Project of the week/2010/Dec 01

Railway stations

They are a point in a daily commute of countless people. Utilitarian, they must provide for efficient movement of people in crowds. Seemingly vacant at one minute and then teeming the next, with the hustle and bustle of those determined to get from here to there. The ordinary and repetitious trip of a commuter can lead to blank faces, seeming drones programmed to catch the 7:15 without interaction with others, without emotion.

Yet they have also been the scene of emotional hellos and goodbyes of embraces and tears. An important milestone in a departure or declaration of independence or a the happy relief of a return after a long absence.

The Project of the Week is to map your local train station, bus depot, or other public transit center.

Tagging suggestions

As always, aim to improve the map, even if only in a small way, each time you contribute. You don't have to map the complete national rail system in one session. Depending on the initial state of your local station, you might add footpaths and amenities, or you might be the first mapper to place the station house and rails.

If the local station is already mapped, consider adding connecting networks or other surrounding amenities.

Buildings

Add the station building, platform and rails if they aren't already present. In some stations it might also be practical to add a way or polygon for the railway platform.

building=train_station is ideal, but building=yes will do for bus depots, or if the building serves many functions.
name=Cental Station

railway=rail for the rails of full size trains, or railway=subway/light_rail/subway/* as suitable.
railway=station to mark the approximate or nominal stopping point on the rail network.

railway=platform

Connecting networks

How does the train network connect to other local networks? Are the local footpaths and access roads on the map? Map the local roads and footpaths as you would in other areas.

Station amenities

Can you add the ticket office to the map? Or ticket vending machines? Which amenities are within the station? Toilets, restaurants, luggage shops, cafes, dry cleaning, pay telephones?

amenity=cafe
name=Station Cafe

amenity=telephone

amenity=vending_machine
vending=railway_ticket

Transportation amenities

Add local parking, cycleways, bicycle parking and information booths as you would in other places.

Taxi stands are helpful and can be added as amenity=taxi

Surrounding amenities

Hotels and restaurants, boutiques and cafes, tattoo parlours and medical clinics, add the local amenities around the station. Again, these are no changes to these tags due to proximity to a transportation hub.

Found typos?

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