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Railway Simulation


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Contents

News

Date: News:
June 2012 Queensland Rail purchases railway traction power supply simulation capability (press release)

Events

Date: Location: Event:
July 15 - 19, 2013 Sydney (Australia) OpenTrack training course
Nov. 26 - 28, 2013 Sydney (Australien) AusRAIL 2013

The last OpenTrack user workshop was held in Zurich from the 17 to 19 January 2013 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). In the download section of this you will find all the presentations.


Introduction

OpenTrack began in the mid-1990s as a research project at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The aim of the project, Object-Oriented Modeling in Railways, was to develop a user-friendly tool to answer questions about railway operations by simulation.

Today, the railway simulation tool OpenTrack is used by railways, the railway supply industry, consultancies and universities in different countries.

OpenTrack supports the following kinds of tasks:


Data

Network data

OpenTrack describes a railway network in special graphs called double vertex graphs. A user can edit the network’s topology graphically. Every element of the graph holds various attributes. An edge, for example, holds its length, the gradient, the maximum speed for different train categories and much more. A user can create and manage objects for edges and vertices, and also signals, switches, stations and routes. The following figure shows part of a topology.



Example of a station (Olten, Switzerland). This graphic is also available as a PDF document.

Rolling stock data

OpenTrack stores each locomotive’s technical characteristics, including tractive effort/speed diagrams, load, length, adhesion factor, and power systems. A database organizes locomotives into groups called depots. A simulated train uses one or more locomotives from a depot together with a number of passenger or freight cars (carriages or wagons). Trainsets are also organized in a database.


Timetable data

The timetable database stores information for each train at each station, including arrival and departure times, minimal stop time, and connections to other trains.

The user can edit the timetable data either in textual form (left window) or directly within the train graph by using the mouse (right window) (See also: video section).

A user can compare timetable and actual data either in a table or directly in the train graphic.

Interfaces

OpenTrack offers interfaces to general data formats (such as ASCII and XML) and to some railway-specific formats (including FBS, Protim, Simu VII and others).

OpenTrack also supports RailML, a general XML-based format for railway data.

Timetable data
Import
Export
RailML
X
X
Netvisio (SMA)
X
ASCII
X
MS Excel
X
OpenTrack ASCII
X
X
OpenTrack XML
X
X
RWS
X
X
Viriato (via RailML)
X
X
FBS (via RailML)
X
X
OpenTimeTable (via RailML)
X
X
Simu VII (IBS GmbH)
X
UK Planning Inferface Format (.PIF-Format, Protim)
X
SimWalk (via RailML)
X
X
Treno (via RailML and Treno-Format)
X
X


Infrastructure data
Import
Export
RailML
X
X
ASCII
X
MS Excel
X
Google Earth (station data)
X
OpenTrack ASCII
X
X
RWS
X
X
SBB ZLR
X
X
Siemens Infrastructure Format
X
MVP Infrastructure Format
X
ETC Infrastructure Format
X
SIMON (ÅF-Industriteknik)
X
Infraspeed Infrastructure Format
X


Rolling stock data (tractive effort/speed diagrams)
Import
Export
RailML
X
OpenTrack ASCII
X
X
SimWalk (via RailML)
X

Simulation

The following figure shows how the simulation tool works. Predefined trains run according to the timetable on a railway network. During the simulation, OpenTrack calculates train movements under the constraints of the signaling system and timetable. After a simulation run, OpenTrack can analyze and display the resulting data in the form of diagrams, train graphs, occupation diagrams and statistics.

OpenTrack handles single simulation runs as well as multiple simulation runs where random generators produce different initial delays and station delays.

Animation of the simulation


Screenshot of OpenTrack during the simulation. The video can be downloaded.




The modules of the simulation (this graphic is also available as a PDF document)

During the simulation, trains try to obey the given timetable. The differential equations for speed and distance are the basis for calculating a train’s movement. The signaling system of the railway network poses constraints. Occupied tracks and restrictive signal aspects may impede a train’s progress.

During the simulation, every train continuously stores its speed, acceleration, position, power consumption and other data. This data can be evaluated after the simulation.

The user can watch the simulation in an animation mode, which shows the trains running and lets the user analyze occupied tracks, reserved tracks and signal aspects..

