Success Story: Trafikverket Strengthens Digital Railway Data Exchange with railML®

by Sharon Király (railML.org)

The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), who has been a railML.org partner since 2020, is taking important steps towards a more digital, automated, and interoperable management of railway infrastructure data. Through the implementation of the railML® standard, Trafikverket is establishing a common, machine-readable foundation for sharing and reusing railway data – both internally and with external stakeholders.

The work has been carried out in close cooperation between Trafikverket’s European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) digitalisation initiatives and its railway data management organisation, creating a consistent and system-independent approach to data exchange across the railway domain.

Quickinfo Trafikverket and RailExporterSE

Trafikverket is a swedish gouvernment agency, responsible for overall long-term infrastructure planning not only of rail transport, but also of road, sea and air transport. Trafikverket owns, constructs, operates and maintains all state-owned roads and railways. A similar government agency exists also in Norway, where Jernbanedirektoratet holds strategic responsibility for the norwegian railwy network.

The tool RailExporterSE is a software developed by Trafikverket, with the aim to simplify and streamline the export of railML® files, specifically for NEST. More information can be found on the RailExporterSE software page.

railML® Structured Data as an Enabler for Data Exchange

Railway signalling and interlocking projects rely on large volumes of complex information. Without structured data, processes become more manual, thus time-consuming, and error-prone.

railML® serves as a common “language” for railway data, enabling different systems to interpret and reuse information consistently. This supports automation, improves data quality, and facilitates collaboration between organisations and suppliers.

Two Major Achievements in the Journey with railML®

Over the past year, Trafikverket has achieved two significant milestones:

  • Certification of Software RailExporterSE for NEST use case (railML® v3.2)
    The implementation of the railML® use case NEST to RailExporterSE has been certified by railML.org and is now available for operational use.
  • System-independent interlocking data specification
    A railML-based interlocking implementation specification has been developed. Together, these milestones provide a solid technical foundation for the data-driven railway of the future.

Making railML® Operational: NEST from Legacy Infrastructure System

With the certified NEST implementation, Trafikverket can now export infrastructure data from the legacy infrastructure system in the railML® format through a user-friendly graphical interface.

This allows for:

  • Standardised data exchange between systems
  • Reduced manual handling of information
  • Broader use of railML® in ERTMS and digital engineering processes
  • System-independent use of data from multiple internal sources

The NEST export also lays the groundwork for future services where Trafikverket can provide machine-readable infrastructure data, independent of specific underlying databases.

A Shared railML® Specification for Interlocking Data

In parallel, Trafikverket has developed a comprehensive railML® implementation specification for interlocking data. It defines how topology, infrastructure objects, and interlocking logic are represented and exchanged using railML®.

The specification provides a common reference for data exchange between Trafikverket’s internal systems and external partners such as interlocking suppliers, supporting fully digital and automated information flows.

It consists of:

  • a machine-readable CSV specification
  • railML® extensions in XSD format
  • a web-based documentation site

Next Steps

With these achievements in place, Trafikverket is now focusing on adoption and practical use. Increasing awareness and usage of the NEST export in relevant projects will help make railML® a natural part of everyday data exchange at Trafikverket.

Regarding interlocking data, the next step is to implement import and export functionality in signalling systems according to the new specification. This enables automated data exchange with suppliers, promoting ERTMS deployment.

Although further development will follow as railML® is used in operational data flows, Trafikverket now has a stable, shared technical foundation aligned with its long-term railML® strategy.

Would you like to share your own best practice example on how railML® was implemented with your organization or in your research? Please reach out to the railML.org PR team with orga@governance.railml.org or on LinkedIn.