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trainradar.com?

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Requeststop

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I recently came across flightradar24.com which shows a limited number of live flight tracking from around the world. It's a map showing the flight progress of aircraft and when you click on a flight you get details of the flight, aircraft type, destination, height,spped etc., and on the map you can see the flight trail. Does anyone know if there is something similar for UK rail? I'd have hours of fun watching the progress of trains around the country on my computer screen.
 
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starrymarkb

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I recently came across flightradar24.com which shows a limited number of live flight tracking from around the world. It's a map showing the flight progress of aircraft and when you click on a flight you get details of the flight, aircraft type, destination, height,spped etc., and on the map you can see the flight trail. Does anyone know if there is something similar for UK rail? I'd have hours of fun watching the progress of trains around the country on my computer screen.

Nope and it's not possible in the way Flightradar is. All commercial and most private aircraft have a transponder which transmits certain information to the ground. Smaller aircraft will transmit a 4 digit code assigned by ATC and their altitude, but larger aircraft with Mode-S transponders will transmit their position, registration, ICAO callsign, heading, speed and altitude. Amateur receivers can pick up this data and plot the aircraft on a map. The IATA flight number, origin and destination are not broadcast. Flightradar matches these manually (hence why you sometimes see a Madrid to Dublin flight leaving Glasgow as the flight's ICAO callsign has changed)

Trains are tracked by the infrastructure and it isn't possible to 'intercept' this tracking data
 

route:oxford

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Only way to do it would be for someone to write an Iphone (or Android) App for enthusiasts and willing train crew.

Then remember to input their train-code as they board or alight from a service...
 

lincolnshire

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There is one called AIS Ships that must be similar to the aircraft one, which shows up where the ships are and where they are going etc. This too is very interesting as it differentiate between the type of ships etc by colour and will also show speed and destination and route.
These to work off the transponders fitted on board ships, as yet trains are not fitted with them ( or are they?) , yes it would be good to see where the train is etc.
One day we might have it fitted and able to pin point the train.
 

WatcherZero

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Kind of realtime, it knows when the train leaves the station and guesttimates its position based on travel time propotionally before its timetabled to arrive at the next station. E.g. if its travelling 4km in 6 minutes and left the station 3 minutes ago then it assumes it must be 2km along.
 

ole man

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I just watched it the 1s15 was going 8.9mph at Berwick, then 126.6 just north then slowed right down to 69.2 mph, how accurate is it? and how do it work?.And why did slow down that much?
 

Poggs

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The data behind this is not yet available, and publication of it is not permitted. However, I can assure you there are many of us looking at how we'll handle this once it is.

Less of the mystery please, Ian!

The TRUST and TD data (but not the geography data - I am building that by hand) behind this is being released by Network Rail and is currently in closed beta.

Give it a month or so.
 

Karl

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Can't be a 91, it's currently about 2 miles south of Perth.

That's interesting and makes a change. I've never seen a signal from north of Edinburgh. I've seen signals from Skipton, Hull and Lincoln, but never anything from across the Forth.
 
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