Overview
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GTFS at Trafiklab
At Trafiklab, we offer three GTFS feeds.
GTFS Sverige 2 which includes information for entire Sweden
GTFS Regional which consists of multiple GTFS feeds, each of which covers an operator in Sweden
GTFS Sweden 3 which is an aggregated dataset of all the different datasets in GTFS Regional. It gives a single GTFS feed for static data while the realtime feeds are, for performance reasons, split up by specific regions or operators
What is the difference?
It can be hard to understand the differences between all GTFS feeds but here is a short description. GTFS Sverige 2 is the only feed with complete coverage of operators in Sweden and only contains static data. GTFS Regional is per region/operator and perfect if you are interested in for example only SL or only Skånetrafiken. GTFS Regional also contains more details like for example shapes or stop points (instead of only stop areas) which is missing in GTFS Sverige. GTFS Sweden 3 is an aggregated dataset of all GTFS Regional so the level of detail is the same. The goal is to replace GTFS Sverige with this dataset but that requires a 100% coverage of operators which is not the case at the moment
You can see the general difference between GTFS Sverige 2 and GTFS Regional data below.
| GTFS Sverige 2 | GTFS Regional/ GTFS Sweden 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | 100% | 92% |
| Data quality | Average quality | High quality, based on higher level of details |
| Real-time data | Only static data | Static + Real-time + GPS positions |
| Historical data (static) | Since 2012 | Partly available in Koda |
You can find the complete GTFS reference at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/.
You can find the complete GTFS-RT reference at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/reference
Static GTFS files
What does each GTFS file contain
The content below is based on the official GTFS Specification, developed by the GTFS community and published at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/.
We modified the version below to describe the feeds published by Trafiklab. Fields and files that are not included in any Trafiklab feed are not described below. For the latest version or in case of conflict, refer to the official documentation.
- In the tables below, the column ‘available in dataset’ will be bold if the field is always present and not bold if it is not always present.
agency.txt
| Field Name | Type | Available in dataset | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
agency_id | ID | All | Uniquely identifies a transit agency. Note that in some cases, such as when a single agency operates multiple separate services, agencies and brands are distinct. This document uses the term “agency” in place of “brand”. A dataset may contain data from multiple agencies. |
agency_name | Text | All | Full name of the transit agency. |
agency_url | URL | All | URL of the transit agency. |
agency_timezone | Timezone | All | Timezone where the transit agency is located. If multiple agencies are specified in the dataset, each has the same agency_timezone. |
agency_lang | Language code | All | Primary language used by this transit agency |
agency_fare_url | URL | GTFS Regional | URL of a web page that allows a rider to purchase tickets or other fare instruments for that agency online |
The following excerpt gives some example values for the different fields.
1agency_id,agency_name,agency_url,agency_timezone,agency_lang
2141010000000001418,Västtrafik,https://www.resrobot.se/,Europe/Stockholm,sv
3141010000000001001,Västtrafik Göteborgsområdet AB Lokaltrafik AB,https://www.resrobot.se/,Europe/Stockholm,sv
4141010000651668112,MTR Express (Sweden) AB,https://www.resrobot.se/,Europe/Stockholm,sv
5141010000452254130,Öresundståg,https://www.resrobot.se/,Europe/Stockholm,svroutes.txt
| Field Name | Type | Available in dataset | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
route_id | ID | All | Identifies a route. |
agency_id | ID referencing agency.agency_id | All | Agency for the specified route. This field is required when the dataset provides data for routes from more than one agency in agency.txt, otherwise it is optional. |
route_short_name | Text | All | Short name of a route. This will often be a short, abstract identifier like “32”, “100X”, or “Green” that riders use to identify a route, but which doesn’t give any indication of what places the route serves. Either route_short_name or route_long_name must be specified, or potentially both if appropriate. |
route_long_name | Text | All | Full name of a route. This name is generally more descriptive than the route_short_name and often includes the route’s destination or stop. Either route_short_name or route_long_name must be specified, or potentially both if appropriate. |
route_type | Enum | All | Indicates the type of transportation used on a route. |
route_url | URL | None | URL of a web page about the particular route. Should be different from the agency.agency_url value. Not used. |
route_desc | Text | GTFS Regional | Description of a route that provides useful, quality information. Should not be a duplicate of route_short_name or route_long_name. |
The GTFS standard defines 9 route_types, but all Trafiklab feeds make use of extended route types. Check the feed-specific documentation for examples.
