What is the best app for journey notifications?

[freddie1729]

I would like a way to track my future train journeys and be notified of any delays or issues. I used to use the National Rail WhatsApp service which was very good at notifying me but this no longer works.

Are there alternative services that do the same thing?

 

[chunky120717]

I tend to put my journeys into the national rail app and click the "alert me" button which gives me push notifications of any delays to services im due to go on. It's been very accurate from 180 mins before departure time especially when I've had connections to meet.

 

[Horizon22]

There are but they tend to be operator specific. I think the NR app still does this sort of thing, it's a shame the app is otherwise very poor.

 

[AM9]

I would like a way to track my future train journeys and be notified of any delays or issues. I used to use the National Rail WhatsApp service which was very good at notifying me but this no longer works.

Are there alternative services that do the same thing?

If you know where you are going, surely it's more useful to look up the trains that you will be relying on in Real Times Trains. It will give you the latest forecast times as wellas showing the tightness of changes and any alternative opportunitites. I regularly use it for trip planning, checking and re-planning when the original sequence gets too tight or fails. It also gives arrival and departure platforms which are updated if delays cause them to be changed

 

[freddie1729]

If you know where you are going, surely it's more useful to look up the trains that you will be relying on in Real Times Trains. It will give you the latest forecast times as wellas showing the tightness of changes and any alternative opportunitites. I regularly use it for trip planning, checking and re-planning when the original sequence gets too tight or fails. It also gives arrival and departure platforms which are updated if delays cause them to be changed

I usually do that but I would like an alert so I know immediately if there’s a cancellation or a big delay.

 

[kacper]

the LNER app can do this if you import the journey

 

[flitwickbeds]

I usually do that but I would like an alert so I know immediately if there’s a cancellation or a big delay.

The problem is the word "immediately". Should it send an alert the moment it's 1 minute behind schedule passing a signal? That's a lot of alerts for no benefit.

 

[takno]

Be slightly careful what you wish for. LNER sent me 6 text messages in the course of a recent journey, alerting me to absolute nonsense like a 1 minute delay departing, followed by catching up the one minute delay. Ironically all of them had the second leg and first leg mixed up, so they were more confusing than anything.

 

[freddie1729]

Not too worried about a one minute delay. Mainly want any cancellations or delays over 5 mins say.

 

[swaldman]

LNER do it, as others have said. Also the Trainsplit app does send notifications - but it has a habit of doing this about ten minutes too late. e.g. "Your train is on time and will be at platform 4" about 10 minutes after the train has left platform 4

 

[flitwickbeds]

Not too worried about a one minute delay. Mainly want any cancellations or delays over 5 mins say.

First off, 5 minutes is not a "big delay".

A 5 minute delay could easily be mopped up in timetabled dwell time or allowances.

Second, the systems need to actually receive a notification the train is 5 minutes late. If it gets stuck between two reporting points, it won't report that it's now 5 minutes late (or, potentially, now 57 minutes late) until that second reporting point is passed.

You could base the system on expected arrival - eg "if this train expected to hit a reporting point 5 minutes ago, but hasn't yet, then send the alert". However, the reporting point might not be working properly and the train is actually on time. This method is also much more resource intensive - you need a system checking every rain's passage through every reporting point, compare it to the timetable in use at the time, including short notice trains, and do lots of simultaneous calculations before sending the alert.

TLDR - It's very hard to do this in real time to be good and solid enough to be useful to customers.

 

[freddie1729]

First off, 5 minutes is not a "big delay".

A 5 minute delay could easily be mopped up in timetabled dwell time or allowances.

Second, the systems need to actually receive a notification the train is 5 minutes late. If it gets stuck between two reporting points, it won't report that it's now 5 minutes late (or, potentially, now 57 minutes late) until that second reporting point is passed.

You could base the system on expected arrival - eg "if this train expected to hit a reporting point 5 minutes ago, but hasn't yet, then send the alert". However, the reporting point might not be working properly and the train is actually on time. This method is also much more resource intensive - you need a system checking every rain's passage through every reporting point, compare it to the timetable in use at the time, including short notice trains, and do lots of simultaneous calculations before sending the alert.

TLDR - It's very hard to do this in real time to be good and solid enough to be useful to customers.

The system should just use whatever information that journey planners or departure boards use. And whenever there's a change that's significant enough, then the passenger is alerted.

 

[Adam Williams]

it has a habit of doing this about ten minutes too late. e.g. "Your train is on time and will be at platform 4" about 10 minutes after the train has left platform 4

Send Raileasy an email about this and the root cause can be checked

 

[Frontera2]

The Southeastern app and website allows you to set up email or push notification alerts for any journey on the National Rail network - ticket purchase not required!

 

[freddie1729]

The Southeastern app and website allows you to set up email or push notification alerts for any journey on the National Rail network - ticket purchase not required!

Thanks, this is good. Unfortunately, you can only track a regular journey but I suppose a workaround will be to just delete the alert after you've travelled!