TransXChange

Last updated

TransXChange is a UK national XML based data standard for the interchange of bus route and timetable information between bus operators, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, local authorities and passenger transport executives, and others involved in the provision of passenger information.

Contents

The format is a UK national de facto standard sponsored by the UK Department of Transport. The standard is part of a family of coherent transport related XML standards that follow UK GovTalk guidelines and are based on the CEN Transmodel conceptual model.

Although TransXChange is currently used mainly to exchange bus timetables, it may also be used for schedules for rail and other modes.

History

TransXChange is intended as a successor to the widely used ATCO-CIF format for bus timetables and was developed as a modernised representation of ATCO-CIF content, using an XML representation based on the Transmodel Reference model for Public Transport.

TransXChange is supported by all main UK suppliers of bus timetable systems and has also been used to exchange data for metro and other modes.

Scope

TransXChange provides a rich model based representation of a bus timetable that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. TransXChange documents can be used to exchange the following information:

TransXChange Schemas

TransXChange comprises:

  1. A Registration schema, intended for Electronic Bus Service Registration, in which registration details are mandatory.
  2. A General Purpose Schema for which registration details are optional.

Each version of TransXChange is versioned in line with UK GovTalk guidelines.

TransXChange Publisher

TransXChange is accompanied by a free tool, the TransXChange Publisher, which renders a TransXChange document into a human readable format, matrix and route map. PDF and html formats are supported.

Future development

Addition modules are envisaged to cover ticketing and fares through the proposed FareXChange standard. TransXChange can also be used for other modes of transport - it is already used for metro and tram systems, route and timetable data.

See also

Related Research Articles

Bus stop designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave

A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or alight from a bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger information systems; less busy stops may use a simple pole and flag to mark the location. Bus stops are, in some locations, clustered together into transport hubs allowing interchange between routes from nearby stops and with other public transport modes to maximise convenience.

ISO 20022 is an ISO standard for electronic data interchange between financial institutions. It describes a metadata repository containing descriptions of messages and business processes, and a maintenance process for the repository content. The standard covers financial information transferred between financial institutions that includes payment transactions, securities trading and settlement information, credit and debit card transactions and other financial information.

NaPTAN database for uniquely identifying all the points of access to public transport in the UK

The National Public Transport Access Node (NaPTAN) database is a UK nationwide system for uniquely identifying all the points of access to public transport in the UK. The database is closely associated with the National Public Transport Gazetteer.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was an executive agency granted trading fund status in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government.

Transport Direct

The Transport Direct Programme was a division of the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to develop standards, data and better information technology systems to support public transport. It developed and operates the Transport Direct Portal which is a public facing multi-modal journey planner. It also supports the creation and management of comprehensive databases of all public transport movements in the United Kingdom with Traveline. During 2010 two key datasets were released as Open Data and published on www.data.gov.uk.

Transport hub place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles

A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or/and between transport modes. Public transport hubs include train stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stop, airports and ferry slips. Freight hubs include classification yards, airports, seaports and truck terminals, or combinations of these. For private transport, the parking lot functions as a hub.

Public transport timetable information on public transport service times

A public transport timetable is a document setting out information on public transport service times, to assist passengers with planning a trip. Typically, the timetable will list the times when a service is scheduled to arrive at and depart from specified locations. It may show all movements at a particular location or all movements on a particular route or for a particular stop. Traditionally this information was provided in printed form, for example as a leaflet or poster. It is now also often available in a variety of electronic formats.

The Service Interface for Real Time Information or SIRI is an XML protocol to allow distributed computers to exchange real time information about public transport services and vehicles.

Transmodel is the CEN European Reference Data Model for Public Transport Information; it provides a conceptual model of common public transport concepts and data structures that can be used to build many different kinds of public transport information system, including for timetabling, fares, operational management, real time data, journey planning etc.

IFOPT is a CEN Technical Specification that provides a Reference Data Model for describing the main fixed objects required for public access to Public transport, that is to say Transportation hubs. Such a model is a fundamental component of the modern Public transport information systems needed both to operate Public transport and to inform passengers about services.

Journey planner computer software program designed to plan an optimal route between two geographical locations using a journey planner specialized for road networks

A journey planner, trip planner, or route planner is a specialised search engine used to find an optimal means of travelling between two or more given locations, sometimes using more than one transport mode. Searches may be optimised on different criteria, for example fastest, shortest, fewest changes, cheapest. They may be constrained, for example, to leave or arrive at a certain time, to avoid certain waypoints, etc. A single journey may use a sequence of several modes of transport, meaning the system may know about public transport services as well as transport networks for private transportation. Trip planning or journey planning is sometimes distinguished from route planning, where route planning is typically thought of as using private modes of transportation such as cycling, driving, or walking, normally using a single mode at a time. Trip or journey planning, in contrast, would make use of at least one public transport mode which operates according to published schedules; given that public transport services only depart at specific times, an algorithm must therefore not only find a path to a destination, but seek to optimise it so as to minimise the waiting time incurred for each leg. In European Standards such as Transmodel, trip planning is used specifically to describe the planning of a route for a passenger, to avoid confusion with the completely separate process of planning the operational journeys to be made by public transport vehicles on which such trips are made.

Stagecoach in Huntingdonshire is the trading name of Stagecoach in The Fens Limited, which runs services throughout Huntingdon, the Fens and surrounding areas. It is part of Stagecoach East, itself a subsidiary of the larger Stagecoach Group Plc.

Public transport bus service road transport using buses

Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable.

CycleNetXChange provides a standard format with which to exchange cycle path data, together with information about the quality of routes; This enables computerised transport systems to provide cycle routes.

Bus transport in Bromsgrove has a long and varied history, dating back to Midland Red operations. In recent years, however, First Midland Red, which has evolved from the original Midland Red company, has severely reduced operations, leaving many independent operators running in the town.

Traveline

Traveline is a public transport route planner service provided by a partnership between local authorities and transport operators in the UK to provide impartial and comprehensive information about public transport which has operated since 2000. It prepares comprehensive public transport data for the UK and provides a number of regional public transport journey planners.

General Transit Feed Specification defines a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) defines a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information.

railML open, XML based data exchange format for data interoperability of railway applications

railML is an open, XML based data exchange format for data interoperability of railway applications.

NeTEx is the CEN Technical standard for exchanging Public Transport Information as XML documents. it provides a W3C XML schema based on the Transmodel abstract model of common public transport concepts and data structures and can be used to exchange many different kinds of data between passenger information systems, including data describing for stops, facilities, timetabling and fares. Such data can be used by both operational management systems and customer facing systems for journey planning etc.

References