NeTEX
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NeTEx overview 🔍
What is NeTEx?
NeTEx (Network Exchange format) is a standard for exchanging public transport network, schedules, and related data. It is a general-purpose XML format designed for the efficient exchange of complex transport data among distributed systems.
It has been developed under the aegis of CEN (Comité Européen de Normalisation) and is the most recent development stage in over fifteen years work to systemise and harmonize European passenger information data.
NeTEx can be used to collect and integrate data from many different stakeholders, and to reintegrate it as it evolves through successive versions. It is used by public transport operators and IT providers across Europe to support a wide range of passenger information and operational applications.
Benefits of using NeTEx
NeTEx offers a number of benefits, including:
- Flexibility: NeTEx can be used to represent a wide range of public transport data, including networks, schedules, fares, and real-time information.
- Extensibility: NeTEx can be extended to support new types of data and functionality.
- Interoperability: NeTEx is a standard format, which means that data can be exchanged between different systems without the need for custom development.
- Support for modern web services architectures : NeTEx can be used to develop modern, web-based passenger information and operational applications.
Examples of NeTEx in use
NeTEx is used in a variety of ways across the public transport industry. For example:
- Passenger information: NeTEx can be used to provide real-time arrival and departure information to passengers, generate timetables and journey planners, and develop mobile apps for passengers.
- Operational applications: NeTEx can be used to manage fleet operations, integrate public transport data with other systems, such as traffic management systems and navigation apps, and support planning and analysis.
ℹ️ To find out more about the NeTEX data model, visit the NeTEX website.
⚙️ To verify your NeTEx data, use our free validation tool.
NeTEx European Passenger Information Profile 🇪🇺
| Description | Documentation | |
|---|---|---|
| NeTEx EPIP | Ideally, all member states will provide NeTEx files according to the European Passenger Information Profile (EPIP) on their respective National Access Point. Data4PT provides some artefacts to simplify producing and quality assure such information. EPIP-adapted version of the full NeTEx XML schema has been produced. | Browse the graphic and interactive technical presentation and download the relevant artefacts and available example here. |
| NeTEx EPIP Light | The official NeTEx schema is too large and complex for C# code generation tools to handle, so a simplified version was created for application development. This schema has been reduced to only match the scope of the EPIP Profile (European Passenger Information Profile). It is compliant with the main NeTEx schema, but does not contain constraint checks and should not be used for validation. | The graphic interactive technical presentation and the technical artefacts are available here. |
Software & tools 🧰
An ecosystem of NeTEx XML tools is under development, including both open-source and commercial products.
The following list of software is known to support NeTEx. We distinguish between different categories that may later receive a list of key performance indicators.
XML tools
General purpose XML tools can be used to work with the NeTEx XML schema and XML documents that conform to it.
| XML tools | Description |
|---|---|
| XML SPY | commercial |
| Oxygen | commercial |
| List of tools | open-source |
Conversion tools
| Name | Availability | |Description | Profile | colspan="1" |License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| netex-protobuf | ✅ | NeTEx to protobuf converter | All | EUPL |
| gtfs2netexfr | ✅ | Export GTFS data to NeTEx. | French | |
| hastus | ✅ | Giro Hastus OIG script to export NeTEx from a system, in addition can export crew operations. | Dutch, Nordic(?) | AGPL-3.0 |
| josm-plugin-netex-converter | ✅ | Export OpenStreetMap pedestrian routing information into NeTEx. | GPL 2.0 | |
| netex-gtfs-converter-java | ✅ | Export NeTEx data to GTFS | Nordic | EUPL |
| Chimera | ✅ | Chimera is a framework for semantic data transformation pipelines. A converter between GTFS and NeTEx has been implemented adopting an intermediate Transmodel representation. | Nordic (ready), EPIP/Italian (ongoing) | Framework – Apache License 2.0, Mapping GTFS-NeTEx – Proprietary license |
| OpenMove ATLAS | ✅ | The management platform OpenMove ATLAS allows import and editing of data in GTFS format and export also in GTFS or NeTEx format (currently the Italian Profile is supported, other profiles can be implemented on request). | EPIP Italian | Proprietary license |
| GTFS2NeTEx-converter | ✅ | Converts GTFS data in NeTEx Italian Profile. | EPIP Italian | Proprietary License |
Data validation tools
| Name | Availability | Description | Profile | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XMLlint | ✅ | XML syntax validation, XSD schema validation and constraint checking. | All | MIT |
| Greenlight - The Data4PT Validation tool | ✅ | Validating NeTEx data. | All | |
| NeTEx validator java | ✅ | Validation library for NeTEx data, analyzing and reporting schema compliance. | Nordic | |
