Back to API parent page

The <blockConfiguration/> Element

A <blockConfiguration/> captures a sequence of block trips active on a particular service date. Recall that a block is a sequence of linked trips operated by the same vehicle. Unfortunately, that set of trips is not always the same. For example, the last trip of a block may typically be active, but might be left of during a holiday.

To help model these situations correctly, we have the concept of a block configuration: a sequence of block trips that are active for a particular block on a particular service date. The active service date is determined by the combination of active and inactive service ids on that date. See the <trip/> element and the GTFS spec for more discussion of service ids and how they determine when a trip is active.

In addition to service id information, the block configuration contains the list of active block trips.

Example

<blockConfiguration>
  <activeServiceIds>
    <string>1_116-WEEK</string>
  </activeServiceIds>
  <inactiveServiceIds/>
  <trips>
    <blockTrip>
      <tripId>1_15415757</tripId>
      <blockStopTimes>
        <blockStopTime>
          <blockSequence>0</blockSequence>
          <distanceAlongBlock>45.79241448571604</distanceAlongBlock>
          <accumulatedSlackTime>0.0</accumulatedSlackTime>
          <stopTime>
            <stopId>1_75995</stopId>
            <arrivalTime>21607</arrivalTime>
            <departureTime>21607</departureTime>
            <pickupType>0</pickupType>
            <dropOffType>0</dropOffType>
          </stopTime>
        </blockStopTime>
        <blockStopTime>...</blockStopTime>
        ...
      </blockStopTimes>
      <accumulatedSlackTime>0</accumulatedSlackTime>
      <distanceAlongBlock>0.0</distanceAlongBlock>
    </blockTrip>
  </trips>
</blockConfiguration>

Details

The <blockConfiguration/> element has the following sub-elements:

  • activeServiceIds - a collection of strings indicating which service ids are active for the block configuration
  • inactiveServiceIds - a collection of strings indicating which service ids are NOT active for the block configuration
  • trips - the sequence of <blockTrip/> elements for each block trip in the configuration

The block trip has the following properties:

  • tripId - id of the referenced <trip/> element
  • block stop times - see below
  • accumulated slack time - how much slack time from layovers has been accumulated from previous block trips in the block up to the start of this block
  • distanceAlongBlock - how far along the block, in meters, is the start of this trip

Block stop times capture the individually scheduled stops along each trip. We provide the following fields:

  • blockSequence - the index of the block stop time in the list of all scheduled stops for the block configuration
  • distanceAlongBlock - how far along the block, in meters, this stop occurs
  • accumulatedSlackTime - how much slack time from layovers has been accumulated previous along the block up until, but not including, this stop
  • stopTime - reference to the general stop time for the trip - see below

A stop time is a more general notion of a scheduled stop along a trip:

  • stopId - id of the referenced <stop/> element
  • arrivalTime - time, in seconds from the start of the service date
  • departureTime - time, in seconds from the start of the service date
  • pickupType - see the GTFS spec
  • dropOffType - see the GTFS spec