The Department for Transport is investing £5 million to start development of a “Rail Data Marketplace” (RDM) to provide the tools and frameworks to open up rail data through a new single-access platform. Due to launch next year following technology development, it is claimed the RDM will ‘unleash opportunities’ for developers and technology companies to collaborate with the rail industry and integrate railway data into passenger-facing applications and develop new services.
Examples of the information available cited include seat availability, detail on disruptions and availability of facilities at stations such as lifts and escalators – all in one location. It’s claimed this will reduce the fragmentation of data across the rail industry.