OpenRailwayMap

http://www.openrailwaymap.org/mobile.php?

by doener • 9 years ago

173 58 9 years ago

niftich3• 9 years ago

The OpenRailwayMap project is great; I just wish their default map viewer had the Query/Inspect feature. When I'm browsing railways (don't ask...), I find myself using OpenStreetMap side-by-side to Query for more details about a way or relation, while OpenRailwayMap gives me a better overview and labels in the main map.

DoreenMichele2• 9 years ago

I know you said don't ask, but what do you use this for?

niftich3• 9 years ago

Equal parts learning about the world [1][2][3] and armchair engineering [4][5].

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14989538#14991800 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14277421#14278793 [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11996355#11997040 [4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409082#13414587 [5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15683120#15684346

djsumdog2• 9 years ago

Have you used urbanrail.net? I love that site.

femto2• 9 years ago

Background: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OpenRailwayMap

It seems to consist of a set of railway specialised tags, which exist within the OpenStreetMap database. OpenRailwayMap then runs their own tiling/rendering infrastructure to generate maps with a rail emphasis.

If I understand correctly, there is no split here, as the OSM database remains the "mother lode" of mapping information?

Freak_NL• 9 years ago

Yes, all this data is tagged and available in the OSM database. In many countries the tagging of the railway lines is very thorough and often uses publicly available data sources from the national railway infrastructure operator.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OpenRailwayMap

rmc2• 9 years ago

Correct there is only one OSM database feeding both this map and the main map on openstreetmap.org (and other maps).

It shows the power of open data. You can take the OSM database, and slice out the bits you want and only show what you want.

piquadrat• 9 years ago

Interesting, I was wondering why the Rhaetian Railway was completely missing. Turns out it's tagged as "narrow gauge" railway[1], which doesn't seem to get picked up by OpenRailwayMap.

[1] http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:railway%3Dnarrow_gaug...

n4r9• 9 years ago

It would be very cool if someone combined this with open GTFS data and a public transport routing algorithm. Imagine having a "public transport" option in the list of routing services - just like Google Maps - but using free software/data and on a global scale.

It looks like Graphhopper introduced an algorithm for transport routing this year [0], although there are still performance improvements to be made. Project OSRM seems not to be interested in adding this feature for now.

[0] https://github.com/graphhopper/graphhopper/pull/1018

untog• 9 years ago

OpenTripPlanner already exists:

http://www.opentripplanner.org

I've only played around with it but it seems very capable. It also has a pretty cool analysis tool that lets you see the changes in transit accessibility when a bus/train is removed, etc.

Stratoscope2• 9 years ago

What would make this super interesting to me would be a historical timeline and a way to contribute historical routes.

For example, here are some old branches off the main San Francisco Peninsula line:

• Hawthorne Avenue in Palo Alto (three blocks north of University) and Middlefield where it crosses San Francisquito Creek were originally a spur line that served the Catholic University (now Jesuit Seminary) in Menlo Park.

• What is now Fry's Electronics in Palo Alto and that row of buildings had loading docks in the back for the spur that branched off the main line there. This line went to where the Veterans' Hospital is now and then followed the path of Foothill Blvd, straight through the Trader Joe's parking lot at Homestead ends, then continued through to tracks that still exist on the other side of 280.

• If you ever wondered why Camden Avenue in Campbell/San Jose has that oddly smooth curve where it veers off Hillsdale, yes, it was another train line. This was the Campbell-Almaden line (thus the name cam-den) which started from the still-existing line that runs through Campbell (you can see some of the old loading docks from Railway Avenue). Where Camden bends right at Kooser, the train line continued straight through where the power lines are now, crossed a bridge to follow what is now Redmond Avenue in south San Jose, and on to the town of New Almaden.

ucaetano• 9 years ago

This might interest you:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1AzVOviQ2o0fJQtwONbVHk7M3TB...

femto2• 9 years ago

Just what your ordered?

http://www.openhistoricalmap.org/

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Open_Historical_Map

Given that it is all based on the OSM database, I'd imagine OpenHistoricalMap would already cover historical railways? There is a renderer for the "railway" aspect of the OSM database (openrailwaymap.org), one for the "historic" aspect (openhistoricalmap.org), so it's a matter of programming for the railway map renderer to include the history aspect.

