Reference Data

Three sets of reference data are available from Network Rail. The All Reference Data topic must be selected and subscribed to in the My Feeds tab of the data feeds site to be able to access the CORPUS and SMART data. The Train Planning data is available from this site. See the about the feeds page for more details.

Other useful reference sources are also listed.

CORPUS: Location Reference Data

This is provided from the CORPUS system (Codes for Operations, Retail & Planning – a Unified Solution). The data is a periodically-updated snapshot of the CORPUS database. This can be used to translate STANOX, TIPLOC, NLC, UIC and 3-alpha (CRS) codes to location descriptions.

Downloading CORPUS Data

To download the data, visit http://datafeeds.networkrail.co.uk/ntrod/SupportingFileAuthenticate?type=CORPUS

CORPUS Data Format

CORPUS data is supplied as a plain text file containing a JSON representation of the data. Entries comprise the following fields (not all fields may contain data):

Field	Description
STANOX	STANOX code
UIC	UIC code
3ALPHA	3-letter location code
TIPLOC	TIPLOC code
NLC	NLC code
NLCDESC	Description of the NLC
NLCDESC16	NLC description (16-character version)

SMART: Berth Stepping Data

The SMART database contains details of train describer berths and allows movements into berths to be translated into arrivals and departures from locations. The data feed contains a periodically-updated snapshot of the SMART database.

Downloading SMART Data

To download the data, visit http://datafeeds.networkrail.co.uk/ntrod/SupportingFileAuthenticate?type=SMART

SMART Data Format

SMART data is supplied as a plain text file containing a JSON representation of the data. Entries comprise the following fields (not all fields may contain data):

Field	Description
TD	Train describer area
FROMBERTH	TD berth that movement is from
TOBERTH	TD berth that movement is to
FROMLINE	Line which the movement is from
TOLINE	Line which the movement is to
BERTHOFFSET	Difference between the time the berth event occurs and the time to be recorded in TRUST, in seconds
PLATFORM	Platform
EVENT	One of A, B, C, D
ROUTE
STANOX	STANOX code for location
STANME	Abbreviated description of location
STEPTYPE	One of B, F, C, D, I, T, E
COMMENT

EVENT	Description
A	Arrive Up
B	Depart Up
C	Arrive Down
D	Depart Down

STEPTYPE	Description
B	Between
F	From
T	To
D	Intermediate First
C	Clearout
I	Interpose
E	Intermediate

An in-depth overview of how to use SMART data is available.

BPLAN Geography

Twice a year, a set of geographical data is released from Network Rail which contains data to be used when planning trains. It also includes other data, such as platform numbers at stations, and details of activity codes used in CIF.

The data is available on a separate page.

Train Planning Network Model

The Train Planning Network Model contains very detailed information on the network model used by ITPS, the Integrated Train Planning System.

Downloading the data

To download the data, visit http://datafeeds.networkrail.co.uk/ntrod/SupportingFileAuthenticate?type=TPS

Download the Schema for the TPS Data Schema from here

Other Sources

• Phil Deaves has compiled a reference site listing location codes (CRS, STANOX and TIPLOC) as well as a comprehensive listing of other railway codes
• NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) is provided by the Department for Transport and is the single government source for all public transport stops/stations in the UK, also including bus stops, ferry terminals, airports, metro stations, and heritage railways, as well as associated metadata, including the location of entrances to stations, and platform locations in some circumstances. Contains ATCO, CRS and TIPLOC codes and latitude/longitudes.
• Peter Hicks at OpenTrainTimes has written a a useful guide to the relationships between different datasets which gives a good overview of the way that different sets of data interact
• Network Rail Jargon Buster - a good range of definitions for railway technical terms.