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Swiss Federal Railways AG streamlines cross-border rail operations with a low-code platform
With our support, Swiss Federal Railways AG (SBB) introduced a fast, cost-efficient, and compliant solution to digitally manage cross-border train path requests, improving transparency and reducing coordination efforts.
Project overview:
From fragmented processes to a seamless cross-border workflow
SBB is Switzerland’s national railway company, operating both rail infrastructure and train services. It plays a key role in enabling seamless cross-border rail traffic.
In international freight transport, short-notice train path requests, often submitted just one to three days in advance, are critical to maintaining flexibility and meeting demand. However, these requests were handled manually via phone, email, and fragmented systems, requiring coordination across multiple infrastructure providers.
The result was a process that was slow, error-prone, and lacking transparency. Each cross-border request triggered multiple back-and-forth exchanges, creating delays and inefficiencies in already time-critical situations.
At the same time, European railway operators had committed to a shared vision: standardising and digitising international requests through a central broker system aligned with the EU’s Telematics Applications Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TAF/TAP TSI).
SBB needed to ensure it could respond to these broker requests within a fixed deadline. To meet this commitment, SBB needed a fast, pragmatic solution that could:
- Handle international requests digitally
- Integrate with the European broker system
- Be delivered within a short timeframe
- Focus on core functionality over refinement
Having worked with our team previously on an intelligent early warning system, ticket vending machine modernisation, and more, SBB turned to us again to deliver.
Building a fit-for-purpose solution at speed
The mandate was clear: deliver a minimum viable solution capable of reliably handling incoming broker requests. With a fixed deadline and high external dependencies, SBB prioritised speed, cost-efficiency, and reliability.
Our approach followed suit. Instead of traditional, full-scale software development, the team chose a low-code approach to accelerate delivery, reduce complexity, and avoid unnecessary investment in new systems.
A key advantage was that SBB already had Microsoft Power Platform in place. By building on this existing technology, we removed the need for additional infrastructure, shortened setup time, and enabled rapid iteration while still meeting all functional requirements and staying cost-efficient.
With this foundation in place, we developed DECH-Connect: a lightweight platform designed to digitise short-term international train path requests and integrate with the European broker system in line with TAF/TAP TSI standards.
The solution acts as a bridge between the European system and SBB’s internal processes:
- Incoming requests from the broker are received as structured data and automatically captured
- The system detects new requests and notifies responsible operators
- Operators access a simple web interface to review request details
- After validation in existing systems, responses are confirmed and sent back digitally
This streamlined workflow replaces fragmented communication channels with a single, transparent process while remaining fully aligned with existing operational systems.
“Thanks to Zühlke, we have a solution that connects processes across different international rail traffic companies in an efficient and transparent way. The DECH-Connect platform runs stably and securely, with a strong focus on usability for our network management team, helping create value across the entire international process chain.”
Collaboration impact
With DECH-Connect in place, SBB was able to meet its commitment to the European initiative, delivering a functional, TAF/TAP TSI-compliant solution within the required timeframe.
Crucially, SBB was among the first organisations in the ecosystem to be ready to process broker-based requests, reinforcing its position as a reliable partner in cross-border rail collaboration and demonstrating its ability to deliver under pressure.
The solution has already been successfully validated in real operational scenarios, proving that the end-to-end process works as intended.
Beyond meeting the immediate objective, DECH-Connect delivers tangible operational improvements:
- Faster processing and response times: Structured, centralised data enables quicker decision-making for time-critical requests.
- Reduced manual effort: Fewer phone calls, less duplication, and a lower risk of human error streamline daily operations.
- Improved transparency: All stakeholders can track request status and progress in a consistent, end-to-end view.
By delivering a lean, reliable solution at speed, we enabled SBB to turn a complex coordination challenge into a manageable, future-ready process, laying the foundation for more integrated and scalable cross-border rail operations.
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