Swiss Railway Traction Network Load Forecasting Dataset with Operational Planning Context

Overview This dataset provides multi-year time series data for day-ahead energy load forecasting in a national railway traction power network. The dataset combines historical grid load measurements with operational planning data and weather forecasts that influence electricity consumption in railway systems. The data originates from the Swiss railway traction network (RTN) operated by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The RTN is a dedicated power system supplying electricity to electric trains across Switzerland. Accurate forecasting of traction power demand is essential for energy procurement, power plant scheduling, and electricity trading in day-ahead energy markets. A key characteristic of this dataset is the inclusion of future contextual information derived from operational planning, such as passenger and freight train timetables, rolling stock allocation, and transport demand indicators. These variables represent anticipated system behavior and allow the study of forecasting methods that integrate planned future events together with historical time-series data. Two versions of the dataset are provided with different spatial aggregation levels Data Overview Railway dataset Time span: 2018–2023 Temporal resolution: hourly Forecast horizon: 24 hours (day-ahead forecasting) 56 contextual covariates derived from operational planning and weather data Regional covariates for four geographic sectors of the network Railway-Agg dataset Time span: 2020–2023 Temporal resolution: hourly Forecast horizon: 24 hours 16 aggregated contextual covariates The datasets enable research on context-aware energy forecasting, particularly for models that incorporate operational planning data and expected future conditions. The Railway Traction Network The dataset represents the Swiss railway traction power network (RTN) operated by Swiss Federal Railways. Key infrastructure characteristics: Dedicated railway power grid operating at 16.7 Hz Voltage levels: 132 kV / 15 kV Over 1,800 km of transmission lines 70 substations 13 power plants and converter stations Integration with the public electricity grid via 11 frequency converters The network supplies electricity to electric trains operating throughout Switzerland and supports more than 8,000 train journeys per day. The target variable in the dataset represents the total traction grid load, defined as the boundary integral net input from power plants, neighboring networks, and frequency converters supplying the railway power grid. Geographic Resolution Two dataset variants are provided. Railway dataset: Contextual variables are provided for four geographic sectors of the network (West, East, Central, South). Railway-Agg dataset: This variant provides nationally aggregated covariates derived from an alternative operational planning model. Both datasets share the same forecasting objective of predicting nationwide railway energy consumption for the next day. Dataset Variables The dataset contains historical measurements and forecasted operational planning variables describing expected railway activity for the next day. Operational variables are produced by SBB and represent anticipated train operations rather than measured values. These forecasts are available at prediction time and therefore serve as future contextual inputs for load forecasting models. All variables are recorded at hourly resolution. Feature Overview Variable Group Description Columns Timestamp Time of the observation datetime Target Variable Total electrical load of the Swiss railway traction network Bahnlast Weather Forecasts Temperature measurements or forecasts from weather stations influencing energy consumption Locarno / Monti, Pully, Wynau, Zürich / Fluntern Planned Train Counts Forecasted number of trains expected to operate in each region and category Anzahl_*_* Planned Transported Tonnage Forecasted transported mass of trains derived from operational planning Tonnage_*_* Planned Train Distance Forecasted operational distance traveled by trains Kilometerleistung_*_* Forecasted Transport Work (GTKM) Gross tonne-kilometers combining transported mass and travel distance Btkm_*_* Geographic Regions Operational planning variables are provided for four sectors of the Swiss railway network. Region Code Region Z Central S South O East W West Train Categories Operational variables are reported for three train types. Category Code Train Type F Freight trains R Regional passenger trains G Long-distance / intercity passenger trains Citation If you use this dataset in your research, please cite the following paper: Theiler, R., Von Krannichfeldt, L., Sansavini, G., Howland, M. F., & Fink, O.Integrating the Expected Future in Load Forecasts with Contextually Enhanced Transformer Models. Acknowledgments This dataset was developed as part of the project INITIATE – INtellIgenT maIntenance rAilway power sysTEms funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT). The authors thank Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) for providing access to the railway operational and energy data and for their collaboration throughout the project.