DB Netz launches its web-based path booking

From now on it is much easier for the more than 420 railways in Germany to plan their train journeys in passenger and freight transport. This is possible thanks to the connection of the path-finder online tool – a kind of route planner for the railway – to the path booking system TPN.

The whole thing works like this: After the rail company has identified an optimal route using the path-finder, it is transferred together with some technical information via an order form to the TPN. The data does not have to be entered once again, as previously required. Thus ordering the train journey is easier but also much faster. The tool is available to the railway companiess free of charge at www.trassenfinder.de and can also be used conveniently via mobile devices.

“The path-finder is a product of our initiative “Einfachbahn” (simply railway), to make the rail system in Germany more attractive and less complicated,” emphasises Thomas Schaffer, Board Member Sales and Timetable DB Netz AG. “”Positive feedback from our domestic and foreign customers confirms that this is the right way to remove access barriers. The path-finder provides a significant added value for all parties involved. About 5,000 routes are already calculated per week using the online tool – and with the direct connection to our route order system, there will certainly be more. “

In January 2017, DB Netz AG introduced the path-finder IT tool. The web-based application provides a quick and easy overview of the routes involved in each train configuration and the time the transport might take. Optimisation criteria such as route, travel time and train path charges can be adjusted flexibly. The route suggestions and the resulting passable network are displayed clearly for the planner on a route map.

www.deutschebahn.com