Interline Station Editor

Interline Station Editor is a full-featured, commercially supported tool for creating GTFS-Pathways data. Transit agencies and their vendors use Station Editor to integrate detailed station accessibility data into their existing GTFS feeds, enabling trip planning apps to route all riders through complex facilities, including those using wheelchairs, strollers, or other mobility aids.

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GTFS-Pathways is an extension to the GTFS specification, created by the MobilityData non-profit and its members, including Interline.

Why GTFS-Pathways

By adding Pathways data to their GTFS feed, a transit agency can:

Enable riders in wheelchairs to plan trips to stations that accommodate their needs

Enrich wayfinding directions with entrance and egress locations, names, and codes

Help routing engines more precisely calculate transfer times through large stations

GTFS-Pathways data is consumed and displayed by Google Maps, the Transit app, Interline Transfer Analyst, and more.

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For a case study of GTFS-Pathways in action, see this blog post about Interline’s work mapping 35 regional transit hubs in the San Francisco Bay Area for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Features

Visual Editing

Place stops for platforms, entrances, and connection points. Draw pathway connections between them. Import existing GTFS data or work from floor plans to build on what you already have. See your entire station hierarchy across multiple levels at once, with an aerial imagery basemap that includes a commercial license for tracing station outlines.

GTFS-Pathways Spec Validation

Station Editor validates your data against the GTFS-Pathways specification in real-time. It catches missing required fields, malformed relationships, and accessibility attribute gaps before your data reaches riders' trip planning apps. Detailed reports include specific recommendations for fixing each issue.

Connectivity Analysis

A GTFS-Pathways feed can be spec-valid but still broken in practice. Station Editor automatically calculates whether your station is topologically connected: whether every level is reachable from an entrance, whether any platforms are isolated, and whether a rider can actually navigate from one point to another. Visualize the results as a network diagram or use the route finder to test specific paths between any two nodes.

What's Included

Station Editor is offered to transit agencies and data-creation consultants as a fully managed SaaS subscription:

  • Desktop and tablet access via web browser
  • Unlimited user accounts for your team
  • Aerial imagery basemap with commercial tracing license
  • Built-in validation and connectivity testing
  • Interline's GTFS-Pathways style guide, based on experience creating data for dozens of real-world stations
  • Onboarding training call and ongoing support by email

Questions & Answers

What is GTFS-Pathways?

GTFS-Pathways is an extension to the GTFS transit schedule data specification to describe the layout and accessibility of transit stations. Pathways are topological representations that use stop “nodes” and pathway “edges” to articulate the network structure of a station. Stations can have multiple levels, with stair, escalator, and elevator pathways connecting the levels. Pathways can be marked as accessible to riders in wheelchairs, with strollers, with bicycles, and other specific mobility requirements. Entrances, exits, and boarding platforms can be labeled with names and codes, which riders can use to match directions in trip-plans to in-station signage.

What type of station complex can be mapped using Interline Station Editor?

Interline Station Editor can be used to map a wide variety of stations: multi-level station complexes, underground subway stations, transit centers surrounded by bus bays.

If we create GTFS-Pathways using Interline Station Editor, do we also need to use the entire Transitland platform?

No. Interline Station Editor provides multiple means for publishing GTFS-Pathways data. Export the data to include in your agency’s existing GTFS systems. Or optionally host your GTFS feed directly from the Transitland platform.

Learn More

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To experience a portion of the functionality of Station Editor, try Transitland's free Pathways Explorer.

For a demo of Interline Station Editor, transit agencies and consulting firms may contact us.