get_trip_length: Get trip length

In gtfstools: General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) Editing and Analysing Tools

Get trip length

Description

Returns the length of each specified trip_id, measured either from the first to the last stop of the trip or between each pair of consecutive stops. Lengths can be measured along the trip's shape or as straight lines between stops.

Usage

get_trip_length(
  gtfs,
  trip_id = NULL,
  method = "shapes",
  by = "trip",
  unit = "km",
  sort_sequence,
  file = NULL,
  from = NULL,
  to = NULL
)

Arguments

gtfs	A GTFS object, as created by read_gtfs().
trip_id	A character vector including the trip_ids to have their lengths calculated. If NULL (the default), the function calculates the lengths of every trip_id in the GTFS.
method	A string, either "shapes" (the default) or "euclidean". "shapes" measures lengths along the trip's shape, described in the shapes table, while "euclidean" measures the straight-line (great-circle) distances between consecutive stops. If the GTFS object doesn't have a shapes table, or if its trips table doesn't have a shape_id column, "euclidean" is used instead, with a warning.
by	A string, either "trip" (the default) or "segment". "trip" returns the length from the first to the last stop of each trip, while "segment" returns the length between each pair of consecutive stops.
unit	A string representing the unit in which lengths are desired. Either "km" (the default) or "m".
sort_sequence	Deprecated; do not supply. Timetables and shapes are now always sorted by stop_sequence and shape_pt_sequence. Passing TRUE raises a warning, and passing FALSE raises an error.
file	Deprecated. Use method instead (file = "stop_times" corresponds to method = "euclidean").
from	A string, in the "HH:MM:SS" format. With by = "trip", only trips that depart from their first stop at or after from are included. With by = "segment", only segments that depart from their first stop at or after from are included. If NULL (the default), there is no lower limit.
to	A string, in the "HH:MM:SS" format. Only trips (or segments) that depart from their first stop at or before to are included. If NULL (the default), there is no upper limit.

Value

With by = "trip", a data.table with the trip_id and the length of each trip. With by = "segment", a data.table with the trip_id, the segment number, the from_stop_id and to_stop_id that delimit the segment and its length.

Details

Segments are numbered as in get_trip_segment_duration(), so both outputs can be joined by trip_id and segment. Trips with a single stop have a length of 0.

With method = "shapes", each stop is projected onto the closest point of its trip's shape, with stops advancing along the shape in stop_sequence order, so loops and shapes that pass by the same place more than once are handled. Some limitations remain:

• a stop slightly behind the previous one along the shape (e.g. due to imprecise coordinates) is placed at the previous stop's position, so their segment has a length of 0. On shapes that pass the same place twice in the same direction, such a stop may be matched to the later pass instead;

• on shapes whose outbound and return legs overlap exactly, the stops just before and after the turnaround may be placed at the same position. The trip length is unaffected, but the segment between them gets a length of 0 and the next one is longer.

shape_dist_traveled is ignored. Trips not linked to a shape with at least two distinct points have NA lengths, with a warning. Use get_shape_length() for the length of entire shapes.

Lengths are great-circle (haversine) distances on the sphere used by {s2}. Stops with missing coordinates, or not listed in stops, result in NA lengths for their segments and trips.

from and to are compared with the departure_time of the first stop of each trip (in stop_sequence order) or segment, as written in stop_times, so use times past "24:00:00" for departures after midnight. For trips listed in frequencies, these are template times, not the times of each departure. Trips and segments whose departure is blank are never included when from or to is given.

See Also

get_shape_length(), get_trip_speed(), get_trip_segment_duration()

Examples

data_path <- system.file("extdata/spo_gtfs.zip", package = "gtfstools")
gtfs <- read_gtfs(data_path)

# length along the shape from the first to the last stop of each trip
trip_length <- get_trip_length(gtfs)
head(trip_length)

# length along the shape between consecutive stops
segment_length <- get_trip_length(gtfs, "CPTM L07-0", by = "segment")
head(segment_length)

# straight-line distances between consecutive stops, in meters
straight_length <- get_trip_length(
  gtfs,
  "CPTM L07-0",
  method = "euclidean",
  by = "segment",
  unit = "m"
)
head(straight_length)

gtfstools documentation built on Oct. 28, 2026, 5:13 p.m.