Railway simulation is a powerful tool for answering various questions in railway network planning and analysing different solutions. Today, railway simulation is used by railway operators, consultants and universities. At the Vienna University of Technology the course Railway Simulation is part of the curriculum since 2003. The focus of this article is to give an insight into this course and to show its successful application.
The course Railway Simulation is offered at the Research Centre for Railway Engineering, Traffic Economics and Ropeways of the Institute of Transportation at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The course is open to all students at the Vienna University of Technology but it is especially aimed at students studying civil engineering during their Master studies who have gained an overview of railway engineering in their Bachelor studies.
The aim of the course is to give an insight into railway operation. The course is divided into two parts. The first part is an introductory lecture to repeat the main terms of railway operation and the basic software elements. In the second part the students work with the railway simulation software OpenTrack (by OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd., Switzerland) to solve various tasks. For example, one task is to determine the travelling time and the minimum headway time of different trains on a given infrastructure.
Another task is to identify how track improvements can influence the travelling time and to develop a fixed interval timetable for a given infrastructure. Overall, there is a good interest in this course and this course is very useful for the students to understand the specific characteristics of railway operation.

railway simulation, running time, timetable, education, fixed interval timetable