How accurate is the data shown on RealTimeTrains?

[fv43576]

For the last 5 weeks, I have checked 1V50 0900 Leeds - Plymouth every Sunday; this is the only train booked to use Kingsbury Junction - Whitacre Junction.

Today I travelled on 1V50 (formed of 43378+43357) from Tamworth at 1053, to Birmingham New Street.

I was expecting to travel via Whitacre Junction but this didn't happen; the train was routed directly to Water Orton.

I am confused that the booked timings on RealTimeTrains shows that my train will go through Whitacre Junction but the info is not accurate. I wonder why that happens?

 

[yorkie]

I have been check the train 1V50 every Sunday for the last 5 weeks to see if the train will cross line between Kingsbury Junction and Whitacre Junction, they did pass the line 5 weeks in a row.

I don't understand.

Today I went on Cross Country Train class 43378+43357 the 10:53am to Birmingham New Street from Tamworth no disputed, no late but it didn't pass Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway

I'm struggling to make sense of this, but this train by no means has to be routed via Coleshill Parkway. The signallers can send it directly to Water Orton.

I have been standstill for 15 mintues just before New Street because arrive too early.

Right...

I am confused when Real Time Trains on my smartphone it shows that I have past Coleshill but 45mins later it change No report Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway.

In general, Realtimetrains gets the open data and displays that.

However it does try to do some extra stuff itself (e.g. show additional places which are not timing points, or try to populate platform numbers etc using predictions), and it can get things wrong.

Am I on wrong type class 43 or it should be class 220/221 or engineering works finished early or maybe I am unlucky?:?

I am struggling to make sense of this, but this train was formed of an HST as booked. Note Realtimetrains does not show booked traction but shows timing loads.

 

[louis97]

I have been check the train 1V50 every Sunday for the last 5 weeks to see if the train will cross line between Kingsbury Junction and Whitacre Junction, they did pass the line 5 weeks in a row. Today I went on Cross Country Train class 43378+43357 the 10:53am to Birmingham New Street from Tamworth no disputed, no late but it didn't pass Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway
I have been standstill for 15 mintues just before New Street because arrive too early.
I am confused when Real Time Trains on my smartphone it shows that I have past Coleshill but 45mins later it change No report Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway.
Am I on wrong type class 43 or it should be class 220/221 or engineering works finished early or maybe I am unlucky?:?

Classic example of just being unlucky. Realtime Trains simply shows what is booked to happen, and what is booked isn't always what happens.

 

[AM9]

I have been check the train 1V50 every Sunday for the last 5 weeks to see if the train will cross line between Kingsbury Junction and Whitacre Junction, they did pass the line 5 weeks in a row. Today I went on Cross Country Train class 43378+43357 the 10:53am to Birmingham New Street from Tamworth no disputed, no late but it didn't pass Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway
I have been standstill for 15 mintues just before New Street because arrive too early.
I am confused when Real Time Trains on my smartphone it shows that I have past Coleshill but 45mins later it change No report Whitacre Junction and Coleshill Parkway.
Am I on wrong type class 43 or it should be class 220/221 or engineering works finished early or maybe I am unlucky?:?

If you are using auto-complete text entry on your phone, please correct if before posting or switch it off altogether when posting on this forum, it is very difficult to decipher what you are asking.
The fact that some waypoints aren't recorded for some trains doesn't mean that RTT is inaccurate. The data feed is from Network Rail's systems which report actual times. Sometimes the data is incomplete.
The rolling stock type/class mentioned at the top of the page is that which the timings are based on, not the type allocated on any particular day, or indeed ever.

 

[Zoidberg]

If you are using auto-complete text entry on your phone, please correct if before posting or switch it off altogether when posting on this forum, it is very difficult to decipher what you are asking.
...

I wonder if, perhaps, the original poster's first language is not English.

 

[CockneySparrow]

I wonder if, perhaps, the original poster's first language is not English.

Think you are spot on with that assumption

 

[fv43576]

I have just only learn how to use realtimetrain.co.uk few months ago, now I can understood it not perfect than what I though.

