Opentrack

What Opentrack does

OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd. is a Zürich-based software vendor that develops desktop simulation tools for modeling and analyzing railway networks. The company's software is used by national railway operators, metro and tram operators, railway equipment manufacturers, mining companies, engineering consultancies, and academic institutions in more than 40 countries; named customers include Swiss Federal Railways (SBB, since 1999), Deutsche Bahn's DB Netz (since 2002), SNCF (since 2009), RATP (since 2009), Beijing Subway, MTR Corporation, Singapore LTA, Siemens, Alstom, Bombardier, CRRC, Fortescue Metals, and consultancies such as SMA und Partner AG and Plateway. The platform is sold as a one-time/perpetual-license desktop application with supplementary technical support and consulting services, distributed directly from opentrack.ch and via consultancy partners, with no public pricing.

The core OpenTrack product models train movement using differential equations for speed and distance and represents networks in a double-vertex graph topology, supporting the full range of rail system types (high-speed, heavy rail, commuter, freight, metro, light rail, tram, rack, and maglev) and signaling standards including ETCS Levels 1-3, LZB, CBTC, moving block, and discrete block. The suite includes a full version, a restricted Light version (two active trains), a built-in Headway Calculator, a SOAP-based OpenTrack API, and a companion OpenTimeTable visualization tool; outputs include train graphs, speed/distance diagrams, occupation diagrams, and energy/delay statistics exportable to Excel. The simulation engine originated as the "Object-Oriented Modeling in Railways" project at ETH Zürich's Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT), which remains the primary research and co-development partner. The platform runs on Windows 7/8/10/11 and macOS, with a native Apple Silicon build released in January 2024.

The company operates with 1-10 employees from a single Zürich office (Gubelstr. 28), reaching enterprise and government buyers through direct sales, the ETH-hosted user workshop series, conference participation (notably InnoTrans), and country-specific consultancy distributors. OpenTrack is an independent private limited company spun out of ETH Zürich with no parent, no disclosed outside funding, and no acquisition activity to date.

Name

Opentrack

Legal name

OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd.

Website

https://opentrack.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd. develops desktop simulation software that models and analyzes railway networks. Spun off from ETH Zürich, it serves rail operators, metro agencies, consultancies, equipment manufacturers, and universities across more than 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Simulation Software

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Signaling & Train Control Infrastructure (Interlockings, ETCS/CBTC Wayside) (TLAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Automatic Train Operation (ATO) Supervision & Regulation (TLAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Railway simulation software
• Network modeling tools
• Timetable analysis
• Signaling simulation
• Rail capacity planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Full and Light Versions): OpenTrack is sold as a downloadable desktop application in two versions: a full version with unlimited trains per simulation, and a limited Light version restricted to two trains per simulation. The software is available for Windows 7/8/10/11 and macOS. Revenue is generated through software licensing, likely with perpetual or subscription-based licensing models.
2. Technical Support and Consulting Services: OpenTrack Railway Technology provides technical support and likely professional services including training, custom modeling, and simulation consulting for railway operators, consultancies, and research institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OpenTrack develops and markets desktop railway network simulation software for modeling, simulating, and analyzing rail systems. The software calculates train movements using differential equations under signaling and timetable constraints, supports single-run and Monte-Carlo simulations, and handles high-speed rail, commuter, metro, tram, freight, and maglev systems. It is sold in a full version (unlimited trains) and a limited Light version (two trains), available for Windows and macOS.

