Data showing stations connected to each other?

[NarrowG]

I've been investigating the ATOC fares and timetable data, as I want to attempt to map fares and then build a split-ticketing tool of my own.

To do pathfinding I need to know which are valid routes between stations e.g. station X is connected to stations Y and Z; or station P is only connected to station Q. I've found geographic location data in the timetable data files, but I cannot infer valid routes from this. Does the data exist?

Also, 3.3.6 of the routeing guide says:

Due to the inaccuracy and incompleteness of the NRT mileage data described above, all booking engines use a different data source (ie, they do not use the NRT mileages).

Is this as-the-crow-flies geographic distance data (as Google Maps et al will give me) or by-rail distance? Is there a source for the latter (to work out cost-per-mile for different tickets)?

 

[najaB]

To do pathfinding I need to know which are valid routes between stations e.g. station X is connected to stations Y and Z; or station P is only connected to station Q.

With a few notable exceptions, all stations are connected to all others. The question of if there are services between the two is left as an exercise for the reader.

 

[NarrowG]

With a few notable exceptions, all stations are connected to all others. The question of if there are services between the two is left as an exercise for the reader.

Hardly - if no junctions a station is only connected to two other stations at most. By traversing the graph created by the stations (nodes) you can determine routes between any stations on the graph. Very useful if going back one stop and changing trains is quicker/cheaper than continuing on the shortest route to your destination.

 

[najaB]

Hardly - if no junctions a station is only connected to two other stations at most. By traversing the graph created by the stations (nodes) you can determine routes between any stations on the graph. Very useful if going back one stop and changing trains is quicker/cheaper than continuing on the shortest route to your destination.

Hence (almost) every station is reachable from (almost) every other station by using enough nodes.

 

[NarrowG]

Hence (almost) every station is reachable from (almost) every other station by using enough nodes.

We appear to be going round in circles

I have not found a data source containing the edges, only nodes. Do you know where I can find such a data source?

 

[najaB]

You probably want to speak to the guy behind Rail Miles. He's a member here.

 

[Muzer]

To answer the original question, the booking engines infer which stations are connected to which others from the timetable data, though I'm not sure if such data includes mileages, and if not from which source they come. But this is why you often get (minor and not usually very exploitable) anomalies whereby booking engines will accept fares from A to B via C where A is a small station and going via C involves doubling back between A and C. Because timetable data often won't include timing information for fast trains passing very small stations, so the booking engines don't know that the small station is on the same route.

 

[miami]

We appear to be going round in circles

I missed that part of Dijkstra's algorithm. Not that I've not implemented it accidently.

I have not found a data source containing the edges, only nodes. Do you know where I can find such a data source?

Baack in 2001 I did find a source somewhere on uk.railway, it was a text file that listed all the lines, and the distances from one station/junction to the next.

Haven't managed to find it since.

 

[Paul Kelly]

If you write to ATOC it is possible to get a sample copy of the electronic routeing guide data, which contains the station-to-station distances in decimal miles (converted from miles and chains).

 

[Andrew1395]

All location data originates from Network Rail - so try them.

 

[PermitToTravel]

I missed that part of Dijkstra's algorithm. Not that I've not implemented it accidently.



Baack in 2001 I did find a source somewhere on uk.railway, it was a text file that listed all the lines, and the distances from one station/junction to the next.

Haven't managed to find it since.

Was this the data you found?