| Antu | ✅ | Validate NeTEx datasets against the Nordic NeTEx Profile. | Nordic |
Language bindings
| Name | Availability | Description | Profile | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| netex-java-model | ✅ | NeTEx XML bindings for Java, with additions to map temporal types to native objects. | All | EUPL |
| netex-csharp-model | ❌ | NeTEx XML bindings for C#. Currently being researched with a variety of tools. Contact DATA4PT if you have questions or have found the golden egg. |
All | |
| netex-parser-java | ✅ | Parse NeTEx files and lookup entities in an index | Nordic | EUPL |
Editing /Management & visualisation tools
| Name | Availability | Description | Profile | License | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nplan | ✅ | Java backend / TypeScript frontend for create/edit/export of NeTEx data (Support both Timetable based and On-demand polygon based services) | Nordic | EUPL | backend - https://github.com/entur/uttu frontend - https://github.com/entur/enki |
| NSR | ✅ | Java backend / JavaScript frontend for import/creation/edit/export for NeTEx stops data. (Act as a National Stops Register for the whole of Norway) | Nordic | EUPL | backend - https://github.com/entur/tiamat frontend - https://github.com/entur/abzu |
| Chouette | ✅ | Java backend / Ruby frontend for import/validation/edit/export of NeTEx data. Highly modified version of the old AFIMB version of Chouette. NOTE: Legacy software not recommended for new implemetations | Nordic | CeCILL-B | backend - https://github.com/entur/chouette frontend - https://github.com/entur/chouette2 |
| Chouette | ✅ | Java based NeTEx tools, transforms between profiles and standards (NeTEx, GTFS, Neptune). | EPIP | Apache 2.0 | |
| mobilitx | ✅ | ||||
| mobiref | ✅ | ||||
| NeTEx Reader | ⏳ | C# based XML tool based on Giro Hastus XSD | Dutch | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpb_1Y9uR5k | |
| netexconv2 | ⏳ | Java based NeTEx tools, transforms between profiles and standards (NeTEx, DINO, HAFAS, KV1, GTFS). | Dutch, EPIP, Nordic, VDV462 | ||
| IVU.cloud | ✅ | EPIP | |||
| Motus | ✅ | 4Motus is the Fleet Scheduling Management System provided by Pluservice. The application is designed by independent and integrated modules which can be activated according to specific operational needs. One of the latest module created and already available is the generation of NeTEx datasets starting from the operational data collected by public transport operators. For this purpose, Motus receives the input data starting from a GTFS and it is able to enrich these data with further relevant information such as contracts, vehicles. Then Motus transforms these data into the NeTEx Italian profile. Data model: the database is designed according to Transmodel specifications, European reference standard (EN12896) for public transport. |
Italian |
Journey planning engine
| Name | Availability | Description | Profile | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenTripPlanner | ✅ | Timetable and shortest path journey planner supporting reading various input formats including GTFS and NeTEx. | Nordic | Apache 2.0 |
| OpenMove | ✅ | Multimodal, intermodal trip planner with real-time capabilities, step-by-step instructions, fare system, and compatibility with market standards. |
Planning system supporting native NeTEx export
| Name | Availability | Developped by | Profile | Additional documentation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hastus | ✅ | Giro | Nordic Dutch |
Dutch patch: https://github.com/skinkie/hastus |
| Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for Bus | ✅ | Trapeze | EPIP Nordic | Blog post: https://www.trapezegroup.com.au/blog/its-netex-bus-data-transfer-exchange |
| DG Buss | ✅ | Datagrafikk | Nordic | |
| Planning & Scheduling for Train | ✅ | Trapeze | Nordic | |
| IVU.suite | ⏳ | IVU for public transport | Nordic | Blog post: https://www.ivu.com/all-references/references/delfi-migrates-to-ivucloud |
| Turnit Ride | ✅ | Turnit for public transport | Nordic | |
| Nplan | ✅ | Entur for public transport | Nordic | backend: https://github.com/entur/uttu frontend: https://github.com/entur/enki |
| TPs Suite | ✅ | Hacon | Nordic |
NeTEx part 5 for 🆕 modes
NeTEx Part 5 is an extension to the NeTEx data exchange format that is specifically designed for publishing data about "alternative modes" of transportation, such as car sharing, cycle sharing, carpooling, and car/cycle rental. It is primarily oriented towards static data, such as the service that is offered and the associated infrastructure.
NeTEx Part 5 is now available as CEN/TS 16614-5:2022 (E)
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Technical artefacts | The XML schema (XSD) for NeTEx Part 5 New Modes. Examples are also provided, along with other useful documentation. |
| Canonical mapping with GBFS | The EU-funded project DATA4PT and MobilityData experts have released a high-level mapping between the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) and Transmodel to support better interoperability of shared mobility data feeds. |
References
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| NeTEx-CEN GitHub | Find xsd, examples and relevant documentation on NeTEx schema |
| NeTEx EPIP profile GitHub | Find xsd and relevant documentation dedicated on NeTEx EPIP schema |
| NeTEx Website | Find general information on NeTEx project |