Infrabel, Belgium’s national railway infrastructure manager, launched a large-scale geospatial modernization program to strengthen worker safety and optimize infrastructure operations across its 9,000-kilometer rail network. Recognizing limitations in existing commercial mapping tools and fragmented infrastructure data, Infrabel combined the strengths of open-source mapping (OSM), advanced GIS platforms, and precision location technologies.

Infrabel, Belgium’s national railway infrastructure manager, launched a large-scale geospatial modernization program to strengthen worker safety and optimize infrastructure operations across its 9,000-kilometer rail network. Recognizing limitations in existing commercial mapping tools and fragmented infrastructure data, Infrabel combined the strengths of open-source mapping (OSM), advanced GIS platforms, and precision location technologies.

At the heart of the initiative was InfraGIS, a centralized geospatial repository consolidating diverse rail infrastructure data from CAD records, drone imagery, train-mounted cameras, and mapping systems. Synchronized InfraGIS data is made available through InfraGISViewer app which provides three viewers geographic, schematic and railview (photographic) for 10,000 employees. Parallel to this, Infrabel customized OSM data with proprietary datasets using FME, producing lean, mobile-friendly maps for technicians and emergency responders. Safety innovation was at the forefront leading to development of two geospatial mobile applications, InfraSPAD alerts train conductors approaching red signals with escalating geofence alarms, while Virtual Fencing enables worker tracking within 10 centimetres in high-risk zones via GNSS/UWB tags embedded in vests. The Access to Railway app streamlines routing for workers and emergency crews, ensuring minimum exposure to dangerous/live rail environments. Future AR integration will visualize underground assets, preventing cable accidents on worksites. Together, these integrated tools created a single geospatial ecosystem for infrastructure management, safety monitoring, and workforce mobility.