In what steps of the process can simulation be used, and for what?

More than 5,000 trains pass through 2,800 railway kilometers and 400 stations each day in the Netherlands. As of the mid-1990s, the railway infrastructure was hardly sufficient to handle the passenger flow. The problem worsened during rush hours, and trains are delayed. Passengers complained and tended to use cars, whose variable cost is lower than that of using the train. This increased the congestion on the roads, adding pollution and traffic accidents. Several other problems plagued the system. The largest railway company, Nederlandse Spoorweges (NS), was losing money in rural areas and agreed to continue services there only if the government would integrate the railways with bus and taxi systems, so that commuters would have more incentives to use the trains. Government help was needed.