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Challenges are specific problem statements or tasks presented to participants during the Hack4Rail hackathon. They are designed to inspire creativity, foster innovation, and encourage collaboration among attendees. Challenges can range from technical issues, such as developing new software solutions or improving existing systems, to broader topics like enhancing user experience or promoting sustainability in the railway sector.
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You can propose a challenge for the Hack4Rail 2026 event **till March 19, 2026**, please use our [**challenge submission form**](https://share.openrailassociation.org/apps/forms/s/j5T8b5XocATQj5Rik5rcN5mH).
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Before your proposal, please read our [**information for challenge owner**](https://share.openrailassociation.org/s/piGGXFLxW9RQapf).
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We created five theme tracks, which cover important international topics for all railway companies. They primarily serve as inspiration and to bring structure into the challenge overview. If your challenge doesn’t match any of the given theme tracks, feel free to choose our sixth category “Mobility & Logistics Think Tank”.
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### 1. Schedule Flexibility and Capacity Optimization 🚦🛤 📆
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In this theme track, we are looking for challenges that deal with optimizing scheduling and capacity utilization. The goal is to find innovative solutions that enable more efficient planning and use of track capacities, avoid overcrowding, and minimize empty runs. We expect creative approaches that contribute to seamless, efficient rail traffic.
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#### Challenges in this track:
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-[1 - DIRECT – Dynamic Inspector Routing for Efficient Coverage in Trains]({{% relref "1-direct" %}})
-[3 - Robust Auto‑Layout Algorithms for the Netzgrafik Editor]({{% relref "3-nge-auto-layout" %}})
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### 2. Cross-Border Mobility and Logistics 🚅🌍📦
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In this theme track, we are looking for challenges that enhance the experience and efficiency of cross-border passenger and freight transport. Concepts should harmonize information flows, enrich long-distance travel, and promote the internationalization of services. We expect proposals that strengthen market positioning and increase system stability and punctuality through innovative processes along the travel and transport chain. What new services could be created to facilitate access to rail transport?
-[5 - Common Database for Technical Locomotive Data]({{% relref "5-loco-db" %}})
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-[6 - Avoid the Nightmare with the Night Train]({{% relref "6-nighttrain-nightmare" %}})
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-[7 - Who Makes the Rules?]({{% relref "7-rules" %}})
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-[8 - Build an Open Model of Cross‑Border Mobility]({{% relref "8-cross-border-mobility" %}})
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### 3. Efficient Disruption and Construction Site Management 🛠📲🌱
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This theme track calls for challenges that enable quick and effective management of construction sites and disruptions in rail traffic. We are looking for ways to guarantee operational safety, optimize information flows, and ensure the reliability of rail traffic even in unforeseen circumstances. Also sought are innovative concepts that lead to improved deployment planning, sustainable performance, and a reduction of noise and CO2 emissions.
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#### Challenges in this track:
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-[9 - OneUI: Störfall Now! Fast Info. Right Info.]({{% relref "9-one-ui" %}})
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-[10 - Digitalization of Taxi Vouchers and Passenger Pooling in Disruption Cases]({{% relref "10-taxi-vouchers" %}})
This theme track seeks challenges that improve the function and experience of train stations and their surroundings. We are expecting innovative approaches for barrier-free access, smart space management, and the integration of mobility hubs to increase accessibility and comfort. Furthermore, ideas are sought that support an integrated mobility chain and offer individualized customer services at the station, establishing it as a central service location. "Station as a Service" is more than just a catchphrase here.
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#### Challenges in this track:
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-[12 - One Screen. One Journey. Integrated Station Information incl. Rail Replacement]({{% relref "12-one-screen" %}})
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-[13 - A Spatial AI Wayfinding Agent for Railway Stations]({{% relref "13-wayfinding" %}})
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-[14 - Station Data Unlocked (Somehow)]({{% relref "14-station-data" %}})
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### 5. Green Digitalization for Environmental Protection and Sustainability 🌳🚞💚
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This theme track invites the submission of challenges that address pioneering ideas and challenges in the areas of resilience, decarbonization, energy efficiency and circularity. We are looking for digital solutions that affect all areas of railway operations and logistics.
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#### Challenges in this track:
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-[15 - Predictive Model for Energy Consumption Including Weather Effects]({{% relref "15-energy-consumption" %}})
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### 6. Mobility and Logistics Think Tank 🔮🤖🔭
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This theme track invites the submission of challenges that deal with disruptive and forward-thinking ideas for the mobility and logistics of the year 2035. We are looking for creative approaches that may lie outside established patterns of thought and have the potential to fundamentally change the sector.
title: DIRECT – Dynamic Inspector Routing for Efficient Coverage in Trains
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# DIRECT – Dynamic Inspector Routing for Efficient Coverage in Trains
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## Problem Statement
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Quality inspections in rail operations are currently planned manually, inconsistently, and reactively. This results in inspection gaps, uneven coverage, and limited comparability across regions, fleets, and service providers.
