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Journey by Journey => London to the Cotswolds => Topic started by: IndustryInsider on January 22, 2021, 18:05:05



Title: More accurate train running information on the North Cotswold Line
Post by: IndustryInsider on January 22, 2021, 18:05:05
Anyone who travels along the North Cotswold Line regularly will know that the information screens can sometimes be rather confusing, with trains showing delayed or on-time and then disappearing from the screens long before they arrive.  That was often due to the lack of reports made keeping track of exactly where it was.  Manual reports from signallers en-route meant that they were only entered at a few locations, sometimes there was a delay reporting them, they weren't reported at all, or wrongly.

Now, GPS based reporting has been enabled which should improve things considerably, as reports should now be made at every station and junction en-route.  This also feeds into the various public systems like realtimetrains, nationalrail, and opentraintimes.

Here's a couple of examples from opentraintimes, who handily mark GPS reports with a black arrow.

https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/P66980/2021-01-22
https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/P67909/2021-01-22

It won't be perfect.  Anything delayed waiting access onto the single line sections still won't get reported as late until on the move, and if the GPS system on the train is faulty there will be no reports.  But it should improve things in all other cases.

It's not just the North Cotswold Line, as other places that have relied on manual reports, such as Cornwall and Castle Cary to Dorchester are now also getting GPS reports:

https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/W30150/2021-01-22
https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/P69436/2021-01-22


Title: Re: More accurate train running information on the North Cotswold Line
Post by: TonyN on January 22, 2021, 21:20:45
Even at Melksham.

https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/V10096/2021-01-22 (https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/V10096/2021-01-22)


Title: Re: More accurate train running information on the North Cotswold Line
Post by: grahame on January 22, 2021, 21:33:06
Now, GPS based reporting has been enabled which should improve things considerably, as reports should now be made at every station and junction en-route.  This also feeds into the various public systems like realtimetrains, nationalrail, and opentraintimes.

I note the Melksham example and it may help as the system has been a bi 'off' when it's been guesstimating.

$64,000 question - is the system compatible with the GPS system on buses that are used for rail replacement - it would be really helpful for them to be tracked and reported as "on time" even when they are not.



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