Help Understanding Freight Data in WTT + Access to Historical WTTs

[benjamin223]

Hi everyone,


I've recently started exploring UK Working Time Tables (WTTs). I'm mainly interested in freight operations, but I’ve run into a few challenges and would appreciate any guidance:

1. Accessing Previous Years' WTT Data
   Is there a repository or archive (official or unofficial) where I can download WTT data from past years?
2. Understanding Content – Freight Identification & Special Codes
   Some of the CSV files contain data that isn’t immediately clear to me. For example:
   • Fields like ArrivalTime and DepartureTime contain codes such as 00PRRM26 or 02TBPR54.
     ➤ What do these mean, and where can I learn how to interpret them?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm very interested in learning how to work with this data properly and appreciate any resources or explanations you can share!

 

[jfollows]

Working Timetable Collection | Network Rail Corporate Archive

Working timetables issued by Railtrack and Network Rail

history.networkrail.co.uk

Working Timetable | Network Rail Corporate Archive

Working Timetables issued by Railtrack

history.networkrail.co.uk

 

[zwk500]

Hi everyone,


I've recently started exploring UK Working Time Tables (WTTs). I'm mainly interested in freight operations, but I’ve run into a few challenges and would appreciate any guidance:

1. Accessing Previous Years' WTT Data
   Is there a repository or archive (official or unofficial) where I can download WTT data from past years?

There is but don't think it's entirely complete. https://history.networkrail.co.uk/uncategorized/so_4b13306b-816a-4d77-89ec-630d6beb2680/

1. Understanding Content – Freight Identification & Special Codes
   Some of the CSV files contain data that isn’t immediately clear to me. For example:
   • Fields like ArrivalTime and DepartureTime contain codes such as 00PRRM26 or 02TBPR54.
     ➤ What do these mean, and where can I learn how to interpret them?

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm very interested in learning how to work with this data properly and appreciate any resources or explanations you can share!

They are operational codes indicating what activities are taking place at a location. These are 1 or 2 charachters long and can be compined. E.g. 'PR' means 'Train is propelling (loco is pushing from rear end) between points shown', 'RM' means 'Train Reverses or changes direction here', and 'TB' means 'Train Begins at this location'.

So 00PRRM26 means that the train has either propelled to that location or will be propelling from the location, and is changing direction at the same time. (Sometimes only PR will be shown as the RM is implicit in the schedule but it's possible for a train to propel and then runround or change engines to continue in the same direction).
02TBPR54 means the train is beginning from origin at 02.54 and will be propelling initially (presumably out of a siding).

There is usually a list of all of the codes at the front of the PDF timetables. I'll need to do some digging to find the PDF if nobody does in the meantime.

 

[jfollows]

The things like PRRM and TBPR you mention are pants, they stem from working timetables being written to be read by machines rather than by people.
Some of them are carried over from WTTs which can be found as PDFs, but for the last few years they’re in a fairly nasty spreadsheet format.

 

[benjamin223]

Firstly, thank you for your clear and helpful explanation.

I’ve looked through several WTT PDF files, including the front sections, but couldn’t find most of the codes like PR, RM, TB, or their combinations. Some basic abbreviations are listed, but many of the detailed operational codes in the CSV files don’t seem to be explained anywhere. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place.

As a researcher, I’d really appreciate any guidance on where to find a full reference or official documentation that covers these codes. Any further help would be much appreciated!

 

[jfollows]

The PDFs are generally self-consistent documents, intended to be read, whereas the spreadsheets come from some other system, without full explanation.
Some of the abbreviations are “obvious” and some of them are only meaningful to people “in the know” but you will always find people here willing to advise in the latter case.
I have a collection of printed working timetables going back to about 1960 and I certainly wouldn’t bother collecting today’s spreadsheets. They’re interesting and sometimes informative as far as they go, but it’s hard to see them forming part of anyone’s collection in 30 or 50 years.

 

[zwk500]

Firstly, thank you for your clear and helpful explanation.

I’ve looked through several WTT PDF files, including the front sections, but couldn’t find most of the codes like PR, RM, TB, or their combinations. Some basic abbreviations are listed, but many of the detailed operational codes in the CSV files don’t seem to be explained anywhere. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place.

As a researcher, I’d really appreciate any guidance on where to find a full reference or official documentation that covers these codes. Any further help would be much appreciated!

See https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/working-timetable/WTT/01.June 2025 - December 2025 Working timetable documents/CB/WTT CB Index.pdf

From: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/the-timetable/working-timetable/ (navigate to a particular book and find the 'XX Index.pdf' file).

