Guide to Rail Replacement Location data
Published: 29 July 2026
The Department for Transport is running a 12-month pilot to supply open and free Rail Replacement Location (RRL) data to the public transport ecosystem.
This guide explains what the data is, what it contains, and how to use it.
The data
RRL data provides information on passenger pick up and drop off locations used for planned rail replacement services across England, Scotland and Wales.
The data is primarily intended to support rail replacement vehicle compliance with the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 for:
- next stop audio announcements
- visual display systems on board rail replacement vehicles
- rail replacement route planning
The data may also be useful for many other use cases such as passenger facing information for digital systems at railway stations and public transport journey planning.
Where does the data come from
The Rail Delivery Group provides the data which is made available to the public via the NaPTAN website. This data is intended for anyone that needs it, such as:
- journey planners
- local transport authorities
- organisations providing services related to rail replacement buses
- innovators building new digital services
- researchers and academics
It is particularly relevant for those providing systems that support onboard passenger information.
What the data contains
The dataset includes information about passenger pick up and drop off locations used for National Rail, the Elizabeth Line, London Underground stations (serviced by National Rail) and London Overground rail replacement services.
These locations may include the following:
- existing bus stops used on regular routes
- existing bus stops used only for rail replacement services
- locations that are not formal bus stops but are used for rail replacement services
Currently, the Welsh language translation is provided for Transport for Wales (TfW) stations only. We will extend Welsh language support to all RRL services that operate within Wales or cross the Wales–England border in the coming months.
What the data does not contain
The dataset does not include:
- timetables
- routes
- service availability
- real-time updates
- real-time vehicle tracking
- emergency rail replacement location data
- metro and tram services
ATCO Area codes for Rail Replacement stops
An ATCO Area Code (ATCO Code) is a number allocated to regions in England, Scotland and Wales which is used by the NaPTAN system to uniquely identify individual passenger transport access nodes.
Existing ATCO Area code
Existing ATCO Area Codes are present in the rail replacement dataset and are named ‘MarkedStopATCOCode’.
These are constructed in three parts:
Part one – the administrative area code (first three digits)
These numbers identify the Local Transport Authority (or governing entity) responsible for stewardship of the stop, for example 639 is Aberdeen in Scotland.
Part two – the separator (fourth digit)
This is always zero (0).
Part three – the stop identifier (final digits)
The remaining alphanumeric characters are determined by the Local Transport Authority to create a unique identifier for the stop.
Example: 5820WDB48454
582 is Neath Port Talbot in Wales + 0 + WDB 48454 is the unique identifier within the area.
A list of the ATCO Codes in use can be found on the NaPTAN website.
911 ATCO Area Codes
All RRL stops use a distinct ATCO Area Code format with a 911 prefix to uniquely identify stop points. The new area code was created because many RRL passenger pick up and drop off points are not pre-existing Local Transport Authority bus stop locations and need to be maintained centrally. RRL stops which use existing bus stops are also allocated a unique 911 series ATCO Code so that RRL specific metadata can be associated with the ‘MarkedStopATCOCode’. RRL specific metadata is maintained centrally and not by the Local Transport Authorities.
The 911 ATCO Area Code is constructed using the format: 911 + 0 + CRS + sequence number:
Part one – the area code (three digits)
This is always 911 denoting rail replacement location data
Part two – the separator (fourth digit)
This is always zero (0)
Part three - Computer Reservation System (CRS) code
Identifies the associated railway station
Part four – duplicate sequence number
Used to ensure each 911 ATCO Code remains unique where multiple rail replacement locations are associated with the same railway station.
The sequence number starts at zero (0) for the first location associated with a CRS code and increases incrementally (1, 2, 3, and so on) for each additional location linked to the same station.
For example:
- 9110OCK0 – first location associated with station CRS OCK
- 9110OCK1 – second location associated with station CRS OCK
- 9110OCK2 – third location associated with station CRS OCK
Where only a single rail replacement location is associated with a station, there will be a single representation using the CRS code and sequence number.
For example:
- 9110AMR0 – only location associated with station CRS AMR
Identifying Rail Replacement only stops
The MarkedStopATCOCode field can be used to identify whether a rail replacement location is associated with an existing stop in the NaPTAN dataset.
- If MarkedStopATCOCode is populated, the rail replacement location is associated with an existing NaPTAN stop. These are typically passenger pick-up and drop-off locations that are already used by scheduled public transport services and have been designated for use during rail replacement operations.
- If MarkedStopATCOCode is not populated, the location is a rail replacement only stop. These locations have been created specifically for rail replacement services and are not associated with an existing stop record in NaPTAN. Examples may include station forecourts, car parks, lay-bys or other designated passenger pick-up and drop-off locations.
How to access the data
Download it from the NaPTAN website
The data will be available via the Rail Data Marketplace in August 2026.
Data formats
The data is currently available in:
- CSV
During the pilot phase, the data will also be available in:
- JSON
- XML
The CSV file supports Welsh language characters and is written using UTF-8 encoding.
When viewed in some applications (for example Microsoft Excel), Welsh language text may appear differently from the source data. For example, trên may be displayed as trên. This does not affect the underlying data.
Welsh language characters display correctly when the file is opened as plain text.
JSON and XML formats will be available in a future release and will support Welsh language characters.
How often the data is updated
The dataset is updated regularly by the Rail Delivery Group.
The most recent update date will be displayed on the website.
Status of the service
This dataset is provided as a pilot for 12 months from 29 July 2026.
The data will continue to be improved based on feedback during this period. We will transition to a full service after the pilot phase.
Data fields and descriptions
This section provides an overview of the data fields included in the Rail Replacement Location dataset.
- ATCO Area Code
- Unique identifier for each rail replacement stop location, using a 911 prefix
- Common name
- Name of the associated railway station
- Street
- Street or road where the stop is located
- Description
- Passenger-facing information describing where to find the rail replacement vehicle
- Coordinates
- Location of the stop, including easting, northing, latitude and longitude
- NPTG locality reference
- Geographic area associated with the stop
- Computer Reservation System (CRS) code
- Identifies the associated railway station
- Station Facility Owner (SFO) code
- Identifies the Train Operating Company responsible for the station
- Marked stop ATCO Code
- Reference to an existing NaPTAN stop where the rail replacement stop uses a permanent bus stop
Record Information
The dataset also includes fields used to manage updates and changes:
- Creation date and time
- When the stop record was first created
- Modification date and time
- When the stop record was last updated
- Modification
- Indicates whether the record is new, revised or deleted
- Revision number
- Tracks how many times the record has been updated
Additional Information
- Language (Lang)
- Indicates whether the data is in English (EN) or Welsh (CY)
- Grid type
- Defines the coordinate grid reference system used (UKOS)
- Stop type
- Classification of Stop Point, only ever RRL
Contact and support
We welcome feedback on the Rail Replacement Location Data Pilot.
If you have any issues accessing the data or would like to get in touch, you can submit this using the feedback form or email naptan.nptg@dft.gov.uk.