft Access, Firebird, PostgreSQL, DB2 UDB, MySQL, SQLite
• Multi-lingual User Interface

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