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ProRail is responsible for managing thousands of local train movements across the Dutch railway network. These movements are essential for maintenance, logistics, and operational continuity. However, the planning and approval process for local train movements was highly manual and time-consuming.
Planners often had to wait several days – or even weeks - for approvals, relying on fragmented systems and manual coordination. This created delays, reduced flexibility, and placed unnecessary pressure on planners, crews, and operations, at a time when speed and coordination are critical for passenger, freight and crew.
The solution
To address this challenge, Sopra Steria partnered with ProRail to design and build ORMAS (the order management system), a future-proof digital solution for managing local train movement requests.
The ORMAS Portal streamlines the entire
process, from request to approval and cancellation. Fully integrated with ProRail’s existing planning systems, the portal provides a single, intuitive interface that aligns with European TSI (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) standards,
ensuring compliance while improving usability.
With ORMAS, planners can submit and track requests digitally, receive faster confirmations, and maintain full visibility over local train movements, all with just a few clicks.
”We built the ORMAS Portal – a futureproof solution that streamlines local train movement requests and integrated into ProRail’s planning systems.”
Bjorn Schijff, Senior Front-end Engineer Sopra Steria
The result
The impact was immediate and measurable:
- A process that once took up to two weeks is now completed within a single day
- Same-day confirmation of local movement requests for planners
- More than 1,260 annual service orders processed efficiently through the portal
- Less paperwork, faster coordination, improved planning accuracy, and reduced operational friction
As Nico Mans, Product Owner ProRail, notes, “what previously required days of waiting is now one click away’, enabling teams to work faster, smarter, and with greater confidence.
A lasting impact
The ORMAS Portal is more than a technical upgrade. It is a sustainable, scalable solution that supports ProRail’s mission to keep the railway moving safely and efficiently. By combining deep rail domain knowledge with digital expertise, Sopra Steria
delivered a solution for future railway operations.