Metrolink/SCRRA has codeshare ticketing from the Ventura County Line onto Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains, but the VCL timetable lists the codeshare trains as their Amtrak train numbers/IDs instead of giving them a Metrolink train number as well.
Yeah – the train numbers that are mentioned in the route master are prefixed with an operator code to form an internal train ID that’s used in railroad backend systems (schedule management, authority control/train dispatching and signalling, train tracking and recording) to identify that train run on a given day of departure uniquely and unambiguously, similar to a headcode in the UK network. (FYI: I work on such a system at a US railroad, which is how I know these sorts of things.) That said, the analogy to a flight number falls down somewhat because train numbers in US & Canadian practice are not used as radio callsigns (the lead locomotive’s number is what’s used instead).
We’re talking about the same physical train being assigned two different refs by two different rail operators here – trains being exposed to GDS as a “flight” is a somewhat different case from the rail operations perspective, since the rail systems don’t ever have to deal with the GDS “flight” number for the train, but it’s very possible that the train runs on tracks of multiple operators, and even with crews from multiple operators, all of which can sell tickets for it.
Connecticut’s Shoreline East line (New London to New Haven) will sell you a ticket from New London all the way to New York City, with the Metro North commuter rail taking you from New Haven on. Though, tagging train numbers of the commuter rail seems wildly excessive. I only know this because I’m riding it to SoTM US
How embarrassing – I forgot that part of the train number is posted on a flipboard on the side of the locomotive. This is Train No. 268, pulled by the No. 911 San Carlos:
I long ago learned to ignore this sign and the conductor’s barely audible welcome/safety announcement when departing from San Francisco, which also mentions the train number. They also assign a two-character code to each service pattern – the actual thing we’re mapping as a route relation – but this is what only appears on the timetables and never on signs.
Let me know where I can surrender my railfan credentials.
This weekend, Caltrain overhauled their schedule to mark the end[1] of 160 years of diesel service and the introduction of Swiss railway technology. After several field surveys, I set out to refactor the routes in iD and Level0.
The seven main service patterns have been reduced to just four, requiring me to consolidate the routes. This consolidation also caused the trip_ref=* values to get even more unwieldy. The train numbers will take on some more significance than before, now that they’re displayed in full at the front of each trainset, and because the new schedule is more regular and predictable. However, as before, no data consumer should display the full list of train numbers verbatim.
Aligning to what’s observable on the ground seemed like a good idea in general, so I also ditched the PTv2 naming scheme in favor of the routes’ real names, as seen on vehicle displays, timetables, station signage, and maps. This gave me the opportunity to include more information that wasn’t possible before, such as the generic route “number” that Caltrain forms from the individual train numbers when it needs a number instead of a name.
Necro’ing this with an example of multi-numbered trains in the Real World:
The Maple Leaf between NYC and Toronto is a joint effort by Amtrak and VIA, but once it leaves the Empire Connection, it is running over tracks owned by neither railroad. (and yes, Amtrak and VIA both have some trackage to their name)
In particular, this train is numbered as ATK63 northbound up until it reaches the border at Niagara Falls, where the very same set of physical equipment gets tagged with VIA98 instead. The return trip is numbered as VIA97 and ATK64. There’s also a crew change at Niagara Falls, where the northbound swaps its Amtrak crew for a VIA crew and vice versa on southbounds.
That said, the train never wears more than one number (route identifier) at any given time, so it isn’t an issue having the two differently-crewed and differently-numbered segments as separate relations within the Maple Leaf’s route master.
After several field surveys, I set out to refactor the routes in 