Announcement: Introducing railVIVID 2.1.0

by Sharon Király (railML.org)

The newest version of railVIVID, the railML® validator software, is set to be announced at the 48th railML conference in Madrid. Key innovative features of railVIVID version 2.1.0 include improved 3-phase-validation and the addition of graphic visualization of infrastructure by geographic coordinates.

railVIVID’s Purpose

railVIVID is an open-source tool developed specifically for viewing and validating railML® files. It is not intended to replace official certification of railML® interfaces but instead serves as a supporting everyday tool for railway software developers, data analysts or even users with minimal understanding of XML and railML® schema syntax. Using railVIVID, railML® files can be checked for syntactic, reference, and selected semantic errors, which might be especially useful in daily usage for exchange in the railway sector as a neutral instance.

railVIVID Development Timeline

railVIVID development began in 2014, kick starting a series of beta releases which culminated in the publication of the first usable version in 2016. In August 2024, railML.org entered the development phase of railVIVID 2, a modernized version with focus on improved performance and compatibility, as well as a refined validation process. When railVIVID 2.0 launched in 2025, it featured i. a. extended syntactic validation capabilities for railML 2.x and 3.x files, and partial semantic validation. Going forward, the release of several railVIVID 2.1.x versions is scheduled for 2026. As a major feature, they will implement a tree view of file content based on subschemas. Also, users will be able to use the software to validate IDX4rail files as well.

Innovations in railVIVID 2.1.0

Compared to the previous 2.x versions, railVIVID 2.1.0 offers the following key features:

  • Refined 3-phase-validation (syntax, references, semantics)
    • Improved speed of validation (e.g. quicker processing of extensions)
    • Grouping of types of errors and their number of occurrences, as well as their details for semantic errors and selected syntactic errors in the list view
  • Onset of railML-specific extension recognition, with display of their location, namespace, corresponding elements and attributes in list view
  • Graphic visualization of selected infrastructure elements for railML 2 and 3 with OpenStreetMap and various views of Google maps
  • Support of large railML files greater than 300 MB (uncompressed)
  • Improved functionality due to reported technical issues being resolved
  • Improved usability due to modified user interface

railVIVID 2.1.0 Three-Phase-Validation

In railVIVID 2.1.0, validation of railML® files extends to three aspects: syntax, references, and semantics.

During syntactic validation, the file is checked for both general XML syntax errors and adherence to the syntactic rules of the railML® schema.

Secondly, reference validation checks whether elements and/or attributes refer to the correct type of elements and/or attributes. These data points are defined in a separate file.

Semantic validation can be understood as complementary to syntactic validation as it ensures that the logical dependencies between data entries are consistent and meaningful within the given context (e.g. the departure time of a train cannot be earlier than its arrival time). For a detailed explanation of the difference between syntactic and semantic constraints, more examples and an insight into the process of establishing semantic constraints in railML, consult our corresponding news article.

During the development of railVIVID 2.x integrating semantic constraints has been an ongoing process. Currently, semantic validation extends to selected approved constraints for railML 2.x and railML 3.x. A detailed overview of proposed and approved semantic constraints can be found in the railML Wiki for 2.x and 3.x.

Grouping of Error Types

Improved usability of railVIVID 2.1.0 is also evident in the updated user interface. In the event that railVIVID has detected errors within a file, they will be grouped according to the error type. Also, their respective number of occurrences is displayed. For example, there are 2 types of syntactic errors, which occur a total of 3 times.

railVIVID interface with grouping of errors

Down below, for semantic and selected syntactic errors, their specific details are grouped in the list view. Within these lists, location of each occurrence is provided as well.

railVIVID interface with list of errors and their location within the file

Visualization of Infrastructure

Selected infrastructure elements for railML 2 and 3 can now be graphically visualized with OpenStreetMap and various Google maps views (regular, terrain, satellite), if their geographic coordinates are given. railVIVID 2.1.0 only supports WGS84 coordinates with usage of the EPSG-Codes 4326 and 4979.

Visualisation of infrastructure in railVIVID, Google Maps view

The displayable infrastructure elements include tracks, balises, signals, level crossings, and operational points. Additional information for these elements will be provided when clicking on the respective symbol.

Visualisation of infrastructure element and details in railVIVID, Google Maps satellite view

Current release and beta versions of railVIVID along with their documentation are available for download. If you would like to provide feedback or reach out to our railVIVID developer Marharyta Vyskarka for further inquiries and feature requests, please email code@railvivid.railml.org. Your contribution is highly valued.