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## Proposed Solution
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A standardized, data‑driven approach for dynamic routing and deployment of quality inspectors. The solution ensures that every train is inspected at least once within a defined period, under real operational constraints, with efficient resource use and consistent coverage.
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## Required Expert Profiles
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- Automated resource and workforce planning
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- Rail operations and planning (timetables, rotations, crew planning)
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- Quality management and inspection processes
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- Optimization, Operations Research, Data Science / Analytics
title: Holiday Aware, Data Driven Relief Train Planning
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banner:
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# Holiday Aware, Data Driven Relief Train Planning
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## Problem Statement
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Relief trains are currently planned with limited anticipation of demand peaks caused by holidays and special travel patterns. Planning is largely reactive and relies on historical assumptions, leading to late interventions, inefficient capacity allocation, and missed opportunities to prevent overcrowding.
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## Proposed Solution
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A combined, data driven planning approach that integrates holiday calendars, demand patterns, and operational data with passenger flow insights derived from mobile device trajectory data. The solution enables early identification of peak demand situations and supports proactive, evidence based planning and timing of relief trains.
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## Required Expert Profiles
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- Rail operations and capacity planning
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- Demand forecasting and transport planning
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- Data analytics using mobility data (e.g. passenger counts, mobile‑trajectory‑based passenger counts)
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- Holiday, event, and seasonal demand modeling
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- Optional: Data engineering and prototyping (e.g. Python, Jupyter, dashboarding tools)
title: Robust Auto‑Layout Algorithms for the Netzgrafik Editor
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banner:
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# Robust Auto‑Layout Algorithms for the Netzgrafik Editor
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## Problem Statement
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As Netzgrafik networks grow, the readability of Netzgrafik deteriorates. Existing auto‑layout mechanisms fail, requiring extensive manual rework that is time‑consuming and error‑prone.
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## Proposed Solution
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Develop fast, robust auto‑layout algorithms that preserve network topology while improving visual clarity. The solution enables scalable, low‑effort visualization even for complex and evolving networks.
PopUpSim can simulate the transformation to digital automatic coupling (DAC) in freight trains. Scenario analysis in PopUpSim requires repeated manual adjustment of parameters. This limits systematic exploration of alternatives and consumes significant time.
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## Proposed Solution
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Add an optimization layer that automatically generates, evaluates, and compares PopUpSim scenarios. The optimizer identifies promising configurations with minimal manual intervention.
title: Common Database for Technical Locomotive Data
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banner:
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# Common Database for Technical Locomotive Data
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## Problem Statement
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Technical data for leased locomotives is fragmented across companies and formats. Missing central access complicates regulatory compliance, maintenance planning, and cross‑operator collaboration.
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## Proposed Solution
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Prototype a shared, standardized database for locomotive technical data, comparable to existing wagon databases. The solution enables consistent, reliable access for all authorized stakeholders.
International night trains often remain blocked in reservation and sales systems longer than necessary. Missing transparency between operators leads to revenue loss and poor customer experience.
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## Proposed Solution
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Create a shared, cross‑operator dashboard showing reservation and sales system status. This enables faster issue identification, coordinated responses, and earlier reopening of sales.
Legal, technical, and business regulations must be translated into concrete operational and IT rules. This translation is mostly manual, difficult to trace, and hard to maintain as regulations change over time.
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## Proposed Solution
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An AI‑supported approach to extract, structure, and manage business rules from regulatory and technical documents. The result is a consistent, traceable, and machine‑readable rule base usable across systems and processes.
title: Build an Open Model of Cross‑Border Mobility
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banner:
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# Build an Open Model of Cross‑Border Mobility
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## Problem Statement
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Cross‑border travel demand is poorly understood and remains car‑centric. Open, reusable mobility models are largely missing.
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## Proposed Solution
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Use open data to model cross‑border mobility and demonstrate rail‑based alternatives. The model serves as a reusable foundation for planning and policy analysis.
title: Digitalization of Taxi Vouchers and Passenger Pooling in Disruption Cases
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banner:
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image: images/events/Hack4Rail-Bern-2025_team.jpg
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processes:
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- "fill 1900x600"
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---
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# Digitalization of Taxi Vouchers and Passenger Pooling in Disruption Cases
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## Problem Statement
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Customers are provided taxi vouchers during train disruptions, which can be costly and inefficient. A customer-centric self-service solution that includes checks for efficient customer pooling and automated selection of the optimal taxi provider is needed.
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## Proposed Solution
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Build a prototype of a web-based platform that enables automated eligibility verification, digital issuance of taxi vouchers, and intelligent pooling of passengers. The solution should connect to multiple taxi providers via API and allow customers to independently arrange alternative transportation in disruption cases.
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## Required Expert Profiles
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- Mobility and disruption management in the rail sector
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- Web and platform development
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- API integration (especially for mobility/taxi services)
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