The following excerpt shows some example values.
1route_id,agency_id,route_short_name,route_long_name,route_type
29011014280200000,141010000000001418,302,,717
39011014374100000,141010000000001418,420,,717
49011014471100000,141010000000001418,711,,700
59011014630400000,141010000000001418,304,,700trips.txt
| Field Name | Type | Available in dataset | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
route_id | ID referencing routes.route_id | All | Identifies a route. |
service_id | ID referencing calendar.service_id or calendar_dates.service_id | All | Identifies a set of dates when service is available for one or more routes. |
trip_id | ID | All | Identifies a trip. |
trip_headsign | Text | GTFS Sverige 2 | Text that appears on signage identifying the trip’s destination to riders. Use this field to distinguish between different patterns of service on the same route. If the headsign changes during a trip, trip_headsign can be overridden by specifying values for the stop_times.stop_headsign. |
trip_short_name | Text | GTFS Sverige 2 | Public facing text used to identify the trip to riders, for instance, to identify train numbers for commuter rail trips. If riders do not commonly rely on trip names, leave this field empty. A trip_short_name value, if provided, should uniquely identify a trip within a service day; it should not be used for destination names or limited/express designations. |
direction_id | Enum | GTFS Regional | Indicates the direction of travel for a trip. This field is not used in routing; it provides a way to separate trips by direction when publishing time tables. Valid options are: 0 - Travel in one direction (e.g. outbound travel). 1 - Travel in the opposite direction (e.g. inbound travel). |
shape_id | ID referencing shapes.shape_id | GTFS Regional | Identifies a geospatial shape describing the vehicle travel path for a trip. |
The following excerpt shows what a trips.txt file can look like:
1route_id,service_id,trip_id,trip_headsign,direction_id,shape_id
29011014255000000,1,141010000961947846,,0,1
39011014255000000,1,141010000961947902,,0,1
49011014255000000,1,141010000961947958,,0,1
59011014255000000,1,141010000961948014,,0,1stop_times.txt
A stop time is a certain trip picking up or dropping of passengers at a certain stop, at a certain time.
| Field Name | Type | Available in dataset | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
trip_id | ID referencing trips.trip_id | All | Identifies a trip. |
arrival_time | Time | All | Arrival time at a specific stop for a specific trip on a route. If there are not separate times for arrival and departure at a stop, enter the same value for arrival_time and departure_time. For times occurring after midnight on the service day, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins.Scheduled stops where the vehicle strictly adheres to the specified arrival and departure times are timepoints. If this stop is not a timepoint, it is recommended to provide an estimated or interpolated time. If this is not available, arrival_time can be left empty. Further, indicate that interpolated times are provided with timepoint=0. If interpolated times are indicated with timepoint=0, then time points must be indicated with timepoint=1. Provide arrival times for all stops that are time points. An arrival time must be specified for the first and the last stop in a trip. |
departure_time | Time | All | Departure time from a specific stop for a specific trip on a route. For times occurring after midnight on the service day, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins. If there are not separate times for arrival and departure at a stop, enter the same value for arrival_time and departure_time. See the arrival_time description for more details about using timepoints correctly.The departure_time field should specify time values whenever possible, including non-binding estimated or interpolated times between timepoints. |
stop_id | ID referencing stops.stop_id | All | Identifies the serviced stop. All stops serviced during a trip must have a record in stop_times.txt. Referenced locations must be stops, not stations or station entrances. A stop may be serviced multiple times in the same trip, and multiple trips and routes may service the same stop. |
stop_sequence | Non-negative integer | All | Order of stops for a particular trip. The values must increase along the trip but do not need to be consecutive. Example: The first location on the trip could have a stop_sequence=1, the second location on the trip could have a stop_sequence=23, the third location could have a stop_sequence=40, and so on. |
