railsverkeer

Railsverkeer, or rail traffic, denotes the operation and management of trains and other rail vehicles on a railway network. It encompasses planning, scheduling, routing, and real-time control required to move passengers and freight safely and efficiently, as well as the allocation of infrastructure capacity and power supply. The term applies to national networks as well as cross-border services, and includes urban rail, regional rail, and long-distance freight corridors.

Its governance typically involves a separation of roles: an infrastructure manager who owns and maintains tracks, signals, stations, and power systems and who allocates track capacity; and train operators who run services using the infrastructure. Train control systems, signaling, dispatching centers, and timetable planning tools coordinate movements to prevent conflicts and support recovery from disruptions. Modern networks use interlocking, centralized or distributed control rooms, and traffic management systems that track train positions and adjust routing and speed as needed. European interoperability efforts, including ETCS, aim to enable cross-border traffic.

Safety and regulation require certification of equipment and staff, safety management systems, and incident reporting. National authorities oversee compliance and approve safety cases for infrastructure and operations. Rail traffic also involves operational procedures for incidents, maintenance windows, and resilience against weather and other disruptions.

Performance is measured by metrics such as punctuality, reliability, capacity utilization, and average delay. Timetable planning must balance the needs of passenger services and freight while accommodating planned maintenance and unexpected events. Ongoing trends include automation of train operation, predictive maintenance, and increased attention to cybersecurity in signaling and communications.