NeTEx can usefully be used to provision systems with the reference data needed to support real-time data, such as stops, lines, routes, timetables etc, but is not envisaged as a real-time data protocol. Real-time applications typically need to be optimised to exchange the data very quickly, very efficiently and specific protocols such as CEN SIRI are designed to do this. The NeTEx model can however be used to understand how the real-time data content of SIRI messages relates to the NeTEx & Transmodel models.

NeTEx model includes   additional data elements specifically to support stop and on board real-time systems, for example the headings to show on a vehicle at each stop, the stop announcements etc, that are not needed for simple timetable exchange such as by GTFS.