In preparation for the liberalization of national railway markets in 2023, the Belgian state railway company, SNCB, recognized the need to modernize its IT infrastructure. Over the past few years, the company has been working to build a robust IT architecture capable of managing over 1,000 applications and large volumes of data.
This transformation stems from regulatory changes introduced in 2005, which split the national railway into three separate public entities. The division had a major impact on IT operations—thousands of components needed to be reallocated, and a clear strategy was needed to manage and evolve this complex environment. To lead this effort, SNCB formed YPTO, a subsidiary focused exclusively on IT management.
Throughout this journey, YPTO identified several hurdles:
To address these challenges, YPTO adopted Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect as the foundation of its architecture framework. Working with a structured approach aligned with industry standards like ArchiMate, TOGAF, BPMN, and SAFe, the team created a custom framework tailored to its needs.
The Enterprise Architect Shared Model Repository offers an overview of the mapped areas and modeling guidelines.
The platform’s Shared Model Repository gave architects a unified space to collaborate, follow modeling guidelines, and maintain consistency. This allowed YPTO to reduce complexity and bring clarity to its IT landscape.
The architecture framework offers a comprehensive view of the IT landscape
With the help of Enterprise Architect, the team-built Continuum, their architecture knowledge base. The system not only maps business activities to applications but also tracks change requests and helps determine which applications should be retired or replaced. For example, they discovered cases where 20 different tools were supporting the same function—leading to a clear goal to streamline and reduce redundancy.
The activities initiated by each application are shown here
The tool’s cost-effectiveness also played a key role. YPTO was able to expand its use of Enterprise Architect without incurring the high costs of switching platforms. This stability allowed the team to focus on improving architecture rather than managing tools.
Experts at YPTO, including the Head of Enterprise Architecture and the lead for Architecture Governance, emphasize that the platform helps turn raw data into insights that directly support strategic decisions. Predefined architecture views and automation ensure that documentation stays up to date, supporting both traceability and long-term planning.
As the architecture framework continues to roll out across the company, it’s helping align IT decisions with business goals—setting SNCB up for long-term success in a more competitive market.
