Modern Data in motion at Irish Rail

Professional IT Services

Irish Rail is modernizing the systems behind its services—making better use of data to support planning, reporting, and daily operations. With a cloud-first strategy and the support of delivery partners like Sogeti, the organization is expanding its Azure environment to meet current and future needs.

Their modernization approach includes:

• Building a modern data platform with Azure Synapse, MS Fabric and DevOps
• Connecting systems like SAP and Power BI for better decision-making
• Scaling internal capacity with embedded experts

A national railway on the move

Ireland’s rail network is evolving to meet new demands—from rising passenger expectations to greater system complexity. For Irish Rail, that means looking beyond the tracks to strengthen what holds the network together: the information that drives decisions, connects teams, and keeps services moving.

As part of their cloud-first approach, Irish Rail—working alongside trusted delivery partners such as Sogeti—is expanding their Microsoft cloud data infrastructure to make better use of operational and enterprise data. They are building digital capacity to make it easier to integrate information, respond to events in real time, and plan across departments.

Guided by internal data leadership and supported by external experts, including Sogeti, their goal is to move key workloads to Azure, develop shared data platforms, and support delivery across ongoing modernization projects.

Enabling data-powered public transport

Over the last several years, Irish Rail has taken a phased approach to strengthening its digital infrastructure. Guided by internal data leadership and supported by trusted contributors, the organization has worked to establish a more connected and flexible data environment.

A key part of this work has been the development of an enterprise data platform using Microsoft Azure services. With architecture and delivery support from partners including Sogeti, Irish Rail has introduced new capabilities that support enterprise reporting, financial oversight, and operational visibility—while laying the groundwork for further integration.

The platform has expanded steadily to include:

• Core services such as Azure Synapse, MS Fabric, ADLS, and DevOps pipelines
• Modern lakehouse capabilities for handling large-scale data ingestion and transformation
• Connections to systems like SAP and Power BI to support cross-functional reporting

This environment continues to evolve. Projects currently underway are helping Irish Rail prepare for future shifts—such as fully adopting Microsoft Fabric, improving reuse of infrastructure, and simplifying how teams access and act on data.

A modern railway built on smart data decisions

Several recent initiatives highlight how Irish Rail is applying its data strategy in practice:

• Implemented a centralized Azure Data Hub to unify enterprise data to facilitate reporting and data access across departments, enabling faster, more informed decision-making.
• Adopted Microsoft DevOps for Sprint planning and delivery, with Power BI integration to enable a custom DevOps reporting solution for enhanced visibility and performance tracking.

• Reporting pipelines were established to bring together financial and SAP data—supporting clearer reconciliation and stronger insight into payroll processes.
• The Real-Time Customer Information project, still in progress, connects data from onboard equipment with live systems to inform service updates and improve customer experience.
• Additional projects have enabled train and service delivery coordination, including support for GPS device installation, data workflows, and stakeholder engagement across ICT, Engineering, and Commercial teams.

Each initiative was delivered in collaboration with Irish Rail’s in-house team and broader partner ecosystem—reflecting a blended delivery model that supports knowledge transfer, coordination, and continuity.

A foundation for future-ready public service

As part of its framework for IT Support and Maintenance—and its Professional Services Qualification System—Irish Rail continues to work with Sogeti to place skilled professionals in long-term and project-specific roles. This includes program and project managers, data engineers, architects, analysts, and PMO specialists.

Embedded teams support both foundational infrastructure and forward-looking initiatives, applying delivery best practices, agile methods, and technical capabilities across a broad range of use cases. The model strengthens internal capacity and builds delivery momentum across programs, so that Irish Rail stays responsive to today’s needs—while preparing for future opportunities.