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TRANSIT DEFINITIONS

Here are some commonly used transit terms used in TriMet's data and their definitions

Block A collection of trips assigned to a vehicle for a day. An older term for this is Train, which is still used internally by TriMet.
Direction One of two possible directions of travel --inbound and outbound-- on a route. (Example: Line 17-Holgate is "inbound" to Saratoga & 27th, and "outbound" to Holgate & 134th.)
Location ID The unique number that identifies each bus and MAX stop. Publicly this number is referred to as a StopID.
Pattern A unique travel path through the street network to visit selected stops for one trip.
Route A collection of ordered stops presented publicly as a "line" with a name (such as "17-Holgate") and represented internally as an integer.
Timepoint One of several stops on each route that serves as a benchmark for whether a trip is running on time.
Train An older term for Block, which is still used internally by TriMet. The terms are interchangeable.
Trip An iteration of a vehicle traveling along a given pattern. (Example: Line 17 makes a trip from downtown to Holgate & 134th. Holgate & 134th to downtown would be its next trip.)