Not every code will be listed because there's a lot of them - If you have specific codes you're struggling with post them and there's plenty of people on here who can help you out. Bear in mind also when looking at timetables that there's lots of untimed movements (e.g. shunting), the actual place/signal a train stops at at any given location can change depending on what the train is doing, and there's many, many quirks around timing trains onto and off the network at depots and yards and so on.

 

[benjamin223]

Thanks again for the helpful replies — I really appreciate the detail and the willingness to help!

I’m still trying to understand how to determine whether a train was delayed, especially when not all stations are listed, and sometimes even the origin or destination departure/arrival times are missing. In those cases, is there any reliable way to know if a delay occurred?


Also, I’ve come across some cases where it looks like parts of a journey might be spread across more than one spreadsheet file. For example, could a single service from MARGAM to CARLISLE appear in two different files — one covering the southern portion and another covering the northern part? If that’s the case, is there a way to tell how these files link together or how to trace the full path of a journey across multiple documents?

Thanks again for your time!

 

[zwk500]

Thanks again for the helpful replies — I really appreciate the detail and the willingness to help!

I’m still trying to understand how to determine whether a train was delayed, especially when not all stations are listed, and sometimes even the origin or destination departure/arrival times are missing. In those cases, is there any reliable way to know if a delay occurred?

You would need the actual running data, not timetable (planned) data, which is a separate database(s)

Also, I’ve come across some cases where it looks like parts of a journey might be spread across more than one spreadsheet file. For example, could a single service from MARGAM to CARLISLE appear in two different files — one covering the southern portion and another covering the northern part? If that’s the case, is there a way to tell how these files link together or how to trace the full path of a journey across multiple documents?

Yes, absolutely a service can appear in multiple timetable files. It will be identified by Row 2 - the UID (Unique Identifier). Trains are most often referred to by their Train ID (TID) or Headcode, e.g. 1N87, but this is not unique but the UID (e.g. Y02121)) should be
E.g. On Mondays 1N87 Originates at Liverpool Lime Street at 23.15, running to Blackpool North, with UID Y02121. On Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1N87 Originates at Liverpool Lime Street at 23.15 but only runs to Preston, and this has UID Y02172, because it requires a separate Schedule in the Planning System.

 

[benjamin223]

You would need the actual running data, not timetable (planned) data, which is a separate database(s)

Could you kindly point me to where I might be able to access the actual running data? Is it available to the public, or does it require special access or credentials?

 

[zwk500]

Could you kindly point me to where I might be able to access the actual running data? Is it available to the public, or does it require special access or credentials?

The most publicly-accessible one is here: https://wiki.openraildata.com/index.php/HSP (requires an NR Open Data portal account) although NR do have a number of data feeds that can give this information, and if you look around on Reddit/Github there's probably somebody on there who's stashing a fair amount of it away.

HSP only tracks passenger station calls I think, so if you're interest in freight or very fine detail it might not have enough, and I believe it's not 100% accurate but I don't use it personally.

 

[benjamin223]

The most publicly-accessible one is here: https://wiki.openraildata.com/index.php/HSP (requires an NR Open Data portal account) although NR do have a number of data feeds that can give this information, and if you look around on Reddit/Github there's probably somebody on there who's stashing a fair amount of it away.

HSP only tracks passenger station calls I think, so if you're interest in freight or very fine detail it might not have enough, and I believe it's not 100% accurate but I don't use it personally.

Thanks — that’s very helpful. Do you know if there are any other data sources I might be able to access as a researcher, possibly through my university? I'm particularly interested in more detailed or freight-related running data.

 

[zwk500]

Thanks — that’s very helpful. Do you know if there are any other data sources I might be able to access as a researcher, possibly through my university? I'm particularly interested in more detailed or freight-related running data.

If you're interested in freight then I'd advise talking directly to freight companies or NR - for a university project they may be able to get some datasets for you. Could also try emailing Realtimetrains to see fi they'd be able to share some of their data with you for academic purposes.

 

[The Planner]

Thanks — that’s very helpful. Do you know if there are any other data sources I might be able to access as a researcher, possibly through my university? I'm particularly interested in more detailed or freight-related running data.

I think your problem will be that freight has a very fluid nature and what is in the WTT is only a proportion of what actually runs on a short term planning basis, or the WTT schedule is used for part of the journey and varied for a different destination or origin.

 

[Freightmaster]

I think your problem will be that freight has a very fluid nature and what is in the WTT is only a proportion of what actually runs on a short term planning basis, or the WTT schedule is used for part of the journey and varied for a different destination or origin.

This!

I've been studying railfreight operations as my full time job for the past 30 years
but I still can't always predict which trains will be 'runners' on a given day, even
though my livelihood literally depends on it!




MARK