The system, which will be called GeVIS, will track trains on OnTrack's rail network, which the government bought back from Toll New Zealand last year.

OnTrack has already sourced application servers, databases and equipment to be installed in trains as part of Project Kupe, a broader project to improve train operations.

GeVIS will integrate information from the databases and on-train gear into a system accessible by train controllers and other users and present it in map form, with trains represented by icons.

The system chosen will need to be able to provide different icons for different trains and other vehicles that use the tracks, such as track worker platforms.

The tender document states, 'The application should not cause a decrease in the performance of OnTrack's LAN as a result of large amounts of data being transferred across the network'.