 

[louis97]

I have just only learn how to use realtimetrain.co.uk few months ago, now I can understood it not perfect than what I though.

I find that a harsh statement given Realtime Trains isn't responsible for changes made to the advertised routes of trains. Whilst it is by no means perfect, Realtime Trains is only displaying the information it is provided with.

 

[fv43576]

Well sorry for sound bit harsh, no more question.

 

[Zoidberg]

Think you are spot on with that assumption

I made that observation in the hope that members might afford him some lee-way. It didn't seem to work.

 

[Condor7]

Classic example of just being unlucky. Realtime Trains simply shows what is booked to happen, and what is booked isn't always what happens.

That is true prior to a train running, but after it has run, it does record what actually happened.

 

[ComUtoR]

In defense of the OP. Realtime trains accurately reflects the data but doesn't accurately reflect what actually happened with the train.

 

[55z]

RTT only reflects data received from Network Rail and as already said trys to do other clever things. Tip look at the delay column to see if a train is running, one of the clever things RTT does is to predict passing times which may not be actually what is happening, ALWAYs look at the delay column to see how early or late a train is running if at all. Also if a train goes of the booked route the RTT system does not pick this info up from Network Rail feeder but can be determined by blanks in the delay column beyond the point where the train goes of route.

 

[louis97]

In defense of the OP. Realtime trains accurately reflects the data but doesn't accurately reflect what actually happened with the train.

Even if Realtime Trains did, I bet it would of been highly likely the OP would still be here saying the same thing!

 

[Zoidberg]

Even if Realtime Trains did, I bet it would of been highly likely the OP would still be here saying the same thing!

It seems that you have not tried to understand the OP's posts.

 

[louis97]

It seems that you have not tried to understand the OP's posts.

The OP's post does not make sense anyway. The way it reads to me is that the booked route was not the route the train took - which of course RTT has no control over. RTT operates based on the schedule of the train, therefore if the train goes off the scheduled route RTT will not have any information for this. With regards to booked route RTT displayed exactly the same information it would of shown had the train not been booked via Coleshill.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

On the subject of RTT's data, how does the platforming work, after a train has actually ran. There are a couple of oddities I've noticed before, let's take Waterloo on the 4th October, 5L17 from Clapham apparently arrived into Waterloo P14, and went out on 2L17 from P11, both are in bold numbers so how does that work? Which one is correct?

There was another one at Carlisle, can't remember what it was now, but basically it came from Whitehaven, or somewhere down that way, and terminated in P2 and went back out from P3?

 

[D6975]

RTT is only as good as the data that gets fed in to it. If someone doesn't amend what's booked to happen to what actually happened, you get anomalies.

As for the Whiteacre line, I've tried to travel over it several times on services booked to go that way, but have yet to actually go that way. Just unlucky I guess. What's really annoying is the fact that I've probably already done it, but years ago I didn't take much notice of the route I took.

 

[louis97]

On the subject of RTT's data, how does the platforming work, after a train has actually ran. There are a couple of oddities I've noticed before, let's take Waterloo on the 4th October, 5L17 from Clapham apparently arrived into Waterloo P14, and went out on 2L17 from P11, both are in bold numbers so how does that work? Which one is correct?

There was another one at Carlisle, can't remember what it was now, but basically it came from Whitehaven, or somewhere down that way, and terminated in P2 and went back out from P3?

The platforming is based on what actually happened with the headcode on a particular train. The examples you described sound like a set swap took place. 5L17 may be booked to form 2L17, but that does not mean it will not be subject to a set swap.

Edit: It would seem 5L17 forms 1L17, not 2L17. That would be why it did not have the same platform as 2L17.

If users actually reported issues we might be able to iron some of them out!

 

[class 9]

For the last 5 weeks, I have checked 1V50 0900 Leeds - Plymouth every Sunday; this is the only train booked to use Kingsbury Junction - Whitacre Junction.

Today I travelled on 1V50 (formed of 43378+43357) from Tamworth at 1053, to Birmingham New Street.

I was expecting to travel via Whitacre Junction but this didn't happen; the train was routed directly to Water Orton.