stop_headsign | Text | GTFS Regional | Text that appears on signage identifying the trip's destination to riders. This field overrides the default trips.trip_headsign when the headsign changes between stops. If the headsign is displayed for an entire trip, use trips.trip_headsign instead.A stop_headsign value specified for one stop_time does not apply to subsequent stop_times in the same trip.ℹGTFS Regional specifies the stop_headsign for each stop |
pickup_type | Enum | All | Indicates pickup method. Valid options are:0 or empty - Regularly scheduled pickup.1 - No pickup available.2 - Must phone agency to arrange pickup.3 - Must coordinate with driver to arrange pickup. |
drop_off_type | Enum | All | Indicates drop off method. Valid options are:0 or empty - Regularly scheduled drop off.1 - No drop off available.2 - Must phone agency to arrange drop off.3 - Must coordinate with driver to arrange drop off. |
shape_dist_traveled | Non-negative float | GTFS Regional | Actual distance travelled along the associated shape, from the first stop to the stop specified in this record. This field specifies how much of the shape to draw between any two stops during a trip. Must be in the same units used in
shapes.txt. Values used for shape_dist_traveled must increase along with stop_sequence; they cannot be used to show reverse travel along a route.Example: If a bus travels a distance of 5.25 kilometers from the start of the shape to the stop, shape_dist_traveled=5.25. |
timepoint | Enum | GTFS Regional | Indicates if arrival and departure times for a stop are strictly adhered to by the vehicle or if they are instead approximate and/or interpolated times. This field allows a GTFS producer to provide interpolated stop-times, while indicating that the times are approximate. Valid options are:0 - Times are considered approximate.1 or empty - Times are considered exact. |
The following excerpt shows some stop_times from a GTFS Regional feed.
1trip_id,arrival_time,departure_time,stop_id,stop_sequence,stop_headsign,pickup_type,drop_off_type,shape_dist_traveled,timepoint
2 141010000961947846,08:30:00,08:30:00,9022014017767002,1,Borås,3,1,0,1
3 141010000961947846,08:32:00,08:32:00,9022014017513002,2,Borås,3,3,794,1
4 141010000961947846,08:32:51,08:32:51,9022014017516002,3,Borås,3,3,1071,0
5 141010000961947846,08:34:27,08:34:27,9022014017568002,4,Borås,3,3,1620.12,0stops.txt
| Field Name | Type | Present | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
stop_id | ID | All | Identifies a stop, station, or station entrance. The term “station entrance” refers to both station entrances and station exits. Stops, stations or station entrances are collectively referred to as locations. Multiple routes may use the same stop. |
stop_name | Text | All | Name of the location. Use a name that people will understand in the local and tourist vernacular. When the location is a boarding area (location_type=4), the stop_name should contains the name of the boarding area as displayed by the agency. It could be just one letter (like on some European intercity railway stations), or text like “Wheelchair boarding area” (NYC’s Subway) or “Head of short trains” (Paris’ RER). |
stop_lat | Latitude | All | Latitude of the location. Conditionally Required: • Required for locations which are stops ( location_type=0), stations (location_type=1) or entrances/exits (location_type=2).• Optional for locations which are generic nodes ( location_type=3) or boarding areas (location_type=4). |
stop_lon | Longitude | All | Longitude of the location. Conditionally Required: • Required for locations which are stops ( location_type=0), stations (location_type=1) or entrances/exits (location_type=2).• Optional for locations which are generic nodes ( location_type=3) or boarding areas (location_type=4). |
location_type | Enum | All | Type of the location: • 0 (or blank): Stop (or Platform). A location where passengers board or disembark from a transit vehicle. Is called a platform when defined within a parent_station.• 1: Station. A physical structure or area that contains one or more platform.• 2: Entrance/Exit. A location where passengers can enter or exit a station from the street. If an entrance/exit belongs to multiple stations, it can be linked by pathways to both, but the data provider must pick one of them as parent. |