Output data

After a simulation, OpenTrack offers a number of evaluations. Evaluations of a train, line or station are possible. For a train, OpenTrack offers diagrams such as acceleration vs. distance, speed vs. distance, and obstructions. For a line, there are evaluations in the form of diagrams of train movements, route occupation and line profiles. Every station produces output about all the trains that used it, including arrival, stopping and departure times.

The user can view output data in a diagram, or export or evaluate it in a readable ASCII table.

The OpenTrack application

The OpenTrack application is available for the following operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32 and 64 Bit), Windows 8 (32 and 64 Bit), Mac OS X and MacOS X Server.

The application is available in two versions. The full version of OpenTrack offers an unlimited number of running trains per simulation. The limit of the OpenTrack Light version is two trains per simulation.

Screenshots

The following images are examples of the graphical user interface of OpenTrack for different Windows versions and MacOSX.

Windows 8 Windows XP MacOS X

Outputs

OpenTrack produces a number of outputs in text and/or graphic form.



Train graph (offline and online visualization). This graphic is also available as a PDF document.




Speed/distance diagram




Distance/time diagram




Power and energy output (red:Power in, blue: mech. Power, green: energy/distance-diagram)




Occupation diagram




Occupation statistics (example: peak hour occupation percentage). This output is available as a PDF document.




Delay statistics




A user can obtain every output in the form of ASCII text, for import into Microsoft Excel for example.




OpenTimeTable is able to visualize and analyze the outputs of multiple OpenTrack simulation runs.


OpenTrack API

OpenTrack offers an application programming interface (API) to connect other applications with OpenTrack. The other application can send stardardized commands to OpenTrack and gets defined status messages back from OpenTrack. Technically, SOAP-Messages are exchanged via HTTP (SOAP over HTTP).





Possible applications:


A presentation of the OpenTrack API allows a better insight into the functionality of the API. (Download of the presentation - PDF, 2.9 MB). For further information on the OpenTrack API, please contact us.


Partners and customers


In the OpenTrack project, our company and the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems of the ETH Zürich co-operate with a number of partners from railway companies, the railway supply industry, consultancies and universities. The following companies and institutions use OpenTrack:

Railway and metro companies, railway administrations

Swiss Federal Railways, Bern, Switzerland since 1999
REFER E.P., Rede Nacional Ferroviaria (National Railway Network)l, Lisbon, Portuga since 2000
DB Magnetbahn GmbH, Munich, Germany since 2001
Rhaetian Railways, Chur, Switzerland since 2002
TransAdelaide, Adelaide, Australia since 2002
HSL Zuid, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands since 2002
German Railways, Frankfurt a. M., Germany since 2002
Finnish Rail Administration (RHK), Helsinki, Finland since 2004
V/Line, Melbourne, Australia since 2004
Ferrovie Nord Milano, Milano, Italy since 2004
Northern Ireland Railways, Belfast, UK since 2005
BLS Loetschbergbahn AG, Bern, Switzerland since 2005
ProRail, Rotterdam, The Netherlands since 2005
Circumvesuviana, Naples, Italy since 2005
VR Track Ltd., Helsinki, Finland since 2006
De Lijn, Hasselt, Belgium since 2007
ONTRACK - New Zealand Railways Corporation, Wellington, New Zealand since 2008
Metro Santiago, Santiago, Chile since 2008
NSB, Oslo, Norway since 2009
Ferrovie Nord Barese, Bari, Italy since 2009
GMPTE (Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive), Manchester, UK since 2009
Jernbaneverket (Norwegian National Rail Administration), Oslo, Norway since 2009
RATP (Régie autonome des transports Parisiens), Paris, France since 2009
SZDC (Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration), Prague, Czech Republic since 2009
Ferrovie del Sud Est, Bari, Italy since 2009
SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français), Metz, France since 2009
Ferrovie del Gargano, San Severo, Italy since 2009
Victoria - Department of Transport, Melbourne, Australia since 2010
FAL - Ferrovie Appulo Lucane, Bari, Italy since 2010
Guangzhou Metro, Guangzhou, China since 2010
FCU - Ferrovie Centrale Umbra, Perugia, Italy since 2010
ADIFSE - Administración de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias, Buenos Aires, Argentina since 2010
RFI - Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, Rome, Italy since 2010
Shenzhen Metro, Shenzhen, China since 2011
Regione Umbria, Perugia, Italy since 2011
Ferrovie Emilia Romagna, Bologna, Italy since 2011
Réseau Ferré de France, Paris, France since 2011
MetroRio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil since 2012
Queensland Rail, Brisbane, Australia since 2012
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), Barcelona, Spain since 2013

