railML.org held the 44th railML Conference in Rome, on November 8, 2023. The conference embraced a hybrid format, with 25 attendees physically present and over 50 participants joining online, fostering global collaboration and inclusivity.

Upcoming release of railML 3.3

The central theme of the conference was the upcoming release of railML 3.3, with ongoing development until June 2024, with the final release scheduled for October 2024.

The conference was opened with an introductory speech of our long-term partner „NEAT“ in Italy and followed by an informative report on the Development Schedule railML 3.3 and its general timeline with specific features from Vasco Paul Kolmorgen (railML.org) and Torben Brand (Jernbanedirektoratet, NO). Subsequently, railML coordinators and partners presented the definitive modifications and improvements which are being planned in new release of railML 3.3.

There was a joint presentation held by Larissa Zhuchyi (railML.org) and Mathias Vanden (Infrabel, BE) about the ontology subgroup and  the importance of the railML ontology.  Industry ontologies, such as railML and ERA vocabulary, are a solid basis to make sure the enterprise ontology supoort many use cases. And railML ontology is helpful to increase efficiency by evolving towards a data centric enterprise for its partners.

Overall, the conference demonstrated a collaborative effort to shape the future of railML, incorporating diverse perspectives and ensuring the upcoming release aligns with the needs and preferences of the rail community. The organizers express gratitude to all participants for their valuable contributions, driving railML towards a more robust and versatile future. We look forward to seeing everyone again at the next conference in the spring 2024!

Focus areas at railML 3.3

This release focuses on three key areas:

• Use Cases - Long Term Circulation Planning (UC LTCP): Progressing steadily, this use case is set to conclude by February 2024. railML 3.3's emphasis on Long Term Circulation Planning provides a comprehensive overview, addressing community-requested features absent in the previous version.
• Remodeling of Signal Models: railML 3.3 introduces enhanced modeling for signals, specifically targeting complex signal situations. This marks a crucial advancement in the representation of signaling within the rail Markup Language.
• Refactoring on a Technical Level: Addressing technical dependencies and breaking cycles, the refactoring aspect of railML 3.3 aims to bring structural improvements to the language, enhancing its overall efficiency.

Survey polls

In addition to these pivotal updates, the conference featured insightful survey polls seeking opinions from railML partners and community members. Respondents expressed preferences in several key areas such as about publishing alpha versions during Development, explicit and implicit sequence ordering, making UUIDs as a separate attribute.

A significant part of respondents supported the idea of releasing alpha versions during railML 3.3 development, particularly for use cases. When opinions were sought regarding maintaining specific element orders, respondents favored both explicit and implicit sequence ordering methods. The debate over whether to treat identifiers as XML IDs or UUIDs was explored. Opinions were varied, reflecting the complexity of this decision. You can find the results below in the charts.

Download of presentations

You can download the presentations from the conference page: 44th railML conference Everyone from the community is welcome to contribute their feedback or comments contacting our schema coordinators per e-mail.