Railway Traffic Regulation Course
Online course of 300 hours in railway traffic regulation, structured in 6 modules covering capacity and regulation, timetable design, real-time traffic regulation, tools and automation, and service quality under UIC Leaflet 406, Royal Decree 664/2015 and Law 38/2015, with an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Calculate the capacity of railway lines and junctions.
Design robust timetables.
Apply real-time regulation strategies.
Use traffic simulation and optimisation tools.
Analyse punctuality and the causes of delay.
Propose service quality improvements.
Produce a traffic regulation study for a railway line.
Who it's for
- Timetable planners.
- Capacity analysts.
- Traffic regulation operators.
- Railway operations consultants.
- Transport engineers.
- Service quality managers.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter railway infrastructure.
What you'll work with
- UIC Leaflet 406 (capacity)
- Royal Decree 664/2015 (Spanish Railway Traffic Regulations)
- Law 38/2015 (Spanish Railway Sector Act)
- Directive 2012/34/EU (establishing a single European railway area)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/773 (Operation and Traffic Management TSI)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2177 (access to service facilities)
- UNE-EN 13816 (public passenger transport: service quality)
- OpenTrack
- RailSys
- LUKS
- Python (pandas)
- Microsoft Excel
6 modules
1.1The concept of railway capacity1.2UIC 406 capacity consumption method1.3Minimum headways and blocking times1.4Traffic heterogeneity1.5Influence of signalling on capacity1.6Capacity of stations and junctions1.7Capacity allocation1.8Network Statement1.9Saturation and congestion1.10Practical exercise: calculating capacity consumption with UIC 406
2.1Building the train graph2.2Clock-face (pulse) timetables2.3Recovery margins2.4Dwell and shunting times2.5Connections and transfers2.6Mathematical timetable optimisation2.7Timetables robust to disruption2.8Timetable simulation2.9Coordination between operators2.10Lab: designing a clock-face timetable
3.1Disruptions and delay propagation3.2Regulation strategies3.3Train reordering3.4Conflict management3.5Decision support systems3.6Metro regulation with constant headway3.7Punctuality-based regulation3.8Driving adapted to regulation3.9Regularity indicators3.10Workshop: conflict resolution at a junction
4.1Traffic management systems4.2Real-time optimisation algorithms4.3Artificial intelligence in regulation4.4Integration with ERTMS and ATO4.5Real-time passenger information4.6Delay prediction4.7Digital twins of the network4.8Train running data and its analysis4.9State of the art in research4.10Case study: delay prediction with historical data
5.1Punctuality and its measurement5.2Penalties and incentive schemes5.3Analysis of delay causes5.4Punctuality improvement plans5.5Passenger satisfaction5.6Freight and train path reliability5.7International comparison of networks5.8Economic regulation of the sector5.9Quality reports5.10Case study: punctuality diagnosis of a line
6.1Definition of the line and its traffic6.2Capacity analysis6.3Timetable design6.4Simulation of disruptions6.5Regulation strategy6.6Quality indicators6.7Improvement proposals6.8Conclusions of the study6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The course is delivered 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is OpenTrack, RailSys, LUKS, Python (pandas) and Microsoft Excel, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for line capacity analysis, clock-face timetable design and punctuality studies. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: UIC Leaflet 406, Royal Decree 664/2015, Law 38/2015, Directive 2012/34/EU, Regulation (EU) 2019/773 (OPE TSI), Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2177, UNE-EN 13816.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with OpenTrack, RailSys, LUKS, Python (pandas), Microsoft Excel, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required: you only need a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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