Google Maps suggest unrealistic connection times at major interchange station.

[miklcct]

Google Maps suggested that a transfer from Reading east-facing platform to west-facing platform can be done in 1 minute.



The trains shown had 4-minute connection time in the timetable (official minimum connection time is 7 minutes), but the incoming train was delayed by 3 minutes, opening the door at 16:11:00. I just ended up barely making the train at the moment the guard closed the door at about 16:12:10.

In my opinion, a 1-minute connection for this specific platform combination is completely unrealistic, even 3 minutes is pushing the limit. How does Google come up with the idea that it can be made in 1 minute?

 

[[.n]]

Google Maps suggested that a transfer from Reading east-facing platform to west-facing platform can be done in 1 minute.

In my opinion, a 1-minute connection for this specific platform combination is completely unrealistic, even 3 minutes is pushing the limit. How does Google come up with the idea that it can be made in 1 minute?

More to the point - why did you come up with the idea the Google was an appropriate railway journey planning app?

 

[30907]

You were lucky to make a sub-7-minute connection, though (barring cross-platform ones) you chose the shortest. At least you didn't (I assume) actually believe Google?

Google has its limitations. I've noticed before that it can be unrealistic with public transport, but I find it very useful in many respects.
Oddly, given your example, it won't offer me a 2-min connection across the car park at Shipley (which is no further, and I managed the other day).

 

[miklcct]

More to the point - why did you come up with the idea the Google was an appropriate railway journey planning app?

Google and Traveline are the only truly multi-modal public transport planners that I have found which works across the whole of UK without arbitrarily-drawn region boundaries. However, Traveline app is very slow, taking half a minute for a query, so I mainly use Google nowadays.

 

[cactustwirly]

You were lucky to make a sub-7-minute connection, though (barring cross-platform ones) you chose the shortest. At least you didn't (I assume) actually believe Google?

Google has its limitations. I've noticed before that it can be unrealistic with public transport, but I find it very useful in many respects.
Oddly, given your example, it won't offer me a 2-min connection across the car park at Shipley (which is no further, and I managed the other day).

It's relatively easy to make a sub 7 minute connection at Reading unless you're going from platform 4 to 15, or you're very slow

 

[miklcct]

You were lucky to make a sub-7-minute connection, though (barring cross-platform ones) you chose the shortest. At least you didn't (I assume) actually believe Google?

The other suggestion given was changing at Guildford and Woking with a 3-minute connection at Woking from platform 5 to platform 4, arriving on the same train I took to Bournemouth. The train to Guildford didn't stop at Farnborough North. I haven't checked ticket validity on this route (Blackwater to Winchester any permitted) so I wasn't sure if my ticket could be used in this way, and the tight connection at Woking meant there was no advantage compared to the obvious Reading connection.

When I manually worked out the timetable, there were no legal connections I could take to achieve the same time which Google suggested. However, there were 2 possible ways involving tight connections, ending up on the same train to Poole:
- follow Google's suggestion to take a 4-minute connection at Reading from East facing platform to West facing platform into an SWR train towards Salisbury, and transfer to a Poole train at Basingstoke.
- wait for another half an hour to take a southbound train which would call at Farnborough North, and take a tight connection (22 minutes) between Farnborough North and Farnborough (Main) to transfer to the Poole train.

So I actually believed Google, having to choose 1 of the 2 tight connections available to get home the earliest. (Missing the tight connection on either choice will lead me being on the following Weymouth train, therefore the only criteria is the chance of missing a 4-minute Reading connection compared missing a 22-minute out of station interchange between Farnborough stations. I didn't have enough information to judge the risk involved as I had never been to Farnborough North before.)

 

[_toommm_]

Google and Traveline are the only truly multi-modal public transport planners that I have found which works across the whole of UK without arbitrarily-drawn region boundaries. However, Traveline app is very slow, taking half a minute for a query, so I mainly use Google nowadays.

I would very highly recommend avoiding Google Maps since March 2020 (i.e. since the abundance of temporary timetables). It is very slow to receive updated timetables for public transport, and I would take it with a large pinch of salt. When I've tried to use it, it tells me to use buses and trains that simply don't exist anymore, and I've seen it recommend trains, to people who then subsequently complain on Twitter, even though these trains haven't ran for months.