I am confused that the booked timings on RealTimeTrains shows that my train will go through Whitacre Junction but the info is not accurate. I wonder why that happens?

When working trains on this route, the route via Whitacre Jct is classed as the 'slow' lines, most TOC/FOCs have instructions saying that either this way or main line routes can be taken irrespective of booked route.

 

[Tom]

If users actually reported issues we might be able to iron some of them out!

Oh, no, don't worry, we read every forum and every thread looking for issues. Only would be someone's full time job

 

[prod_pep]

Just out of interest, why does Realtime Trains never show the correct departure platform for Merseyrail trains from Southport? It seems to be able to do it for other termini but not SOP. This isn't a criticism by the way; I really do value RTT as an enthusiast.

The National Rail mobile app does (usually) show the correct SOP departure platforms, which is useful to me on weekends in checking whether the Southport trains are six cars or three, and thus whether or not I actually want to use the train!

 

[louis97]

Just out of interest, why does Realtime Trains never show the correct departure platform for Merseyrail trains from Southport? It seems to be able to do it for other termini but not SOP. This isn't a criticism by the way; I really do value RTT as an enthusiast.

At present RTT only shows the booked departure platform from Southport. This will be fixed in the next release, the data is available. Currently all the movements for departures have no platform information input.

 

[herschell]

I've been using Realtimetrains lately as well and it's been showing that the 06:56 from Hyndland to Cumbernauld has been calling at platform 14 which is the high level of Glasgow Central yet when I asked Scotrail themselves they say it called at platform 16 which is the low level which makes much more sense, who's right?

 

[louis97]

I've been using Realtimetrains lately as well and it's been showing that the 06:56 from Hyndland to Cumbernauld has been calling at platform 14 which is the high level of Glasgow Central yet when I asked Scotrail themselves they say it called at platform 16 which is the low level which makes much more sense, who's right?

Scotrail are. The platforms got renumbered, but Realtime Trains has not been updated. We are aware of this though.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

If you put poo in you get poo out, quite simple really.

I've always found it pretty much spot on and an increasing number of traincrew use it too, to find their trains in times of disruption. I've checked it from the rear cab of a busy train when passing back to depot and it's darn accurate then too.

 

[Crossover]

As a general rule RTT is pretty good, but as someone else said, the data you get out is only as good as the data that goes in. From what I have seen before, one of the railways internal systems has similar limitations in so much as it won't show if a service goes off route, only what it was booked. Where they do go off route, they just get "lost" until it is next seen at a timing point where it is expected

I've always found it pretty much spot on and an increasing number of traincrew use it too, to find their trains in times of disruption. I've checked it from the rear cab of a busy train when passing back to depot and it's darn accurate then too.

It seems quite a few people at TOC's actively use it!

 

[The Planner]

TRUST will show off booked routes, you just have to scroll down to the bottom of the schedule. Some places show up as off booked route even if they are correct, it is just that we dont time at them, Nailsea and Yatton are two examples.

 

[Tom]

It seems quite a few people at TOC's actively use it!

I can genuinely say that I have only ever once seen someone else use it who I don't personally know, and that was on the Fife Circle 68s in mid August. Not sure whether that's indicative of how much attention I pay to anything though

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

RTT is not so good at predicting the future.
Last week I was waiting at Manchester Piccadilly for the Norwich service to Liverpool.
It was some 15 minutes late, so it lost its sequence and meant it would conflict with the CLC stopper from Oxford Road.
Turning this over in my head, I decided to let the EMT go and get the following Airport-Liverpool 319 via Chat Moss instead, which was pretty much to time.
While travelling I kept track of the CLC trains, and predictably the stopper was let out at Oxford Road on time and duly held up the EMT service all the way down the line to Edge Hill.
In the end the 319 overtook the EMT and arrived 15 minutes ahead of it at Lime St.
Meanwhile the RTT feed continually showed an over-optimistic arrival for the EMT service, not correcting for the delay behind the stopper.
I guess it just adds the section running times to "now" to get an arrival time.
It was obvious that once the stopper had been let go at Oxford Road, the EMT was guaranteed to be 30 late at Lime St, having lost another 15 minutes behind it.