Case Study: Netherlands Railways achieves better railway timetable planning and crew management with AnyLogic

Aiming for Better Railway Timetable Planning and Crew Management

Netherlands Railways, the largest passenger train operator in the Netherlands, faced crew shortages, rising passenger demand, and tighter schedules that were causing delays and hurting punctuality. To improve railway timetable planning and crew management, the company turned to AnyLogic simulation software to model train timetables, rolling stock, and crew schedules across a complex daily operation.

Using AnyLogic, Netherlands Railways built an agent-based simulation of about 700 train units and more than 1,000 driver duties, enabling it to test crew assignment scenarios and optimize buffer times. The result was better reliability, identification of critical delay-prone corridors for immediate adjustments, a model developed in less than a week, and a scalable framework for continuous operational improvement.

Netherlands Railways