 

[Dai Corner]

I'd contact Google Maps and tell them about the published minimum connection times. The worst that can happen is that they ignore you, but they might take notice and improve their journey planning to the benefit of all who use it.

 

[miklcct]

I would very highly recommend avoiding Google Maps since March 2020 (i.e. since the abundance of temporary timetables). It is very slow to receive updated timetables for public transport, and I would take it with a large pinch of salt. When I've tried to use it, it tells me to use buses and trains that simply don't exist anymore, and I've seen it recommend trains, to people who then subsequently complain on Twitter, even though these trains haven't ran for months.

Do you have any suggested multi-modal planner that I can use across the whole UK? Another limitation on Google is that it doesn't seem to support airlines with its public transport directions yet, do you know one which does that as well?

 

[_toommm_]

Do you have any suggested multi-modal planner that I can use across the whole UK? Another limitation on Google is that it doesn't seem to support airlines with its public transport directions yet, do you know one which does that as well?

I just tend to plan it separately. I used to use Moovit too pre-pandemic, although I'm not sure if that suffers from the same problem as Google Maps.

 

[miklcct]

I just tend to plan it separately. I used to use Moovit too pre-pandemic, although I'm not sure if that suffers from the same problem as Google Maps.

I have tried Citymapper and Moovit in the past. Both suffer the same problem not able to plan a route across regions (such as Bournemouth to South London).

Moovit has another problem of trying to get me onto circuitous routes where walking to another stop down the bus line can save me 10 minutes, possibly catching an earlier depature. Citymapper does not have this problem instead, but the data is less complete than Moovit and the coverage areas are less than Moovit (e.g. Citymapper doesn't work in Barnham but Moovit works).

What do you mean by planning it separately? For example, even a journey as short as Bournemouth to Southampton isn't supported in Moovit, as it has crossed the arbitrarily-defined region boundary, the former being in South West and the latter being in London and South East. And it isn't always obvious how can I plan it separately, when there is a choice between different transport modes to get across regions. For example, to get to somewhere in Southampton, I may consider taking a train to Southampton Central, or taking a train to Southampton Airport, or taking a coach to Southampton University, etc., first.

 

[Lewlew]

I find that Google Maps is very good to get an idea of a route to take, it often suggests something that I never would have thought of. I've used it all over the world and had no major problems.

However, I would then go and check with the operator to make sure specific buses or trains are running, especially in covid times. Except for any sort of metro service like the tube or Paris metro, then I just follow Google Maps and keep an eye out on the service status for any changes.

 

[Non Multi]

Do you have any suggested multi-modal planner that I can use across the whole UK? Another limitation on Google is that it doesn't seem to support airlines with its public transport directions yet, do you know one which does that as well?

Rome2Rio does flights, but as with any commercial affiliate site, don't expect the first suggestions to be the cheapest, or most sensible route. Firms have paid to be at the top of your list (e.g. Uber, Bolt on Google Maps), so take it as a suggested route and nothing more.

I look at maps, timetables and planner suggestions so I can compile my own journeys. This is often cheaper, gives me flexibility, and time to have meals somewhere nice along the way.

We did have a decent travel planner funded by central government [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Direct_Portal], but politicians and civil servants knew better and killed it off.

 

[bspahh]

Rome2Rio does flights, but as with any commercial affiliate site, don't expect the first suggestions to be the cheapest, or most sensible route. Firms have paid to be at the top of your list (e.g. Uber, Bolt on Google Maps), so take it as a suggested route and nothing more.

I look at maps, timetables and planner suggestions so I can compile my own journeys. This is often cheaper, gives me flexibility, and time to have meals somewhere nice along the way.

Rome2Rio is good for ideas about possible routes, but I don't use it as a planner. WikiVoyage is good for advice on things like public transport links from a city to its local airport, with practical detail like how to buy tickets (eg cash, contactless, by phone app or from a kiosk for places like Sweden).

 

[30907]

Traveline https://www.traveline.info/ isn't IMO the easiest to use but is pretty comprehensive and seems accurate (covid caveat applies) on public transport.