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I would pay to have a live view of trains that would integrate with google maps to choose my route to work so I can avoid a 20min wait while the cargo train doe

I would pay to have a live view of trains that would integrate with google maps to choose my route to work so I can avoid a 20min wait while the cargo train does its thing.

dutchmartin 5y ago
In the Netherlands we can see the location of every passenger train since the train company just has a public api. Here is a map: https://spoorkaart.mwnn.nl/ https://spoorkaart.mwnn.nl/
reaperducer 5y ago
I would, too. This data exists in many cities. It's what powers the "Next train/bus in xx minutes" signs. But somehow it doesn't make its way into live view applications. At least not in any of the cities in which I've lived. I'm sure it's complicated for the map companies because America is a big place and can't be covered by one simple rail or bus company. There are hundreds of public and private transit companies in America. But it would be nice if it would start appearing in some cities. Heck, even Amtrak would be nice to see on Apple Maps, instead of having to use Amtrak's own live train viewer: https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html Are there any transit agencies with live train/bus views integrated into Apple or Google maps, and I've just lived in the wrong cities?
- frxx 5y ago
  Google Maps supports this. It's visible for instance on some lines in Tokyo.
- culopatin 5y ago
  I wonder if they are afraid of hijacking’s if they make the cargo train info public. The passenger trains don’t bother me much because they are short and quick, it’s the cargo ones that go through in rush hour
jonp888 5y ago
In Britain you can even see if the dispatcher has turned the signal green for your train: https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/crewe https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/crewe Unfortunately, this is very much the exception. In general railway operators are extremely hostile to sharing any of the (usually very accurate) internal data they have about train movements, and perfer to stick with simple "Your train will arrive in x minutes" predictions. This sometimes gets a bit absurd: In Germany the unions are officially against any open data sharing, for some reason(I think it's to do with making it easier for passengers to get cheaper tickets). In Britain the freight train companies argue that information about their trains should stay secret because there is no public interest in it, and it is a competitive disadvantage if their competitors know where trains they run go.

I would pay to have a live view of trains that would integrate with google maps to choose my route to work so I can avoid a 20min wait while the cargo train does its thing.

dutchmartin 5y ago

In the Netherlands we can see the location of every passenger train since the train company just has a public api. Here is a map: https://spoorkaart.mwnn.nl/ https://spoorkaart.mwnn.nl/

reaperducer 5y ago

I would, too. This data exists in many cities. It's what powers the "Next train/bus in xx minutes" signs. But somehow it doesn't make its way into live view applications. At least not in any of the cities in which I've lived. I'm sure it's complicated for the map companies because America is a big place and can't be covered by one simple rail or bus company. There are hundreds of public and private transit companies in America. But it would be nice if it would start appearing in some cities. Heck, even Amtrak would be nice to see on Apple Maps, instead of having to use Amtrak's own live train viewer: https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html https://www.amtrak.com/track-your-train.html Are there any transit agencies with live train/bus views integrated into Apple or Google maps, and I've just lived in the wrong cities?

frxx 5y ago
Google Maps supports this. It's visible for instance on some lines in Tokyo.
culopatin 5y ago
I wonder if they are afraid of hijacking’s if they make the cargo train info public. The passenger trains don’t bother me much because they are short and quick, it’s the cargo ones that go through in rush hour

jonp888 5y ago

In Britain you can even see if the dispatcher has turned the signal green for your train: https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/crewe https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/crewe Unfortunately, this is very much the exception. In general railway operators are extremely hostile to sharing any of the (usually very accurate) internal data they have about train movements, and perfer to stick with simple "Your train will arrive in x minutes" predictions. This sometimes gets a bit absurd: In Germany the unions are officially against any open data sharing, for some reason(I think it's to do with making it easier for passengers to get cheaper tickets). In Britain the freight train companies argue that information about their trains should stay secret because there is no public interest in it, and it is a competitive disadvantage if their competitors know where trains they run go.