Bahnpunkte

Bahnpunkte is a term used in railway engineering and network management to denote fixed reference points within a railway system. These points serve as stable markers for navigation, signaling, surveying, and data integration across the rail network. The concept can refer to physical markers placed along tracks as well as to virtual nodes in digital representations of the network.

The name combines Bahn (railway) with Punkte (points). Bahnpunkte function similarly to geodetic or milepoint references found in other transportation domains: they provide a common reference frame used by different systems and actors, such as operations, maintenance, signaling, and logistics. In practice, a Bahnpunkt may be identified by a unique code and associated with coordinates, elevation, track geometry, and sometimes a historic or operational note. They can be located at junctions, termini, or other strategically important locations, and may correspond to traditional kilometer posts or to data-model nodes in geographic information systems.

In use, Bahnpunkte support tasks ranging from timetable calculations and signaling logic to asset management and construction planning. They enable consistent communication about location, facilitate interoperability between disparate subsystems, and help document changes to the network over time. Because rail infrastructure evolves, Bahnpunkte are periodically reviewed and updated to reflect new alignments, additions, or removals of infrastructure.

See also: kilometer posts, chainage, track database, signaling, geodesy.