Operational Data and System-to-System Messaging Platforming - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice

Network Rail currently operates two platforms (EMS Hub and LINX) that perform broadly similar roles in transporting operational data and enabling system‑to‑system messaging across the railway ecosystem. The EMS Hub has been in use since 2005 as a real‑time messaging platform serving Network Rail and industry partners across multiple business sectors. LINX, introduced in 2017, was initially designed to act as a linkage layer between newer train management services and legacy systems. Over time, both platforms have evolved in parallel, resulting in significant functional overlap, duplicated dataflows, and an unclear delineation of responsibilities between them.

LINX is a specialist platform for Traffic Management and operational railway data, providing controlled, resilient and standardised real‑time data exchange. EMS Hub is a flexible, enterprise integration platform supporting a wide range of business domains, including finance, maintenance, operational reporting and web services. Both EMS Hub and LINX provide real‑time messaging and data exchange between operational systems used to manage train movements, timetabling, maintenance, and performance reporting. Because the two platforms are built on the same underlying IBM MQ and IBM ACE technology stack (on-premises IBM zLinux technology), data is shared between them, with both systems exposing this data to external customers in real time. This results in:

• Duplicated data transmission, where systems feed separate dataflows into each platform.
• External consumers having to subscribe to both platforms to obtain a complete picture.
• Parallel technology footprints without a clear business rationale for maintaining two distinct platforms.

This duplication of external feeds has introduced unnecessary cost, complexity, and operational inefficiency. EMS Hub in particular has historically acted as the “default” integration layer and now supports a wide mix of operational, financial, and maintenance services. LINX, by contrast, was designed to serve the Traffic Management System, and today provides the core dataflows that underpin real‑time railway operations. LINX also depends on several key EMS Hub feeds creating further cross‑platform interdependencies.

Despite the challenges inherent in the current landscape, both EMS Hub and LINX continue to provide reliable and resilient services that underpin Network Rail’s operational data exchange. Together, the platforms enable high‑volume, near‑real‑time data sharing between internal operating centres and external third parties, supporting critical operational and customer‑facing use cases.

Any future platform should build on these outcomes, providing a generic, scalable, and cost‑effective integration capability that supports high‑throughput data distribution, interoperation with legacy technologies, and secure connectivity with both internal and external consumers, rather than seeking to replicate the existing solutions on a like‑for‑like basis.

Requirements:

Network Rail is exploring options to move toward a single, modern strategic platform to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and realise long-term operational and financial benefits. Any future platform would need to provide a fully generic messaging capability to support all Network Rail services and departments, not solely train‑related data, enabling consistent system‑to‑system integration across the organisation. This includes understanding both transition considerations and the ongoing cost to operate and maintain any future solution.

The intent of this RFI is to understand strategic options for providing this capability in future, rather than to specify a detailed solution or architecture. The information provided is therefore indicative and intended to help suppliers form a view on scale, criticality and operational context, rather than to define prescriptive technical requirements.

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Further, more detailed, information can be accessed within the 'Current Opportunities' option at the following link, under the title of 'Operational Data and System-to-System Messaging Platforming':

networkrail.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html ↗

Any requests for clarification concerning this RFI, and to submit a response, please email supporting documentation as an attachment to [email protected] with the email subject 'LINX/EMS Re-Platforming RFI'.

Any future procurement, if undertaken, would be subject to a separate competitive process and is not committed to at this stage.