Railway supply industry / mining industry

Siemens Schweiz AG, Transportation Systems, Wallisellen, Switzerland since 1999
Bombardier Transportation, Winterthur, Switzerland since 1999
Siemens AG, Transportation Systems, Turn Key Projects, Berlin, Germany since 2000
Transrapid International, Berlin, Germany since 2002
Infraspeed, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands since 2002
Siemens AG, Transportation Systems, TS LM TRA, Erlangen, Germany since 2002
Mipro Oy, Mikkeli, Finland since 2004
BAM Rail, Breda, The Netherlands since 2005
Bombardier Transportation USA, Pittsburgh, USA since 2006
Consorzio TAT, Bodio, Switzerland and Implenia AG, Lucerne, Switzerland since 2007
Siemens AG, Industry Mobility, Brunswick, Germany since 2010
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd, Perth, Australia since 2010
Vale, Maputo, Mozambique since 2011
Hyundai Rotem, Seoul, Korea since 2011
Alstom Transport, Bologna, Italy since 2012
ABB - Asea Brown Boweri S.A., Madrid, Spain since 2012
Alstom Transport, Charleroi, Belgium since 2013

Consultancies

SMA und Partner AG, Zurich, Switzerland since 1999
ETC Transport Consultants GmbH, Berlin, Germany since 1999
Pöyry Infra AG, Zurich, Switzerland since 1999
REFER Engineering, Lisbon, Portugal since 2000
Ernst Basler + Partner AG, Zurich, Switzerland since 2001
NET engineering, Monselice, Italy since 2001
Institut für Bahntechnik (Inst. for Railway Engineering), Dresden, Germany since 2001
Cicerone Performance, Zürich, Switzerland since 2001
Stanford Management Consultancy Ltd, Birmingham, UK since 2001
Plateway Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia since 2001
Movares Nederland, Utrecht, The Netherlands since 2003
Booz & Company, London, UK since 2003
systransis Ltd, Zug, Switzerland since 2003
Vectura (former Banverket Projektering), Borlänge / Norrköping, Sweden since 2004
Interfleet Technology, Derby, UK since 2004
Booz & Company, Brisbane, Australia since 2005
Tyréns AB, Kristianstad, Sweden since 2005
COWI A/S, Lyngby, Dänemark since 2005
Softlab AG, Bern, Switzerland since 2005
Royal HaskoningDHV, Amersfoort, The Netherlands since 2005
Ingenieurbüro Gunther Zierl, Bludenz / Vienna, Austria since 2006
Egis Rail, Lyon, France since 2006
TTK - TransportTechnologie-Consult Karlsruhe GmbH , Karlsruhe, Germany since 2007
Reuss Engineering AG, Gisikon, Switzerland since 2007
Norconsult AS, Sandvika, Norway since 2007
Laboratorio di Ingegneria Ferroviaria e Traffico, Trieste, Italy since 2008
IBV Hüsler AG, Zurich, Switzerland since 2008
TPS Transport Planning Service, Perugia, Italy since 2008
Booz Allen Hamilton, Newark NJ, USA since 2008
Dessau Inc. , Montréal, Canada since 2008
Geodata SpA, Torino, Italy since 2008
Ramböll Sverige AB, Stockholm, Sweden since 2008
WorleyParsons Services Pty Ltd, Sydney / Perth, Australia since 2008
EADE, Rome, Italy since 2008
Emch + Berger AG, Berne, Switzerland since 2009
Aurecon, Brisbane, Australia since 2009
D’Appolonia, Genova, Italy since 2009
DB International, Berlin, Germany since 2009
SIYUAN (China Railway Siyuan Survey And Design Group Co.), Wuhan, China since 2009
Italferr, Rome, Italy since 2009
Calibre Rail, Perth, Australia since 2009
Ramboll Finland Oy, Espoo, Finland since 2010
ILF - Consulting Engineers, Zurich, Switzerland since 2010
TEWET Ltd., Berlin, Germany since 2010
Rambøll Danmark A/S, Virum / Fredericia, Denmark since 2010
TSD Consulting Services, Randburg, South Africa since 2010
Rail Systems Engineering Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since 2010
Millennia Systems Inc, Los Angeles, USA since 2010
Interfleet Technology, Wellington, New Zealand since 2010
Jeffares & Green (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa since 2011
Aurecon, Pretoria, South Africa since 2011
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Sydney, Australia since 2011
Főrmterv, Budapest, Hungary since 2011
SYSTRA, Paris, France since 2011
The Third Railway Survey and Design Institute, Tianjin, China since 2011
The China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd., Chengdu, China since 2011
CH2M HILL, Parsippany NJ, USA since 2011
SIGNON, Berlin, Germany since 2012
Vecturis, Brussels, Belgium since 2012
Ingérop, Courbevoie, France since 2012
Prodex spol. s.r.o., Bratislava, Slovakia since 2012
Engenicom, Maitland NSW, Australia since 2012
Setec Ferroviaire, Paris, France since 2012
Metrolab, Paris, France since 2012
Delcan, Markham Ontario, Canada since 2013
Yapi Merkezi Insaat, Istanbul, Turkey since 2013
taktici.cz, s.r.o., Praha, Czech Republic since 2013

