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OpenRailwayMap

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
OpenRailwayMap
OpenRailwayMap section of northeastern US and southeastern Canada
Type of site
Collaborative mapping
OwnerCommunity-owned
ProductsGeographic data
URLwww.openrailwaymap.org
CommercialNo
RegistrationRequired for contributors, not required for viewing
Launched2013; 13 years ago (2013)[1]
Current statusActive
Content license
Various
OpenRailwayMap-vector
OpenRailwayMap-vector section of Dresden, Germany
Type of site
Collaborative mapping
Available inEnglish
Area servedWorldwide
OwnerCommunity-owned
ProductsGeographic data
URLopenrailwaymap.app
AdvertisingNo
CommercialNo
RegistrationRequired for contributors, not required for viewing
Launched2024; 2 years ago (2024)[2]
Current statusActive
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.[3] The project was launched in 2013.[4]

History

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The project was started in 2011.[5] The OpenRailwayMap website was launched in mid 2013.[4] The map originally supported both raster tiles and vector tiles, but support for the latter was dropped in 2017 due to poor performance.[6] A fork of OpenRailwayMap with a more modern vector tile implementation was announced in 2025.[7]

Contents

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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.[8]

Applications

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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. [5][9]

As well as the project website there is also a mobile app available for Android devices.[10]

API

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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.[11][12]

Contributing

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JOSM editor

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

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OpenRailwayMap is available to users in around 22 languages.[5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Whois openrailwaymap.org". www.whois.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  2. ↑ "Whois openrailwaymap.app". www.whois.com. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  3. ↑ "Where to find railroad maps online". Trains. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  4. 1 2 "Whois openrailwaymap.org". www.whois.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  5. 1 2 3 "OpenRailwayMap - OpenStreetMap Wiki". wiki.openstreetmap.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  6. ↑ Matheisen, Alexander (2 April 2017). "Removing vector tile support". openrailwaymap (Mailing list). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  7. ↑ Wieringa, Hidde (6 March 2025). "OpenRailwayMap-vector announcement". openrailwaymap (Mailing list). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  8. ↑ Brebbia, C.A.; Mera, J.M.; Tomii, N.; Tzieropoulos, P., eds. (2016). Computers in Railways XV: Railway Engineering Design and Operation. Great Britain: WIT Press. pp. 119–120. eISSN 1743-3509. ISBN 978-1-78466-123-6.
  9. ↑ Blumenschein, Mattias; Babilon, Katherina; Schmidt, Bernd D.; Pfaff, Raphael (2021). "Use cases in autonomous shunting" (PDF). RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY. Aachen, Germany. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Railmap for OpenRailwayMap - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  11. ↑ "OpenRailwayMap/API - OpenStreetMap Wiki". wiki.openstreetmap.org. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  12. ↑ Gaffuri, Julien (2018). "Generalising OpenRailwayMap to 1:10k and 1:50k" (PDF). TU Dresden. Luxembourg city, Luxembourg. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
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