Line colors not clear / Multiple sources

[oneiricbotcelot]

I am trying to add different lines in Baden-Württemberg, but it's not that easy as there often are multiple opposing sources for line colors.

There is a rather complete map from bwegt, which has colors for most of the regional lines, but in many cases these are not the same colors as communicated by local transport networks and/or operators.

If a line operates in a local transport network/"Verkehrsverbund", the network's line color shall be preferred. If a single line operates in multiple transport networks, the color communicated by the operator shall be preferred.

So what about the map from bwegt? Is this a valid source, too? And if yes, what about its precedence? I am struggling to find the correct way to handle these cases.

Some examples:

• IRE 200 (Wendlingen-Ulm) has different colors according to its operator, DB Regio Baden-Württemberg and the above mentioned map from bwegt.
• the lines RB 46, RB 47, RB 61 and RB 65 from WEG do not have any colors assigned from either the operator nor the local transport network VVS. In the map from bwegt they have colors.
• the S-Bahn services around Freiburg im Breisgau are operated by DB Regio Baden-Württemberg for S 1, S 10 and S 11 and by SWEG for S 2, S 3 and S 5. All lines except for S 10 are operating in a single local transport network: RVF. All lines are also present and colored differently in the map from bwegt.

[oneiricbotcelot]

Any opinions or advice on this?

[oneiricbotcelot]

Similar to the map from bwegt for Baden-Württemberg, there is a map for Bayern from Bahnland Bayern.

Both maps are updated for 2024. Many lines in the border area between both federal states are present in both maps and from the eye test I can say they have the same color.

I'll probably start adding all missing regional lines from Baden-Württemberg and Bayern over the next few weeks accoring to both sources.

[vainamov]

And if yes, what about its precedence?

I would argue, that the color that is the most present has the highest chance of being recognizable. Therefore I would say we should prefer the colors used on signage or found in the plans and maps in the stations and vehicles etc.

[jheubuch]

What @vainamov says. If multiple colors are available over multiple sources (e.g. if line is operated in mutiple local transport networks), the color used by the operator have precedence.

The state maps as from bwegt and the BEG (Bahnland Bayern) are often using any colors which are not displayed in the whole wide world on the trains but just in their maps. I wouldn't consider those big maps as valid sources.

[techtoto]

I have a similar problem, currently at the RMV region. There are several lines that leave the RMV region, but a color communicated by the operator either not exists or is nowhere displayed in the real world. In such a case, I would suggest to use the color from the transport network where the line mostly operates in. What are your opinions on that?

For example, in NRW, the colors from the state-wide transit map were used. Further, the RE99 (Siegen - Frankfurt) only operates for 3 stops in NRW and then enters the RMV region for all other stops, but this line color has been set to the green of the NRW transit map: https://github.com/Traewelling/line-colors/blob/73e0bf371021d81b754c2c9d7d68ae165635ed9b/line-colors.csv#L315