Universities and research institutes

ETH Zürich, Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT), Zurich, Switzerland since 1999
Laboratory for Intermodality, Transport, and Planning - LITEP, ETH Lausanne, Switzerland since 1999
University of Sheffield, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Sheffield, UK since 2001
Fraunhofer Institut für Verkehrs- und Infrastruktursysteme IVI (Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems), Dresden, Germany since 2001
Fraunhofer Institut für Rechnerarchitektur und Softwaretechnik FIRST (Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Architecture and Software Engineering), Berlin, Germany since 2001
Technical University of Vienna, Institut für Eisenbahnwesen, Verkehrswirtschaft und Seilbahnen (Institute for Railway Engineering, Traffic Economics and Ropeways), Vienna, Austria since 2002
German Aerospace Center, Institut für Verkehrsführung und Fahrzeugsteuerung (Institute for Traffic Control and Vehicle Guidance), Braunschweig, Germany since 2002
TU Brunswick, Institute of Railway Systems Engineering and Traffic Safety, Brunswick, Germany since 2003
Czech Technical University, Faculty of Transportation Science, Prague, Czech Republic since 2003
University of Trieste, Department of Civil Engineering, Trieste, Italy since 2004
Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany since 2004
Instituto Superior Técnico, Grupo de Transportes - DECivil, Lisbon, Portugal since 2005
TU Delft, Department Transport and Planning, Delft, The Netherlands since 2006
TU Dresden, Institut für Verkehrssystemtechnik, Dresden, Germany since 2006
University of Pardubice, Dept. of Transport Technology and Control, Pardubice, Czech Republic since 2006
China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS), Beijing, China since 2006
CENIT - Center for Innovation in Transport -Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain since 2006
Hanyang University - Dept. of Transportation Engineering, Asnan, Korea since 2006
Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China since 2007
Fachhochschule Gelsenkirchen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany since 2008
T. Lange @ The Open University, Berlin / London, Germany / UK since 2008
TU Berlin, Section of Electric Railway Systems, Berlin, Germany since 2008
Tongji University, Shanghai, China since 2008
Nanjing University, Nanjing, China since 2008
TU Dresden, Institut für Bahnfahrzeuge und Bahntechnik, Dresden, Germany since 2008
Universita' di Roma "La Sapienza", Dipartimento di Idraulica,Trasporti e Strade, Roma, Italy since 2008
Universidad de Zaragoza, GITEL - Grupo de Investigación en Transporte y Logística, Zaragoza, Spain since 2008
Vocational Training Council (VTC), Hong Kong, China since 2009
ENEA - Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment, Rome, Italy since 2009
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, Ljubljana, Slowenia since 2009
Shijiazhuang Railway Institute, Shijiazhuang, China since 2009
IFSTTAR - Institut français des sciences et technologies des transports, de l'aménagement et des réseaux, Bron, France since 2009
University of Naples - Federico II, Naples, Italy since 2009
The Institute of Transportation CIP, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia since 2009
Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China since 2009
Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá, Panama, Panama since 2009
Széchenyi István University, Györ, Hungary since 2010
Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento DITIC - Trasporti, Torino, Italy since 2010
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway since 2010
Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Birmingham, UK since 2011
ZHAW - Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Winterthur, Switzerland since 2011
Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy since 2011
Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, China since 2011
Beijing Union University, Beijing, China since 2011
IBM Research - Zurich, Zurich, Schweiz since 2011
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia since 2012
Michigan Tech. University, Rail Transportation Program, Houghton, USA since 2012
Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China since 2012
University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia since 2013
Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Department of Control for Transportation and Vehicle Systems, Budapest, Hungary since 2013