---

Edit: Just notice the following note about OHM: "As opposed to other projects such as OpenSeaMap, OHM makes use of its own database independent of OSM." A pity, as this means ORM won't automatically pick up history. OSM does have a "4D" proposal to include time: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM-4D , but it seems that it is not yet active.

jcranmer• 9 years ago

There's definitely some historical routes on there. If you look at the old B&O mainline, they have the historical route of Mount Airy Loop, which was discontinued in the 1950s. They don't have the original planes, though, which was ripped up in 1839 (it was built in 1830). It's somewhat understandable, given that the location of some of the route is pure conjecture at this point.

niftich3• 9 years ago

OpenStreetMap, the (only?) backing dataset for OpenRailwayMap, is a little picky about purely historical features, as they generally seek to document current facts on the ground. Check OSM policies before you contribute.

That being said, there's plently of historical rail -- running the gamut from disused, abandoned, railbanked, to never-knew-it-was-there -- visible in OpenRailwayMap. A good example is zooming in on Lima, Ohio, between Columbus and Fort Wayne. Dashed lines are everywhere.

Symbiote• 9 years ago

Disused or abandoned railway lines are still useful for old-fashioned map-based navigation.

Even if the track and ballast has been removed, there's still a narrow, graded path across the landscape, often easily visible from surrounding hills.

vidanay• 9 years ago

If I had to bet, I'd say Bascom Ave also used to be a railroad.

pasbesoin2• 9 years ago

Every time my family takes a trip to northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, my father annoys... err, entertains us with recollection and speculation about where all the old lines ran.

(After the first hour or so, the demand on one's continued attention becomes a bit draining...)

He -- and his ilk -- would love something like that.

I wonder how far back DeLorme published its atlases. I should look for some old, second-hand copies.

maxerickson2• 9 years ago

A lot of the old rail lines in those areas were just temporary logging rails though. That narrow gauge stuff probably won't be on any maps, certainly no modern commercial map.

http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/rr-logging.html

If you poke around you can find digital copies of old plat books of Michigan, going back to when railroad companies owned most of the land.

saagarjha2• 9 years ago

straight through the Trader Joe's parking lot at Homestead ends, then continued through to tracks that still exist on the other side of 280.

Huh, I was walking along Peninsular Avenue a while back and was wondering what that odd, straight, flat area beyond the fence was. Cool to know it used to be a rail line!

Stratoscope2• 9 years ago

Yup, that's exactly where it was. If you look at the area in satellite view, you can see where you could draw a straight line extending from Foothill through the shopping center and behind the houses on Peninsular, and from there straight to the still-existing tracks south of 280 that serve the Permanente cement plant.

I find it interesting that when they built the shopping center at Foothill and Homestead and the Springwood Apartments next door - which I assume was long after the railroad tracks were gone - they avoided building directly on top of the old right of way but kept it as a driveway through each parking lot. No idea why - contamination?

Even more fun, look up the area in Google Earth (the desktop client, not the web-based "New" Earth), turn on View/Historical Imagery, and slide the timeline all the way back to 1948 when the railway ran through there. You can also see where it ran behind Fry's in Palo Alto.

This 1948 photo covers a big chunk of the Peninsula and South Bay - it's really interesting to see how things looked back then and compare with later years. All those regular patterns of dots you see when you zoom out? Orchards!

stuaxo• 9 years ago

On the UK map you can see all the closed railways - zoom in to London then go south and see all the dotted lines.

peterburkimsher4• 9 years ago

OpenRailwayMap shows the train lines on a geographic map.

I drew a train map where the distance between stations is proportional to the time it takes to travel that far.

http://peterburk.github.io/tra/

To do the project, I rewrote my own version of Logo, and scraped the train timetable data from the train company's website. It was quite satisfying because Logo was my first programming language (when I was about 7 years old), and I finally found a use for it.

To my knowledge, there's no other graphing tool that can draw maps like mine. Other subway maps don't have lines that are proportional to the time.

exikyut3• 9 years ago

It would be really cool if this were implemented for the whole world and not just Taiwan.

peterburkimsher4• 9 years ago

If you can tell me where to get train timetable information for Australia, I can try!

I'll definitely be in Taiwan until the end of 2018. After that, I might be moving somewhere else (possibly New Zealand, Australia, or Canada). Depending on my future job's policies about side work, then I might be able to redraw a map like this one for wherever I'm living in future.

Another possibility is to clean up my GUI, write a tutorial, and use it as a lesson plan for kids. I'd need to talk to some teachers first though.

