NeTEx

NeTEx (Network Timetable Exchange) is a data format created for sharing public transport information. Like GTFS, it can be used to describe transport stops, routes, timetables, and fares. However, it has a broader scope, as it also covers other topics such as pedestrian routes and shared mobility (carpooling, short-term bike or car rentals, etc.).

NeTEx is managed by the CEN (European Committee for Standardization). The format is based on XML files.

NeTEx documentation is available in the form of six technical specification documents published by the CEN. An UML data model and an XML schema are also available under a GPL license: https://github.com/NeTEx-CEN/NeTEx.

For implementation, producers will rely on a profile, which corresponds to a subset of the NeTEx standard, supplemented by local constraints. Several profiles are available: EPIP (a generic European profile), Nordic, Italian, French(fr), etc.

As a result, a conversion or visualization tool designed for one profile may not work or may work less well in another context.

From OpenStreetMap to NeTEx

French Profile

• A document mapping attributes between OpenStreetMap and NeTEx (fr) has been produced by Jungle Bus. It mainly covers information on pedestrian routes and transport stops.

• The Ministry of Transport provides the AccèsLibre Mobilités(fr) (ALM) tool, a software suite that enables local authorities to collect, create, and publish accessibility data for public transport and pedestrian routes. ALM is free software, which is also based on several tools from the OSM ecosystem (notably forks of iD and StreetComplete) . It allows data to be exported in NeTEx format (French profile), and it is possible to import OpenStreetMap data (pedestrian routes, transport stops, points of interest) as an option.

• Several NeTEx files have been published on transport.data.gouv.fr based on the conversion of an area from OpenStreetMap: https://transport.data.gouv.fr/datasets?type=pedestrian-path (fr)

From NeTEx to OpenStreetMap

Nordic Profile

The nsr2osm tool was developed to extract information about bus stops and bus stations from Norway's national register of stops. An import was also carried out in 2019.

French Profile

In Île-de-France (Paris region), the identifiers for lines and stops in the NeTEx and GTFS exports have been integrated into OpenStreetMap. See IDF/Open Data References (fr).

In the Grand Est region, NeTEx data is used to improve the naming of stops in OpenStreetMap. See Fluo Grand Est (fr).

See also

A transport data models comparative review between OSM, GTFS, NeTEx & Wikidata has been produced by Jungle Bus in 2020.