Product overview

OpenTrack is a railway simulation software suite consisting of a core platform for modeling, simulating, and analyzing railway networks. The product began as a research project at ETH Zurich and now serves railways, the railway supply industry, consultancies, and universities. The core OpenTrack platform supports multiple rail system types and simulates train movements under signaling and timetable constraints. Key add-on modules include the Headway Calculator (for computing minimum train headways), OpenTrack API (SOAP-based for connecting external applications), and OpenTimeTable (for visualizing multiple simulation outputs). OpenTrack is available as a full version (unlimited trains) and OpenTrack Light (limited to two trains). Supported platforms include Windows 7/8/10/11 and macOS, with a native Apple Silicon version released in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OpenTrack (Full Version) Core desktop railway simulation software for modeling, simulating, and analyzing railway networks. Supports high-speed, heavy, commuter, freight, metro, light rail, tram, and maglev systems with full signaling and timetable capabilities. For railway operators, infrastructure administrations, consultancies, and research institutes. Available for Windows and macOS.
• OpenTrack Light A restricted edition of the OpenTrack simulation software limited to two active trains per simulation run. Designed for basic train running calculations and entry-level use cases. For railway planners and engineers needing lightweight simulation.
• OpenTimeTable Companion tool capable of visualizing and analyzing outputs of multiple OpenTrack simulation runs, including timetable analysis. Integrates via railML for import/export of timetable data. For railway planners and engineers working with simulation outputs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports simulation of all major signaling systems including ETCS Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, CBTC, LZB, moving block, and discrete block systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ETH Zürich - Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999OpenTrack originated as a research project at ETH Zürich's Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT) under the project 'Object-Oriented Modeling in Railways'. The institute continues as the primary research and development partner, providing ongoing academic backing, validation, and co-development of the simulation engine. The company and ETH IVT cooperate on railway network simulation, with ETH IVT being listed as the primary research partner since the project's inception in the mid-1990s.
• OpenPowerNetcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenPowerNet is a complementary tool for simulating railway power supply systems. OpenTrack supports co-simulation with OpenPowerNet, allowing users to model and analyze the interaction between train operations and power consumption. The OpenTrack simulation outputs can be post-processed and visualized in tools like Google Earth. This integration enables comprehensive analysis of both train operations and their energy requirements.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• AnyLogic: AnyLogic provides a multi-method simulation platform (agent-based, discrete event, system dynamics) with rail-specific libraries used by consultancies and universities. Comparable as an alternative simulation tool capable of addressing rail capacity and operations problems, though typically deployed by modeling generalists rather than rail specialists.

Direct peers

• PTV Group: PTV Group provides Visum and related transport planning software, widely used by consultancies and transport authorities for traffic and public transport planning. Comparable to OpenTrack as a transport simulation software vendor serving overlapping consultancy customers, though PTV's scope extends across all transport modes rather than rail only.
• SMA und Partner AG: SMA develops Viriato, a railway timetabling and capacity planning tool used across European rail operators, and is also an OpenTrack distributor and integration partner. Direct competitor in the same rail timetabling and simulation category, with overlapping customer base and complementary (not identical) product positioning.
• INRO Software: INRO develops EMME, a multimodal transport planning and simulation platform used by transport authorities and consultancies globally. Comparable as a transport-focused simulation software vendor serving overlapping consultancy and government customers, though with a broader multi-modal scope than OpenTrack's rail specialization.
• Rail Management Consultants (RMCon): RMCon develops RailSys, one of the most widely deployed railway simulation and timetabling platforms in Europe, used by DB Netz and other major operators. Directly competes with OpenTrack for the same railway network simulation, capacity analysis, and timetable validation use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Alstom: Alstom Transport is a global rail equipment supplier and signaling provider that uses OpenTrack for rolling stock and systems validation. As a broad incumbent in the rail supply ecosystem, Alstom overlaps with OpenTrack on simulation-for-product-development workflows and could scale internal alternatives.
• Bentley Systems: Bentley Systems offers OpenRail and Rail Track Design, providing rail infrastructure design and asset performance software used by many of the same rail operators and consultancies as OpenTrack. Comparable because both serve railway infrastructure planning workflows with overlapping modeling capabilities, but Bentley operates a much broader infrastructure software portfolio beyond pure simulation.
• Siemens Mobility: Siemens Mobility is a major rolling stock and rail signaling supplier that internally develops simulation tools for its own product validation and also serves operators. As an OpenTrack customer for product development use cases, Siemens represents the broad incumbent that could choose to expand internal tooling and reduce reliance on OpenTrack.

Others

• WSP: WSP is a global engineering consultancy with a significant rail and transit practice that uses OpenTrack in rail planning projects for operators. Comparable as an institutional consultancy customer and ecosystem partner, with some overlap through internal transport modeling capabilities but not a direct software product competitor.
• SYSTRA: SYSTRA is a major rail and public transport engineering consultancy that uses OpenTrack in client projects and develops some proprietary modeling tooling. Comparable as a consultancy peer whose planning workflows overlap with OpenTrack's use cases, and as a potential partner/distributor rather than direct software competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opentrack-railway-technology-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Opentrack