Real-time data to come to rail

Train imageWe’ll soon be able to see whether our train is on time.

I absolutely love being able to see whether a bus I’m trying to catch is on time. So the news that Transport for NSW is releasing real-time data for trains is welcome. Given the information displayed at train stations this is perhaps less useful than the bus information, but it’s still something we should have.

Developers will be given their first look at the data in mid-February and, everything else being equal, we can only assume that it would be added to the existing apps soon after that.

TripView in particular has done a nice job of displaying real-time bus information. However I never cease to be amazed that Transport for NSW’s own 131500 service does not display this information.

I still use the 131500 website and app as my first point of call when I’m not looking at a specific bus number and real-time information would make all the difference. The problem is that TripView shows specific routes, rather than all the ways I can get from where I am to my home right now. Also TripView does not show school buses, which I need for my children. So what I end up doing, often, is looking up the next bus information on 131500 and then swapping to TripView to see if the bus I want is on time. Ultimately, I know its early days, but there’s room for improvement.

Anyway, real-time train information is another positive step.

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