Smart Planning for Train Attendants: The Results of the IM Challenge 2026!

The 2026 IM Challenge Has Been Decided!

Three student teams presented their results at the conclusion of this year’s IM Challenge.

This year’s challenge was set by DB Regio AG: The goal was to develop methods for creating shift schedules for train attendants in local rail passenger transport. The particular difficulty lay in the fact that not every train, but only a specified percentage of trips, must be staffed.  Building on the solution developed in the Sina project by DB Regio and the Chair of Business Administration, esp. Industrial Management, the teams spent several months developing, implementing, and testing their own ideas.

Congratulations to the winning team, which impressed the judges with the best solution! However, all the other entries also demonstrated the immense potential of operations research methods for real-world planning problems. For the students, the challenge also offered the opportunity to go through the entire process—from modeling to a working implementation—using a real-world case study.

We thank all participants for their dedication and perseverance, as well as DB Regio for the exciting challenge and the excellent collaboration.