Stefan LindbohmMar 8

My minigolfing of regional rail branding across Europe continues, and now we show train names/brands across the Netherlands on Railfinder! And as a bonus we now also show line numbers where we have that data.

Big thanks to @partim for explaining the systems-within-systems for how NL regional rail is organised & marketed. Saved quite some research!

If you see any train branding/names/lines that’s off (in NL or elsewhere), I always want to hear that feedback for my next minigolfing session.

Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Mar 8
@stefanlindbohm @partim I see the cross-border Koleje Dolnośląskie trains to Lichkov are still listed as Leo Express ;P
Of course, you're probably not focusing on Poland yet
Show threadStefan LindbohmMar 8

@HaTetsu Hanggg onnnn, is that wrong? I haven’t done anything here – that’s how they get sent to us (we just add the Leo Express logo).

Are you saying they are not in fact operated by Leo Express or that it would be more appropriate to use some generic KD branding for them? (What would that branding be?)

Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Mar 8
@stefanlindbohm They are all operated by KD and Leo Express is mostly their partner for Czechia compliance, but the issue is slightly confounded by the fact that Leo does sell tickets for those trains all the way to Wrocław. But you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at the train or any passenger info on the Polish side (which is pretty much the whole route of the train)
Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Mar 8
@stefanlindbohm KD train branding is pretty generic, though it depends on what source you're looking at. In PKP PLK timetables they use the generic Os (Osobowy) and OsP (Osobowy Przyspieszony) categories, the latter generally also carry some name starting with "KD Sprinter", which can probably be used as the brand in those cases. In their own timetables and GTFS, they use line numbers starting with D and assigned by route, but again, those aren't entered into PLK systems, so station announcements don't include them
Show threadStefan Lindbohm

@HaTetsu Ha, always these fun loops of data sharing. Are KD part of a regional rail system of sort, either common ticketing or common network maps?

For example, in Germany all regional rail is coordinated so we just use ”Regio” as the brand for everything because there are no clear boundaries.

In Switzerland we use the train category names the same for all operators but show the different logos.

Basically we’re looking for something that is recognisable by train livery and station signs IRL.

Mar 8 at 9:03pmIvory for iOS
Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Mar 8

@stefanlindbohm In Poland, always use the train operator's brand - as I understand it, our law is kind of deficient when it comes to railway ticket integration and assumes the operator handles ticket issuance and passenger service, except in the case of 'municipal' railway operators, of which there is formally only one - SKM Warszawa. That one is fully integrated into Warsaw's urban network and uses their "WTP" ticketing and branding, although I don't think it's worth making an exception to the rule there. Elsewhere, there is no (and cannot be) fully integrated ticketing in the sense of the regional railway not issuing its own tickets at all, like you see in Germany or Sweden. The operator is always prominent, even where semi-integrated tariffs and (voivodeship-planned) networks do exist, especially if you're travelling on single tickets (such tariffs are handled by voivodeships contractually requiring operators to incorporate the tariff and any future changes into their own offer, where the voivodeship doesn't outright own the operator)

A branding quirk reflected in station announcements is that Polregio refers to its trains as REGIO, while voivodeship railways are best recognized under their own name, though for timetable purposes they use the generic "Osobowy" category. This is kind of like Sprinter vs Stoptrein in the Netherlands

Show thread波鉄 (Hatetsu)Mar 8
@stefanlindbohm Most intermodal integration takes the form of railways agreeing to accept municipal time-based tickets on certain routes and timetables outside of Warsaw are rarely regular or complicated enough to make common route maps that show anything more than "well, the trains run this way" (and it was only last decade that we've largely dropped the habit of only making separate bus and tram maps, anyway)
Show threadStefan LindbohmMar 9
@HaTetsu You’re a total rockstar. Thanks for all this info! I guess my next minigolfing will have to be Poland :)