Successfully Kick-off Meeting of Work Package 18 (WP18) on Simulation and Operational Feedback for Enhanced Rail Planning

On the 11^th and 12^th of February 2025, the WP18 team officially launched its activities with a kick-off meeting at the ÖBB-INFRA HQs in Vienna.

The meeting brought together representatives from ÖBB-INFRA, NRD, ENYSE, HACON, HITACHI, STS, AZD, INDRA, MERMEC, and SNCF, for fruitful discussions on solutions for enhancing rail planning. The focus was on testing algorithms that support decision-making and automation in rail traffic management, aiming to optimize operations and resolve conflicts in real time.

The two-day event focused around defining the scope of the demonstrators, with each company presenting its role in the development process, aligning on working methods, reporting, and benchmarking approaches to assess the effectiveness of the upcoming solutions.

WP18 objective is to enhance automated decisions and decision support for traffic management optimisation. As part of WP18, eight demonstrators will be developed across different European cities, providing a real-world testing ground for these innovations. These demonstrations will play a crucial role in validating the proposed solutions and ensuring they meet the needs of the rail sector.