[Tagging] Rail replacement bus service

[Warin]

On 11/3/23 05:45, stevea wrote:
> On Mar 10, 2023, at 3:04 AM, Martin Koppenhoefer <dieterdreist at gmail.com> wrote:
>> ...they can last for several years.
> In the case of Caltrain, they are an essentially-permanent feature of the train service, as passenger rail shutdowns (anticipated or not) happen "frequently enough" (not the same as "frequently") that these are given their own route-numbering subspace in the structure of the service.  Saying "oh, no, it looks like we'll have to catch a 6-train" (meaning a "bus bridge" because of an accident or some such) is understood among Caltrain riders that a transfer-from-rail-to-bus is about to happen.  They don't last for several years in this case, they are a "feature" of this particular rail service, and I don't think Caltrain is the only train service for whom such a thing is true.
>
> We should map them as a bus route, I would say, but they should be "associate-able" with the train service in an easy way.  (That's what Caltrain does by including these busses as "600-series" trains, when they are not trains, they are busses).  I like "rail_replacement_service=yes" as a good start to identify these.  We can do this.


I agree that the buses that replace 'normally running trains' should 
have some identification.

Aside: the bean counters here have found that buses replacing trains, 
when track maintenance is under taken, are cheaper then running the 
trains. This takes place when traffic (both train and bus) is low ...

The meaning of 'normally running trains' should be up to the locals?