Case Study: FIFA optimizes World Cup rail logistics with AnyLogic

Capacity Optimization for World Cup Railway Stations

FIFA’s 2018 World Cup rail logistics created a major passenger-flow challenge for Russia’s railway network, with 31 stations across 11 host cities needing capacity checks, bottleneck analysis, service planning, and evacuation-route optimization. AnyLogic was used by IRTS, a transport systems specialist, to model station operations and passenger behavior under normal and tournament conditions.

Using AnyLogic simulation modeling and a custom Station Modeling Library, IRTS built calibrated station models, tested World Cup timetables and passenger volumes, and identified measures to improve operations and evacuation safety. The result was a flexible, reusable planning system that supported efficient special-event operations, analyzed evacuation times under peak loads, and enabled ongoing station development and scenario testing by the railway operator with AnyLogic.

FIFA