start_and_end_range_out_of_order: range that starts after it ends Error
In frequencies.txt, the start_time of a frequency range is equal to or later than its end_time. What this GTFS error reports and how to correct it.
What this rule means
frequencies.txt describes frequency-based trips rather than fixed times: for a trip_id, a range from start_time to end_time and a headway_secs interval between departures. A range must start before it ends. The GTFS Express catalogue describes the frequencies.txt case: the rule fires when start_time is greater than or equal to end_time. The MobilityData validator uses the same code for date ranges whose start comes after their end, in calendar.txt and feed_info.txt.
Severity: error.
Why it matters
A reversed or empty range produces no departures. The trips the frequency was meant to generate are missing from the timetable, or the consuming tool rejects the row. On a high-frequency line, a whole part of the day often disappears.
Common causes
- A range running past midnight written
22:00:00to01:00:00instead of22:00:00to25:00:00. - The two columns swapped during entry or conversion.
- An end time equal to the start time, when a range was shortened to nothing without being deleted.
- A time mangled by a spreadsheet (see invalid_time).
How to fix it
In frequencies.txt, correct start_time or end_time so that the range starts before it ends. A range that runs past midnight keeps times beyond 24 on the same service day. An empty range that has no purpose left should be deleted. While you are there, check that the ranges of one trip_id do not overlap.
In GTFS Express, each occurrence in the report names the frequencies.txt row concerned. "Fix one by one" opens it in the editor with the field flagged; the correction becomes a retouche in the draft, and "Re-validate" runs the validator again.
Example
trip_id,start_time,end_time,headway_secs
T_EVENING,20:00:00,22:00:00,900
T_NIGHT,22:00:00,01:00:00,1800Fixed:
trip_id,start_time,end_time,headway_secs
T_EVENING,20:00:00,22:00:00,900
T_NIGHT,22:00:00,25:00:00,1800See also the list of validation rules.