Dutch transit implements GigaSpaces XAP to improve railway efficiency

By Enterprise Innovation Editors | Oct 14, 2009

Aiming to implement an innovative platform to optimize train route, reduce energy consumption and improve punctuality within the Dutch Rail infrastructure, ProRail, the Dutch National railway’s infrastructure manager, has chosen to deploy GigaSpaces XAP across its system.

The GigaSpaces-based system provides ProRail train drivers with real-time insight into rail activity that enables them to plan their routes more efficiently.

Netherlands-based ProRail handles maintenance and extensions, traffic control and allocates rail capacity for the Dutch railway network infrastructure. While the Netherlands is a small country, its densely populated infrastructure is one of the world’s busiest. As a matter of fact, the Dutch railway network is the second busiest in Europe. About 5,400 passenger trains transport 1.2 million passengers daily, while 300 cargo trains move 100,000+ tons of goods every day. GigaSpaces’ robust and high-performance platform provides ProRail with real-time access to railway activity data. This data not only allows train drivers to drive as efficiently as possible, but also to adjust their routes to maintain timely schedules.

Through PDAs installed in the cockpit of the train, drivers see graphical representations of the railway activity that may affect their train routes. As trains travel from location to location, they generate a large amount of complex and dependent data. To obtain true insight into up-to-the-minute railway activity, it is crucial for drivers to access this data in a matter of seconds. GigaSpaces’ solution enables the delivery of the information in two to three seconds, giving drivers the accuracy and reliability they require.

“GigaSpaces provides a robust and high-performance solution that helps meet our needs now and enables the required scalability in the future,” said Bert Kleinmeijer, program manager, ProRail. “With GigaSpaces, we can now process train information consistently and in real-time, which is critical for our train drivers to better anticipate activity in the vicinity of the trains. We’ve been so pleased with the results thus far, and we are confident the GigaSpaces platform can serve as the foundation for future modules, including some that will even further reduce energy usage. The platform is expected to indirectly save three percent of our electricity consumption, which would be a tremendous achievement. “

“We are eager to help ProRail build such an innovative system to address the needs of the large and complicated Dutch railway system,” said Moshé Weizman, Director of Sales, Central Europe at GigaSpaces. “Between the energy savings of the system and the speed at which we can deliver information right to the train drivers’ fingertips, we are building the cockpit of the future.”