If a freight service is shown as 'activated' on open data websites, what does that mean?

[stantheman]

Does it mean it’s running ?

Stanley

 

[66789]

Typically yes. When a train is activated it's intended to be run on a given day.

Some passenger services are always activated but may get cancelled immediately, while some freight trains are the opposite and only get activated as needed.

 

[Spartacus]

All depends if it's been created as a manual or auto called service. The autos will be activated, as the name suggests, automatically, regardless of whether it's running or not, unless it's manually cancelled.

 

[Freightmaster]

When a train is activated it's intended to be run on a given day.

I'm afraid that's not true - hundreds of freight services (the 'auto called' schedules referred to by Spartacus above)
are activated automatically whether they are booked to run or not.

If they don't run, they will eventually be flagged as cancelled on RTT:

"This service was cancelled due to a request by the train operator (FL)"

...but that doesn't usually happen until after the train is booked to depart from it's origin.




MARK

 

[Chris Butler]

What is the point of activating or not? It seems to be a very haphazard process, but it must have some 'real' consequences.

 

[zwk500]

What is the point of activating or not? It seems to be a very haphazard process, but it must have some 'real' consequences.

It is most often used for freights that might run to two different terminals, and therefore the signallers and ARS need to be clear where to route it.
It also affects rolling stock systems as you can't allocate a consist to an inactive train and performance figures as cancelling trains on request is still a cancellation, but not activating Q or Y paths is not. The performance figures are generally not worried about for freight though (they are more concerned about delivering material to the customers satisfaction)

 

[Highlandspring]

What is the point of activating or not? It seems to be a very haphazard process, but it must have some 'real' consequences.

As above, the real world consequences are that the railway IT system behind it all can’t allocate a consist (i.e. a list of what vehicles make up a train) or report times against a schedule that hasn’t been called. Except in an emergency, where other fallback processes are used, nothing is allowed to run on the network without a consist as it’s very important to be able to immediately know how a train is made up in the event of an incident or accident.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The auto-activation time tends to be exactly 1 or 2 hours before departure time. So if the minutes don't match between a service's activation time and departure time, there's a fair chance that it will actually be running.

 

[Peter749]

It is noted that a number of trains are activated even though they won't run most of the time
As an example 6E52 1112 Collyhurst Street Gbrf to Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet Gb

Realtime Trains - 6E52 1112 Collyhurst Street Gbrf to Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet Gb

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Each day the train is activated and each day it is cancelled but it is not a [Q] path

Peter

 

[Freightmaster]

It is noted that a number of trains are activated even though they won't run most of the time
As an example 6E52 1112 Collyhurst Street Gbrf to Scunthorpe Roxby Gullet Gb
Each day the train is activated and each day it is cancelled but it is not a [Q] path

I explained that in my post above

Because the train you are referring to is not a Q path, it gets 'auto activated' each day,
even though it has never/will never run!




MARK

 

[66789]

Learn something new everyday. Thanks @Freightmaster

 

[Spartacus]

Little bit of a bump here but does anyone know where RTT gets that activation time info from, or specifically how to look it up in TRUST?

 

[Highlandspring]

Little bit of a bump here but does anyone know where RTT gets that activation time info from, or specifically how to look it up in TRUST?

Schedules are automatically called 1 hour in advance of the departure time except for schedules flagged as manual call and those which are set up as multiple units, which are called between 2100 the previous night and 0230 the morning of departure. A schedule can be manually called through the TOPS 'AF' procedure up to 3 hours in advance (to allow for an early departure) or 8 hours in arrears, though it shouldn't normally be more than 3 hours in arrears. The time RTT shows will be the time it is called in TRUST, whether that's automatic or manual.

There's not really anything to look up in TRUST but if you look up a schedule (using TSAG) it tells you in the header whether it's auto or manual call. If a schedule hasn't been called it won't show up in a TRJA enquiry.