parent_station | ID referencing stops.stop_id | GTFS Regional only | Defines hierarchy between the differentlocations defined in stops.txt. It contains the ID of the parent location, as followed:• Stop/platform ( location_type=0): the parent_station field contains the ID of a station.• Station ( location_type=1): this field must be empty.• Entrance/exit ( location_type=2) or generic node (location_type=3): the parent_station field contains the ID of a station (location_type=1) |
platform_code | Text | GTFS Regional only | Platform identifier for a platform stop (a stop belonging to a station). |
1stop_id,stop_name,stop_lat,stop_lon,location_type,parent_station,platform_code
29021014016110000,Bruksvägen,57.828220,12.014754,1,,
39021014016113000,Idrottsvägen,57.837484,12.014661,1,,
49021014016118000,Surte kyrka,57.831229,12.013882,1,,
59021014016212000,Skolvägen,57.848549,12.014318,1,,calendar.txt
| Field Name | Type | Present | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
service_id | ID | All | Uniquely identifies a set of dates when service is available for one or more routes. Each service_id value can appear at most once in a
calendar.txt file. |
monday | Enum | All | Indicates whether the service operates on all Mondays in the date range specified by the start_date and end_date fields. Note that exceptions for particular dates may be listed in
calendar_dates.txt. Valid options are: 1 - Service is available for all Mondays in the date range. 0 - Service is not available for Mondays in the date range. |
tuesday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Tuesdays |
wednesday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Wednesdays |
thursday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Thursdays |
friday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Fridays |
saturday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Saturdays. |
sunday | Enum | All | Functions in the same way as monday except applies to Sundays. |
start_date | Date | All | Start service day for the service interval. |
end_date | Date | All | End service day for the service interval. This service day is included in the interval. |
1service_id,monday,tuesday,wednesday,thursday,friday,saturday,sunday,start_date,end_date
21,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20200221,20200612
32,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20200222,20200613
43,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20200223,20200614
54,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,20200615,20201211calendar_dates.txt
| Field Name | Type | Present | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
service_id | ID referencing calendar.service_id and trips.service_id | All | Identifies a set of dates when a service exception occurs for one or more routes. Each (service_id, date) pair can only appear once in
calendar_dates.txt if using
calendar.txt and
calendar_dates.txt in conjunction. The information in
calendar_dates.txt modifies the service information specified in
calendar.txt |
date | Enum | All | Date when service exception occurs. |
exception_type | Enum | All | Indicates whether service is available on the date specified in the date field. Valid options are:1 - Service has been added for the specified date.2 - Service has been removed for the specified date.Example: Suppose a route has one set of trips available on holidays and another set of trips available on all other days. One service_id could correspond to the regular service schedule and another service_id could correspond to the holiday schedule. For a particular holiday, the
calendar_dates.txt file could be used to add the holiday to the holiday service_id and to remove the holiday from the regular service_id schedule. |
1service_id,date,exception_type
21,20200221,1
31,20200224,1
41,20200225,1
51,20200226,1shapes.txt
| Field Name | Type | Present | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
shape_id | ID | GTFS Regional | Identifies a shape. |
shape_pt_lat | Latitude | GTFS Regional | Latitude of a shape point. Each record in shapes.txt represent a shape point used to define the shape. |
shape_pt_lon | Longitude | GTFS Regional | Longitude of a shape point. |
shape_pt_sequence | Non-negative integer | GTFS Regional | Sequence in which the shape points connect to form the shape. Values must increase along the trip but do not need to be consecutive. |