Documents / downloads

PDF files related to OpenTrack


Information on OpenTrack from the company ETC Transport Consultants

In their magazine “Subjects + Facts” (1/2002), the German company ETC Transport Consultants published a report on the use of OpenTrack. © 2002 by ETC Transport Consultants.


Download the report (252 kB).

Article in the journal "Güterbahnen" (Freight Railways)

Issue 2/2003 of the journal Güterbahnen included the article ""Ermittlung und Leistungsfähigkeit einer Werkbahn mit OpenTrack" (Investigations on the Capacity of an Industrial Railway with OpenTrack). We would be pleased to send you a free copy of the article (in German).


Report in the dutch computer magazine Computable

In May 2004, the dutch computer magazine Computable published a report about the projects of the simulation team of Holland Railconsult. The report can be downloaded as a PDF file (in Dutch).

Comprail 2004 conference paper

Our paper Railroad Simulation using OpenTrack was presented at the Comprail 2004 conference in Dresden, Germany.

Railway Gazette 04/2006

In issue April 2006 of the journal Railway Gazette the authors T. Salt and K. Mears from Interfleet Technlology published an article "Automation gets the most out of mining railway infrastructure". We would be pleased to send you a free copy of the article.

Australian Government: North-South Rail Corridor Study

The North-South Rail Corridor Study (where OpenTrack was used as one of the tools) has comprehensively examined the adequacy, given the current major infrastructure investment programme, of the existing Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor to meet future freight demand.The study examined different options, including possible enhancements to the coastal line, as well as alternative inland routes. Key issues included infrastructure links, engineering, environmental, urban and regional planning issues. A financial and economic analysis was also undertaken on each of the route options.

OpenPowerNet - Simulation of Railway Power Supply Systems

Presentation about the Simulation of Railway Power Supply Systems (Co-Simulation of OpenPowerNet with OpenTrack) (PDF, 2.7 MB, Download).

Two screenshots from the OpenPowerNet project for Zurich (simulation of tram system Zurich) after the postprocessing of the OpenTrack output data to Google Earth. © 2008 by IfB.

Railway Gazette 07/2008

Sharing tracks in Sydney is the title of an article published in the Railway Gazette 07/2008 by Ian Imrie from Plateway. The article describes the complexity of sharing tracks between freight and passenger trains in the Sydney area.

Supporting the study, the two Swiss Tools Viriato and OpenTrack were used with success.

Presentation to RTSA Wellington (NZ)

The company Plateway from Clyde, Australia gave a presentation about OpenTrack and simulation tools in general in June 2012 to RTSA in Wellington.

OpenTrack user workshop 2008


OpenTrack presentations:

OpenTrack user workshop 2010


OpenTrack presentations:

OpenTrack user workshop 2013


The last OpenTrack user workshop was held in Zurich in an extended setting together with Viriato users as well as partners of systransis AG from the 17 to 19 January 2013 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). On the workshop website you will find all the presentations together with other information about the event.

OpenTrack presentations:

More reports in German

You’ll find more reports on the use and development of OpenTrack in the German section of our web page.


Videos

(You need the Apple Quicktime Player or the Windows Media Player for the following videos.)



Watch all the OpenTrack-Videos on YouTube.

Further information

For further information on OpenTrack, please contact:

OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd
Gubelstr. 28
CH - 8050 Zürich
Switzerland

Phone: + 41 - 44 - 310 19 90
Fax: + 41 - 86 - 044 310 19 90
E-Mail: info@opentrack.ch


OpenTrack web site

To the OpenTrack web site.