OpenRailwayMap
 OpenRailwayMap section of northeastern US and southeastern Canada | |
Type of site | Collaborative mapping |
|---|---|
| Owner | Community-owned |
| Products | Geographic data |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | Required for contributors, not required for viewing |
| Launched | 2013[1] |
| Current status | Active |
Content license | Various |
OpenRailwayMap (ORM) is an online collaborative mapping project developing a worldwide railway map using technology based on the OpenStreetMap project. The project is part of the OpenStreetMap database, and acts as a renderer for the existing OpenStreetMap database to include additional information for railroad lines worldwide.[2] The project was launched in 2013.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]The project was started in 2011.[4] The OpenRailwayMap website was launched in mid 2013.[3] The map originally supported both raster tiles and vector tiles, but support for the latter was dropped in 2017 due to poor performance.[5] A fork of OpenRailwayMap with a more modern vector tile implementation was announced in 2025.[6]
Contents
[edit | edit source]OpenRailwayMap contains data for railway line positions, as well as the following information about them: track type (i.e. bridge, tunnel, regular line); track line type and current use (i.e. main, branch, yard; construction, disused, abandoned); max rail speeds; train protection; track electrification and track voltage if applicable; and track gauge.[7]
Applications
[edit | edit source]Some of the uses for OpenRailwayMap are as follows: scientific models/simulations, data for model train enthusiasts, track information for trainspotters, and routing/public transport. [4][8]
As well as the project website there is also a mobile app available for Android devices.[9]
API
[edit | edit source]OpenRailwayMap has a public and free (albeit limited-use) API. It is designed for small-scale applications. Users can query for information such as rail locations and data related to the rail.[10][11]
Contributing
[edit | edit source]
OpenRailwayMap allows anyone to contribute in many ways, such as:
- Creating data using photography or GPS trackers and sending it to experienced project editors
- Using the JOSM desktop editing tool to expand the database (Registration required with a verified email address, no registration required to view data)
- Contributing to the project's open source code
Internationalization
[edit | edit source]OpenRailwayMap is available to users in around 22 languages.[4]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]
- Official website
- OpenRailwayMap documentation on the OpenStreetMap Wiki
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