Network Rail open data feeds

Network Rail open data feeds

Network Rail's account-gated operational feeds cover train schedules, movement and signalling positions, locations, public performance, temporary speed restrictions and infrastructure. Schedule data is supplied in CIF and JSON, infrastructure in XML, and the other feeds carry event or reference records; a free account is required.

Coverage

The feeds describe Great Britain's rail network at cadences ranging from real time to twice yearly. Movement, train-describer and very-short-term-plan feeds update in real time; schedules and infrastructure update nightly, performance once per minute, speed restrictions weekly, locations and SMART monthly, and BPLAN twice yearly. Access is first-come, first-served and the provider currently limits it to 1,000 users.

Verdict

These feeds provide schedule, train-position, performance and infrastructure signals for live rail-flow monitoring and disruption detection in Great Britain. Real-time movement and signalling events can reveal delay propagation, while schedules and restrictions provide the operating baseline. Access requires an account and may be unavailable once the 1,000-user allocation is full. Network Rail states that availability and total uptime are not assured, and the feed data is complex enough that identifiers and event semantics need careful normalization.