ProRail's Transformation: Leveraging Low-Code Automation for Efficient Railway Operations
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries
- Cement
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Construction Management
- Smart Contracts
Services
- System Integration
The Customer
ProRail
About The Customer
ProRail is a company assigned by the Dutch Government to maintain over 6,800 km of their national railway. The company's mission is to ensure high-quality, safe, on-time, and convenient passenger and freight rail travel in the Netherlands. ProRail is organized into three infrastructure management organizations, each tasked with maintaining physical rail infrastructure, planning railway allocation 52 hours in advance, and planning traffic control 52 hours in advance. The company's core systems operation is sophisticated and of high importance to the Netherlands, requiring a substantial amount of IT oversight.
The Challenge
ProRail, a company assigned by the Dutch Government to maintain over 6,800 km of their national railway, faced a significant challenge in managing its complex operations. The company's mission was to ensure high-quality, safe, on-time, and convenient passenger and freight rail travel in the Netherlands. However, the logistical challenges were immense, requiring the company to maintain a high-quality workforce and systems. The company was organized into three infrastructure management organizations, each with its own set of responsibilities. The IT department was responsible for the processes that enabled the railway network to operate properly. However, the company's core systems operation was sophisticated and of high importance, requiring a substantial amount of IT oversight. At the same time, the business was constantly generating new ideas to create efficiencies in their processes, which often led to a growing backlog and a proliferation of Shadow IT.
The Solution
To address their growing backlog and the proliferation of Shadow IT, ProRail considered a number of options. Off-the-shelf solutions were proposed, but they proved too expensive or insufficient. The decision was made to seek an application platform – a foundation for ProRail to develop applications that were fine-tuned to solve for their own specific needs. Over the past five years, Johan’s team built 37 applications on the platform, creating significant operational efficiency gains. These applications included a Risk Management & Contract Management Application, a Work Management Application, and a Plandix Application. The new approach to application development, working alongside the business and re-using functionality, enabled ProRail and its IT team to significantly speed development and satisfy the business, all while creating significant operational efficiency gains.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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