Viper007Bond• 9 years ago

Check out http://subway.nateparrott.com/

peterburkimsher4• 9 years ago

I saw that here on HN a few months ago! It's cool, but it needs to be interactive. One thing I like about the way I drew my map is that it's a static image that could be printed and posted on train station platforms.

pcurve• 9 years ago

Red means high speed and it's sad to see almost no high speed in the u.s. sigh

The one from NY to Boston shouldn't even be called "high speed", if anyone has ridden in one before.

It's actually slower than driving!

microcolonel3• 9 years ago

Make a proper argument for high speed rail. I think it's rare in the U.S. in part because it's not an idea which is popular with people who need to get around and move things. High speed rail is popular with government, since it's an attractive sophisticated infrastructure program, but (perhaps TGV aside) I don't think any high speed rail service could be considered a success in any real way.

eggsome• 9 years ago

Germany's ICE trains?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity-Express

Or the Shinkansen:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen

(a major cultural touchstone for Japan in additon to the economic aspects).

jandrese• 9 years ago

They are a success in that people ride them regularly. Less of a success in that the tickets are often more expensive than a comparable flight, although secondary factors like security, terminal location, and legroom can make the train the preferable option even at a higher price.

djsumdog2• 9 years ago

The US had the largest rail system in the world and more streetcar lines that Europe not over 100 years ago. They're all gone now. Here's a great video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cjfTG8DbwA

"America is too spread out" is a bullshit argument. You put the rail architecture back in and you'll watch communities draw inward, zoning laws merge and neighborhoods get closer and more sustainable.

Access to transportation is the biggest factor in being able to move out of poverty. That's not a subjective statement. It's been verified in study after study.

Don't like living next to people and hate public transport? That's fine. There are tons of Europeans and Australians like that who live outside the cities and drive. They have that choice, because the cities are affordable and livable. Every Australian capital has commuter rail except Darwin, Hobart and ACT. In America, it's incredibly difficult to live without a car in almost every major city and most of our capitals, and we have a far far greater population density.

kylegordon• 9 years ago

TGV falls into the same class as Thalys, ICE, etc

When a Thalys route was opened between Paris and Brussels (200 miles), Air France withdrew their flights and booked seats on the train instead. American, Delta and JetA also operate a code sharing route on the train route.

Beyond Brussels, Skyteam group uses Thalys to link Brussels with Schipol.

So, yeah, link cities as you would with plane (airport time included), and High Speed Rail works. I've used it, and it's a vast improvement over wasting time in airports and jumping through air travel 'security' hoops.

adrianN• 9 years ago

High speed rail connects city centers with comfortable, fast, dependable transportation. Look for example at the Shinkansen system in Japan. You can travel from Tokyo to Kyoto (~450km by car) in about three hours door to door for about a hundred dollars. The trains run every couple of minutes.

Shinkansen are very popular in Japan. I don't know how you could not call them a success story.

rmc2• 9 years ago

OSM is popular in Europe, and Germany in particular. So when the German train nerds are mapping and choosing colours, they tend to have a European focus.

Nelkins• 9 years ago

Where does it say what the colors mean? What is yellow? And the dotted lines?

elsurudo• 9 years ago

Cool! It would be awesome to see the trains moving in real-time (even if it wasn't "live", and just based on posted schedules).

gpvos2• 9 years ago

Netherlands, based on live data: http://spoorkaart.mwnn.nl/ . It exists for some other European countries too, I think.

gpvos2• 9 years ago

Click on the "Spoorkaarten in het buitenland" link in the bottom right for more countries.

SM_SEG• 9 years ago

http://tracker.geops.ch/

Where the data is available, it shows live movements of the trains, and where that data is not available, the trains follow scheduled movements.

A further explanation of this is here: http://geops.de/blog/worldwide-travic (German)

sleavey• 9 years ago

I love this site. In the UK there are so many old railways no longer in existence that you can find on this site. It's really interesting to see how old tunnels and paths near where you live used to be used.

alex_duf• 9 years ago

Is there a site to print maps from OSM? I'd love to print a map of London's train system (an happy to pay for it)

maxerickson2• 9 years ago

There are lots of options:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_on_Paper

I haven't used any of them so I don't have anything resembling a recommendation. You could try asking on https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk-gb , the community there is pretty active so someone might have a suggestion for a nicely done map.

sjg• 9 years ago

I make a lot of maps in my spare time and have access to a large scale printer. Give me a ping in the next few days and I'll see what I can do for you.

mrcactu5• 9 years ago

I"m surprised at how few trains there are in Africa.

amai• 9 years ago

OpenRailwayMap

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