A service point is a geographical or virtual place which is used for an administrative, operational, commercial or technical purpose and belongs to a public transport company (as described in UIC Leaflet 920-2 in the section entitled “Railway office”).
Technical description
The term “service point” has arisen as a generalisation for an operating point (stop). Operating points are the main service points and are located next to public transport rails or lines or are closely associated with the operation of a public transport company. Secondary service points also have a function in public transport, but they are not operating points because they are either not directly linked to the public transport lines, e.g. travel agencies, administration offices, tourist organisations, or they are not at a fixed location, e.g. mobile teams. Individually operating units at a large station can also be secondary service points. They are administered using service point documentation. The number of service points is the largest in the service point hierarchy. This hierarchy is split at the top level into primary service points (= general operating points) and secondary service points. The general operating points are, in turn, split into operating points with a timetable and operating points without a timetable. Operating points with a timetable are differentiated as transport points and technical timetable points. These travel points are relevant in terms of customer information as customers are informed about them. If they concern freight services, they are referred to as loading points, and if they relate to passenger services they are referred to as stops. There are transport points used for both options.