Ontology

The railML ontology consolidates, standardises and validates infrastructure-related concepts, providing both developers and railway domain experts with a user-friendly alternative to markup language.

  • Concept consolidation: ontology integrates concepts from different platforms, schemas and wiki, consolidating it to provide a one-stop shop.
  • Standardisation: through the consolidation of the concepts, the information becomes standardised to the railML format allowing users to input data from multiple information systems.
  • Data validation: ontology is currently being used to validate infrastructure data and is expected to include timetable, rollingstock, interlocking, and common subschemas in the future, leveraging semantic constraints and improving the reliability of data processing in the railway domain.

Please note that before using railML ontology, you must agree to the provided license conditions, available on our licence terms page.

Currently, Dr. Larissa Zhuchyi is the coordinator of the railML.org ontology. Please contact her if you have any further questions.

Ontology publication

The railML Ontology Beta version has been published on 21 January 2025 and provides a comprehensive vocabulary for part of the railML3 schemas. Its primary purpose is to improve the interoperability of railML data across various systems and increase the semantic richness of railML schemas.

The railML ontology includes the representations of railML 3.2 and 3.3 schemas, as well as RailTopoModel 1.4. It also covers railML subschemas: Infrastructure, Timetable, Common and Rolling Stock, in the context of use cases: ETCS-a, SCTP, NEST and RTCI. Additional use cases were prioritised during the 46th railML conference.

Please note that this vocabulary is not intended for reasoning or validation purposes. The final version will be released after review by the railML working group. Details of the licence terms can be found on the relevant page.

Documentation/downloads of the railML ontology are available here: https://ontology.railml.org/

Ontology working group