Timetable service multiple sets of timetables per station and fast services

Unified API
1

Hi

1: Im implementing timetables into my app and have a couple of questions.

In the knownJourney data there is an hour and minute entry, but I cannot find a flag that
says if a journey is a fast or a semi-fast service. I know these are met line specific but those
of us who commute on the metropolitan rely on this knowledge for planning our journeys.

Is there any chance of having this data surfaced?

2: There is a discrepancy for timetable data on the metropolitan line in Croxley.

https://api.tfl.gov.uk/Line/metropolitan/Timetable/940GZZLUCXY?direction=outbound&mode=tube

Instead of a single timetable there are two (Json path timetable > routes).

I know that this is the special time table that operates from Watford to Amersham very early in the day and late at
night with only a couple of trains, and the full timetable Croxley to Aldgate. What puzzles me is

  • This extra time table does not appear in the data for Watford, Rickmansworth or Amersham, only Croxley, should it be removed from Croxley or added to the others? I think it makes sense to remove it, but consistency would be good otherwise

  • There is no naming that can differentiate the two routes for my end users, both sets of timetables have Mon-Thursday, Saturday and holidays as the name, but the route JSON object does not have a time table name.

This makes for a poor user experience for my users from Croxley. Guess where I live!

Any information or help would be appreciated.

David

2

Welcome @DavidB

  1. The fasts are indicated by the platform number data

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  1. There are very-very occasional Met service that use the famous North Curve.

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This happens when the line is being repaired to the south of the area and the odd first/last working to get trains to their sidings.

I can highly recommend reading https://content.tfl.gov.uk/wtt-344-metropolitan-11-september-2022.pdf even though it has no actual explanation for the total non-existence of Croxley in the WTT.

Perhaps @jamesevans can explain why Croxley (uniquely) doesn’t appear in the published Working Timetables.

3

Thank you for the reply I appreciate the information, I’m off to check out that platform information for fast trains.

For people reading this Croxley is a great station for application testing!

4

Is this data you show arrivals? It doesn’t look like timetable data to me. I ask just so I don’t go off in the wrong direction.

Thanks again

5

That data is in the arrivals stream (it might be in timetables too but they’re broken atm).
The Harrow on the Hill platforms are not a good guide - although two are marked as ‘Fast’ (Platforms 3 and 6) they are used by all services. However Moor Park is a much better guide to the fast services, they exclusively use Platforms 1 and 2. Wembly Park might have some secrets too, but I’m not sure and will investigate some time.