shape_dist_traveled | Non-negative float | GTFS Regional | Actual distance traveled along the shape from the first shape point to the point specified in this record. Used by trip planners to show the correct portion of the shape on a map. Values must increase along with shape_pt_sequence; they cannot be used to show reverse travel along a route. Distance in kilometres. |
1shape_id,shape_pt_lat,shape_pt_lon,shape_pt_sequence,shape_dist_traveled
21,57.927181,12.529311,1,0
31,57.927172,12.529295,2,0
41,57.927397,12.529314,3,24.31
51,57.927398,12.529364,4,27.89transfers.txt
| Field Name | Type | Present | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
from_stop_id | ID referencing stops.stop_id | All | Identifies a stop or station where a connection between routes begins. If this field refers to a station, the transfer rule applies to all its child stops. |
to_stop_id | ID referencing stops.stop_id | All | Identifies a stop or station where a connection between routes ends. If this field refers to a station, the transfer rule applies to all child stops. |
transfer_type | Enum | All | Indicates the type of connection for the specified (from_stop_id, to_stop_id) pair. Valid options are:0 or empty - Recommended transfer point between routes.1 - Timed transfer point between two routes. The departing vehicle is expected to wait for the arriving one and leave sufficient time for a rider to transfer between routes.2 - Transfer requires a minimum amount of time between arrival and departure to ensure a connection. The time required to transfer is specified by min_transfer_time.3 - Transfers are not possible between routes at the location. |
min_transfer_time | Non-negative integer | All | Amount of time, in seconds, that must be available to permit a transfer between routes at the specified stops. The min_transfer_time should be sufficient to permit a typical rider to move between the two stops, including buffer time to allow for schedule variance on each route. |
from_trip_id | ID referencing trips.trip_id | All | Identifies a trip where a connection between trips starts. If empty, this rule applies for all trips. |
to_trip_id | ID referencing trips.trip_id | All | Identifies a trip where a connection between trips ends. If empty, this rule applies for all trips. |
1from_stop_id,to_stop_id,transfer_type,min_transfer_time,from_trip_id,to_trip_id
29022014061616002,9022014061616002,1,,141010000981658971,141010000967489295
39022014080420002,9022014080420002,1,,141010000981659030,141010000981658971
49022014080437002,9022014080437002,1,,141010000981659030,141010000981664702
59022014080437002,9022014080437002,1,,141010000981659030,141010000981664817GTFS Extensions
Both GTFS Sverige 2 and GTFS Regional uses some of the GTFS Extensions. These extensions are not part of the specification, but are additions to offer additional details.
Extended Route Types
Extended route types allow for more specific transport modes to be used. GTFS Sverige and GTFS Regional does not use the standard one digit GTFS route types, but only uses extended route types.
The following list shows the most used transport modes for GTFS Sverige and GTFS Regional. This is a non-extensive list, only meant to give an idea of the types you should support. You should still be able to handle the other types in a graceful way, as new traffic may make use of them without prior warning.
| Code | Name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Railway Service | |
| 101 | High Speed Rail Service | X2000 |
| 102 | Long Distance Rail Service | Mälartåg |
| 105 | Sleeper Rail Service | Night train (Nattåg) |
| 106 | Regional Rail Service | Commuter trains (Pendeltåg) |
| 401 | Metro Service | Tunnelbanan Stockholm |
| 700 | Bus Service | |
| 702 | Express Bus Service | |
| 717 | Share Taxi Service | Advance order traffic (Förbeställningstrafik) |
| 900 | Tram Service | Trams in Göteborg |
| 1000 | Water Transport Service | SL Pendelbåt, Stockholm-Helsinki |
| 1501 | Communal Taxi Service | Buses with advance order conditions (Förbeställningstrafik) |
A complete list of all route types can be found at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/extended-route-types .
Trip-to-trip transfers
GTFS Sverige 2 and GTFS Regional includes trip-to-trip transfers, which are detailed transfer rules that provide additional details on which transfers are possible, and how long they take.
Trip to trip transfers make
use of the from_trip_id and to_trip_id columns in the transfers.txt file.
