Hi If I look at e.g. node 514362704, which is the Hanoi railway station in Vietnam (see https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/514362704#map=16/21.0234/105.8404), then I get a lot of details like the name, name:zh, landuse, etc etc etc If I look at the same node using overpass turbo, I get none of those details. Please see http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/RK7 Why is there a difference between OSM and overpass turbo for that node? If I try with another station, e.g. Da Nang railway station (node 377702460), then I get in overpass turbo the same details as in OSM. What am I missing here? asked 20 Mar '20, 05:02  miteyema |
One Answer:
Your first link points to a way with ID 514362704 while your Overpass query asks for a node with ID 514362704. These are two completely different objects! Elements in OSM can share the same IDs while still representing different things. IDs are only unique within each element type but not across different element types. answered 20 Mar '20, 07:33  scai ♦ |
Thank you so much for clarifying that for me. My only question left is now: why is a railway station sometimes a node and sometimes a way in OSM?
A node is simpler to add for mappers while a way is more accurate since it describes the extent of the railway station building. Both is correct, however. Many objects in OSM can be described by either a node or a way and sometimes also a relation. See elements for more information.