The referential NeTEx profile derives from the European Passenger Information Profile (EPIP) described in:
EPIP draws significant attention from developers of software solutions in the field of public transport. Typical use cases of the EPIP include:
- Use in Journey Planners,
- Data exchange related to stops and their equipment,
- Exchange of timetable management data,
- Exchange of information on public transport operators,
- Visualisation of the public transport network.
In its current version, EPIP is a subset of the full NeTEx schema, adapted from a subset of two parts, namely:
- SIST-TS CEN/TS 16614-1:2020 Public transport - Network and Timetable Exchange (NeTEx) -Part 1: Public transport network topology exchange format,
- SIST-TS CEN/TS 16614-2:2020 Public transport - Network and Timetable Exchange (NeTEx) -Part 2: Public transport scheduled timetables exchange format.
NeTEx also comprises:
- SIST-TS CEN/TS 16614-3:2020 Public transport - Network and Timetable Exchange (NeTEx) - Part 3: Public transport fares exchange format,
- SIST-TS CEN/TS 16614-4:2020 Public transport - Network and Timetable Exchange (NeTEx) - Part 4: Passenger Information European Profile,
- CEN/TS 16614-5:2022 Public transport - Network and timetable exchange (NeTEx) - Part 5: Alternative modes exchange format,
- kSIS-TSFprCEN/TS 16614-6:2024 Public Transport - Network and Scheduled Data Exchange (NeTEx) - Part 6: European Passenger Information Accessibility Profile.
EPIP represents the agreed minimum concepts and data structures (classes and attributes) for the exchange of public transport data between countries (EU). EPIP includes all known forms of public transport (air, bus, trolley bus, tram, coach, rail, intercity rail, urban rail, metro, water, ferry, cableway, funicular, lift, snow and ice, taxi, self-drive). In addition to the most common modes of public transport, alternative modes of transport (foot, bicycle, motorcycle, car, shuttle) are also supported given their relevance to public transport. NeTEx also considers several types of stops (on street bus, on street tram, airport, rail station, metro station, bus station, coach station, tram station, harbour port, ferry port, ferry stop, lift station, vehicle rail interchange, taxi rank). EPIP partially incorporates the concept of ticket defined in Part 3: Public transport fares exchange format. Descriptions of tickets can be included in an EPIP-based data exchange, however, it should be expected that, with time, there will be a need to align with the complementary and separated European ticket profile. Additionally, an extension of the EPIP with the European Passenger Information Accessibility Profile, is expected. These extensions relate to new technical specification documents and XML schema definition (XSD). Due to the modularity of the XSD, these extensions will not disrupt existing EPIP-compliant documents, requiring only their expansion with references to new schemas and additional XML elements.
The basic concepts for EPIP are described in the data dictionary found in Appendix A of Part 4: Passenger Information European Profile. These concepts are conventionally used for exchange under EPIP.
In Slovenia, an exchange document is a physical record of Integrated Public Passenger Transport (IJPP) data in XML format, compliant with NeTEx XSD schemas. The initial XSD schema is NeTEx_publication.xsd.