From Googles documentation:
The from_trip_id and to_trip_id fields can contain a trip_id, as specified by trips.txt. If from_trip_id is
specified, the transfer will only apply to the arriving trip with the given trip id, at the given from_stop_id. If
to_trip_id is specified, the transfer will only apply to the departing trip with the given trip id, at the given
to_stop_id.
Realtime GTFS files
Realtime data refers to elements defined in the static data. You therefore need to download both the static dataset and the realtime files if you want to make use of Realtime GTFS.
The GTFS Realtime standard uses the protobuf format to transfer compact messages which describe deviations between the real world and the schedules for a public transport network. There are 3 different feeds, each of which provides their own type of information.
ServiceAlerts
ServiceAlerts provide information about incidents, planned maintenance, … which affect more than one or a couple of trips. They can describe a closed station, incidents like electricity failures or defect trains, extra services for certain events, … . They typically contain similar information as the messages shown on digital signs in stations. Usually a header, description and link are provided, along with a cause and an effect (provided as an enum). Service alerts can be limited in time or to certain agencies, trips, stops, transport types, …
TripUpdates
TripUpdates provide information about deviations between the scheduled timetable of a trip and the real world. This can be a delay, a vehicle running early, a partial cancellation, a platform change, … . Each TripUpdates file contains multiple TripDescriptors, each of which describes deviations in a trip. If a scheduled trip isn’t present in a TripUpdates file, this can both mean that there are no delays, or that no information is available.
VehicleUpdates
VehicleUpdates contain realtime GPS positions of public transport vehicles. These allow you to see where a vehicle is located, along with its speed and bearing. These can be used to show vehicles on a map, to analyze traffic congestion, …
Continue reading
GTFS basics
What is GTFS?
The General Transit Feed Specification is a file format which originally was developed by Google in 2006. It combines all the data in one compact file. This means you can download a single file to get timetable information for the entirety of Sweden. The GTFS standard defines files which must be present in the dataset, and files which are optional. In this guide we will only discuss the files which are present in the Trafiklab datasets.
The GTFS Standard consists of 2 parts: static and real-time data. In the following sections, we will help you to get started with both.
How does GTFS Work?
A GTFS file is a zip archive that contains several *.txt files. You can compare this archive file with a database. The files inside the archive contain Comma Separated Values (CSV) data, meaning they are easy to read, both for computers and humans. Each file contains all the instances of a certain type, just like a database table. For example, one file contains all the routes, another file contains all the stops. The files are linked together through ids, similar to how foreign keys work in a database. The image below gives an idea of the structure.
How it is linked together
Before diving deeper into what each field means, it’s important to understand how transport data is described in the 7 required files.
A certain “path” on which public transport vehicles travel, is called a route and defined in routes.txt. A route is provided by a public transport agency (defined in agencies.txt), and can be serviced one or more times in a day. Every trip on a route is defined in the trips.txt file.
Example: Let’s say there is a route “Stockholm - Skövde - Göteborg”. There is a train leaving stockholm at 10:00, 12:00, and 16:00. In this case, we have one route with three trips on that route.
The stops which are made during a trip are defined as stop times in stop_times.txt. A stop time does not contain information about the stop itself: it only links a trip to a stop, and includes some additional information such as the time of arrival and departure. Stops itself are defined in the stops.txt file, including information such as their name, location and entrances.
Example: Let’s say there is a trip on the route “Stockholm - Skövde - Göteborg” leaving at 10:00. The GTFS file would contain the trip, 3 stops, and 3 stop_times to link the stops to the trip.
When should I use GTFS?
A dataset like GTFS is the opposite of an API like ResRobot. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. When you want to create a simple app, or let users search for the next departure from your website, an API is easier to use. However, when you want to analyze data, an API would need millions of requests compared to a single GTFS file that has all the data.
| Well suited for | Not so suited for |
|---|---|
| Analysing (real-time) transport data | Quickly getting the next departures from a stop |
| Building your own route-planner or API | Quickly calculating a route from A to B |
| Getting a list of all public transport stop-areas for an operator or a country | Projects where large files (>25MB) can’t be used |
| Getting the live position of all public transport vehicles |