diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/alt_router/router_url_parser.ts b/modules/angular2/src/alt_router/router_url_parser.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b57662b7c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/alt_router/router_url_parser.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import {UrlSegment, Tree} from './segments';
+import {BaseException} from 'angular2/src/facade/exceptions';
+
+export abstract class RouterUrlParser { abstract parse(url: string): Tree<UrlSegment>; }
+
+export class DefaultRouterUrlParser extends RouterUrlParser {
+  parse(url: string): Tree<UrlSegment> {
+    if (url.length === 0) {
+      throw new BaseException(`Invalid url '${url}'`);
+    }
+    return new Tree<UrlSegment>(this._parseNodes(url));
+  }
+
+  private _parseNodes(url: string): UrlSegment[] {
+    let index = url.indexOf("/", 1);
+    let children: UrlSegment[];
+    let currentUrl;
+    if (index > -1) {
+      children = this._parseNodes(url.substring(index + 1));
+      currentUrl = url.substring(0, index);
+    } else {
+      children = [];
+      currentUrl = url;
+    }
+    return [new UrlSegment(currentUrl, {}, "")].concat(children);
+  }
+}
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diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/alt_router/router_url_parser_spec.ts b/modules/angular2/test/alt_router/router_url_parser_spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b7d0b0398e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/alt_router/router_url_parser_spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import {
+  ComponentFixture,
+  AsyncTestCompleter,
+  TestComponentBuilder,
+  beforeEach,
+  ddescribe,
+  xdescribe,
+  describe,
+  el,
+  expect,
+  iit,
+  inject,
+  beforeEachProviders,
+  it,
+  xit
+} from 'angular2/testing_internal';
+
+import {DefaultRouterUrlParser} from 'angular2/src/alt_router/router_url_parser';
+import {UrlSegment} from 'angular2/src/alt_router/segments';
+
+export function main() {
+  describe('url parsing', () => {
+    let parser = new DefaultRouterUrlParser();
+
+    it('should throw on an empty urls', () => { expect(() => parser.parse("")).toThrow(); });
+
+    it('should parse the root url', () => {
+      let tree = parser.parse("/");
+      expect(tree.root).toEqual(new UrlSegment("/", {}, ""));
+    });
+
+    it('should parse non-empty urls', () => {
+      let tree = parser.parse("one/two/three");
+      expect(tree.root).toEqual(new UrlSegment("one", {}, ""));
+      expect(tree.firstChild(tree.root)).toEqual(new UrlSegment("two", {}, ""));
+      expect(tree.firstChild(tree.firstChild(tree.root))).toEqual(new UrlSegment("three", {}, ""));
+    });
+
+    it('should parse non-empty absolute urls', () => {
+      let tree = parser.parse("/one/two");
+      expect(tree.root).toEqual(new UrlSegment("/one", {}, ""));
+      expect(tree.firstChild(tree.root)).toEqual(new UrlSegment("two", {}, ""));
+    });
+  });
+}
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