Cactus TMS Simulation

Test the railway before touching the railway.

An integrated simulation environment for testing Cactus TMS, signalling behaviour, wayside interfaces, trains and timetable-driven operation before deployment.

See the simulator Explore the test environment
Simulation environment Live
Cactus TMS Connected
Signalling logic Running
Wayside interfaces Active
Train simulation Running
Timetable operation Enabled

One environment for operational scenarios, system responses, alarms, indications and repeatable tests.

Whole-system testing Test the configured installation as one connected system
Live facility state Observe signals, points, track circuits and train movements
Repeatable scenarios Run consistent regression tests following system changes
Before site work Prepare migration and commissioning in a controlled environment
Reliable system migration

Verify the complete traffic management environment before deployment

The simulator brings together Cactus TMS, signalling logic, wayside interfaces, simulated trains and timetables. This allows engineers to test operational behaviour without affecting the operational railway.

01

Verify system behaviour

Issue commands, run train movements and observe how the complete configured system responds under normal and abnormal operating conditions.

02

Repeat tests efficiently

Use controlled scenarios as a consistent regression baseline following software, configuration or installation changes.

03

Prepare commissioning earlier

Rehearse migration sequences, dependencies and expected responses before the corresponding work begins on the operational railway.

One integrated test environment

The complete operational chain inside the simulator

The simulator does more than imitate an operator screen. It connects the TMS to the logic, interfaces, trains and timetables needed to reproduce the behaviour of the configured railway installation.

Traffic management

Cactus TMS

Operator commands, traffic monitoring, automatic functions, alarms and timetable-based operation.

Interfaces

Production-representative communication

MQTT and OPC UA are used where configured, allowing the TMS and simulated wayside layer to communicate through representative interfaces.

Signalling behaviour

Simulated relay rooms and control logic

Installation-specific signalling behaviour, command prerequisites, route protection and state transitions.

Railway environment

Signals, points, tracks and trains

Simulated wayside equipment, track-circuit states, train movements, train numbers and connections between stations.

Operational inputs

Timetables and test scenarios

Planned traffic, automatic operation, operator actions, disturbances and migration sequences.

A repeatable test process

Run, observe, evaluate and repeat

Controlled scenarios create a consistent basis for evaluating system behaviour throughout development, integration and migration.

01

Prepare

Select the installation configuration, timetable, initial facility state and test scenario.

02

Operate

Issue commands manually or allow timetable-driven automatic operation to control traffic.

03

Observe

Follow routes, signals, points, occupancy, movements, alarms and system indications in real time.

04

Evaluate

Compare the observed response with expected behaviour and identify deviations or dependencies.

05

Repeat

Run the scenario again following software, configuration or signalling-model changes.

What can be tested?

From individual commands to complete operating scenarios

Select an area to explore examples of the behaviour that can be evaluated before deployment.

Test area 01

Verify commands and route-setting behaviour

Routes and commands

  • Route setting, point movements and route protection
  • Point pre-moves, front protection and side protection
  • Pre-test order logic and command prerequisites
  • Conflicting, queued and cancelled commands
  • Queue handling and safe command removal
Test area 02

Observe the complete simulated facility state

Facility behaviour

  • Track-circuit occupancy and clearance
  • Signal aspects and point positions
  • Facility state transitions and indications
  • Train numbering, alarms and operational information
  • Behaviour across connected stations
Test area 03

Run traffic under timetable-driven control

Automatic operation

  • Timetable-driven automatic route setting
  • Train movements through multiple stations
  • Interaction between manual and automatic operation
  • Train-number handling and operational information
  • Responses to delays and changed traffic conditions
Test area 04

Rehearse changes before they reach the railway

Migration and abnormal scenarios

  • Migration and cutover sequences
  • Abnormal operating conditions
  • Dependencies between connected systems
  • Differences between generic rules and installation-specific relay-room logic
  • Regression testing following system changes
Run the configured system without affecting the operational railway.
Close to the deployed environment

Test through production-representative interfaces

Cactus TMS operates against simulated relay rooms and wayside equipment using production-representative interfaces, including MQTT and OPC UA where configured.

The simulator runs the control logic intended for deployment. This creates a close relationship between the system being tested and the system subsequently introduced on site.

  • Evaluate operator commands without affecting live infrastructure
  • Test traffic movements and timetable-driven operation
  • Observe alarms, indications and automatic functions
  • Repeat the same scenario after configuration changes
Installation-specific behaviour

The simulator reflects the configured signalling installation

Relay-based signalling behaviour can be represented by a machine-readable model created from existing signalling drawings and relay circuit diagrams.

This model is an important input to the simulator. It is combined with Cactus TMS, wayside interfaces, simulated trains, timetables and test scenarios to reproduce the behaviour of the configured installation.

This allows testing to reflect installation-specific conditions instead of relying solely on generic system rules.

Stockholm Metro: For the Stockholm Metro project, the digitalisation of signalling drawings and relay circuit diagrams is performed by Prover. The resulting machine-readable signalling logic is then used as an input to the integrated simulation environment.
Before work begins on site

Prepare commissioning with greater predictability

Moving integration tests, regression scenarios and operational rehearsal into the simulator allows findings to be handled earlier and under controlled conditions.

1

Find issues earlier

Identify unexpected system behaviour before access to the operational railway, when changes are easier to investigate and implement.

2

Rehearse the cutover

Review migration sequences, dependencies, command order and expected responses before the corresponding site activities begin.

3

Reduce on-site adjustments

Enter commissioning with a system that has already been exercised through controlled operational and regression scenarios.

Simulation is part of the wider Cactus TMS environment

The simulator provides a controlled environment for testing how Cactus TMS interacts with signalling logic, wayside interfaces and railway operations. Explore the main product page to learn more about traffic control, automation, train graphs and decision support.

Explore Cactus TMS
See the system respond

Bring us a scenario. We’ll run it in the simulator.

See how Cactus TMS, signalling behaviour, train movements and timetables interact inside one controlled test environment.

Book a simulator demonstration Explore Cactus TMS