RailFree
DE

In pilot operation in Switzerland

Know when the barrier comes down. And for how long.

RailFree predicts when a level crossing will close and when it will be clear again. Live on your iPhone, in CarPlay and on the lock screen.

Request beta access For experts
RailFree on iPhone: a list of level crossings with a countdown to closing and how long each will stay closed (app shown in German)

The app

No more guessing in front of a closed barrier.

If you know what the barrier will do, you can decide: wait, leave a little later or take the detour.

The prediction

When the barrier closes, how long it stays down and whether you will make it.

For every crossing you choose, RailFree shows the next closure as a countdown, how long it will last and all the closures that follow. Using your driving time to the barrier, the app works out whether you will still get through.

  • Countdown to the next closure, with its duration
  • The next closures at a glance
  • Margin to the barrier: “You’ll make it” or “Tight”
RailFree on the lock screen: “6 min margin – you’ll make it” (app shown in German) RailFree detail view of a level crossing: “closes in 8 min, then closed for 30 s”, above it “4 min margin – you’ll make it”, below the upcoming closures (app shown in German)

Test phase Currently in a test phase for iOS in Switzerland. Interested in the beta? Request beta access

For experts

When a barrier closes is not in any timetable.

RailFree is not connected to the crossing equipment. Every prediction is derived from the movement of the trains. Four pictures show why that is harder than it sounds.

01

A train crosses the road.

Each line is a train's journey through space and time. Where it meets the level crossing, a closing window appears. It starts well before the train passes and ends shortly after.

Time-distance diagram · schematic
A train passes the level crossing Schematic time-distance diagram: a train line rises from bottom left to top right and crosses the line of the level crossing. Around the crossing point lies the closing window, which starts before the train passes and ends shortly after. Distance Time → Level crossing closesopens
Train journeyBarrier closed

02

Trains follow closely.

When two trains pass the crossing shortly one after the other, the barrier does not open in between. Two short windows become one long closure, and that is exactly what you want to know.

Time-distance diagram · schematic
Two trains extend the closure Schematic time-distance diagram: two trains from opposite directions pass the level crossing shortly one after the other. Their two closing windows overlap and merge into a single long closure. Distance Time → Level crossing one long closure
Train direction ATrain direction BBarrier closed

03

No train runs exactly to schedule.

A delay of just two minutes shifts the whole window. RailFree follows the trains in real time and keeps adjusting the prediction while they are on their way.

Time-distance diagram · schematic
A delay shifts the closure Schematic time-distance diagram: a dashed line shows the journey according to the timetable, a solid line the actual, delayed journey. The closing window shifts two minutes to the right. Distance Time → Level crossing +2 min
TimetableActual journeyBarrier closed

04

Checked against reality.

A prediction is only as good as its verification. Level crossings were observed for hours, comparing the prediction with the actual closure, train by train.

Prediction and reality · schematic
Prediction compared with the actual closure Schematic view of five train journeys: for each journey the predicted closure is drawn as a bar with soft edges and the actual closure as two white marks. The marks lie close to the edges of each bar. Time → Trip 1Trip 2Trip 3Trip 4Trip 5
PredictionUncertaintyActual closure

What makes it harder still

  • No public train positions. Where a train is between two stops has to be reconstructed.
  • Every crossing is different. The points that trigger a closure are not public.
  • Every type of train behaves differently. Acceleration, braking and speed vary widely.
  • Real-time data has gaps. Updates arrive late, incomplete or not at all.
  • Theory meets reality. Only hours of observation on site show where the two diverge.

Questions from the field?

Arrange a conversation

For emergency services In planning

Every minute counts. Even at the barrier.

The predictions RailFree calculates for drivers could also help control rooms and emergency vehicles. What that would need to look like in practice is something we want to work out together with the people who need it.

An application for emergency services does not exist yet. It is in planning, and we want to develop it together with the people who need it.

An example: an ambulance has two possible routes, and the shorter one crosses a railway line. If it is clear that the barrier will close in three minutes for two minutes, the detour may well be faster.

Where we see potential

  • Control room

    Take closed crossings into account when dispatching and choosing a route.

  • In the vehicle

    A timely warning before the vehicle is stuck at the barrier.

  • Planning

    Where and when crossings in your area are closed most often.

Tell us what you need.

Fire service, ambulance or police with level crossings in your area? We would like to talk about your requirements, without obligation.

Arrange a conversation

Contact

Behind RailFree is a person, not a corporation.

“The idea came up on a long flight, talking with my first officer. On his way home there's a level crossing that always seems to stay closed forever. If he knew in advance, he'd take the detour he already knows and simply get through. To me, that sounded like a solvable problem and a challenge I wanted to take on.”

Roland BiegFounder, Electronics engineer, Airline pilot