Extract text from TEL files
To convert your TEL file to another format, you need HaslerRail Teloc or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Telemetry Logs" file type, you need software like HaslerRail Teloc or a similar tool.
The .TEL file extension is a classic example of a "filename collision," where multiple disparate industries use the same three letters for completely different data types. The most prevalent use (approx. 20%) is for HaslerRail Teloc event recorder data. These are essentially "black box" files for trains, recording critical telemetry like speed, distance, and brake applications in a proprietary binary format. Another significant user is S-FRAME, a structural analysis suite (now part of Bentley Systems), which uses .TEL to store structural model definitions. Less commonly, you may encounter these files as legacy SIM card backups containing phonebook data, or telemetry logs from FlightGear.
The key problem for .TEL files is their opacity and proprietary lock-in. A HaslerRail file is unreadable without the specific TELOC evaluation software, making it difficult for third-party auditors or data analysts to review the logs without purchasing expensive licensing. Similarly, legacy SIM backups often leave users with contact lists trapped on old hard drives that modern smartphones cannot read. S-FRAME models can also be problematic if you are trying to share geometry with an architect using AutoCAD or Revit.
For conversion, the target format depends entirely on the file's origin.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TEL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted TFT, MLF and AT2 files.
If you want to convert TEL file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use HaslerRail Teloc or similar software from the "Transport Telemetry Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to TEL, try HaslerRail Teloc or another comparable tool in the "Transport Telemetry Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our TEL converter.