teilstrecke

Teilstrecke (plural: Teilstrecken) is a German term used to denote a portion of a Strecke (route or distance) lying between two endpoints along a continuous path. The concept is widely used in geometry, transportation planning, and network analysis to isolate a specific portion of a longer path for measurement, analysis, or pricing.

In geometry, a Teilstrecke denotes a subsegment of a line or curve. If AB is a line segment, then any segment XY with X and Y on AB is a Teilstrecke of AB, and its length equals the distance between X and Y. In more general terms, Teilstrecken are bounded by endpoints, and their length is derived from the metric defined on the path.

In transport, logistics and timetable planning, Teilstrecken refer to individual legs of a journey or route. A trip from origin O to destination D via intermediate stops is typically decomposed into Teilstrecken such as O–S1, S1–S2, S2–D. Teilstrecken are used for fare calculation, travel time estimation, infrastructure capacity planning, and performance analysis. They may align with road segments, rail sections, or bus legs in a network.

The term emphasizes the portion of a route between two endpoints, rather than the whole route. It is often used alongside synonyms such as Abschnitt or Segment, depending on context, with Teilstrecke underscoring the continuous path between endpoints.