Freight Timetables Downloading

[MboroFC]

Similar to how you can download a standard passenger timetable PDF on Network Rail website, can you download a freight one, with all the timetabled weekday freight workings for a specific area? Not sure if these exist or not but please let me know if they do and where I can find them. Thanks.

 

[higthomas]

https://freightmaster.net/ is pretty much what you're after, but it's a paid for service.

The difficulty is that unlike passenger services, freight is irregular so not as simple!

 

[MboroFC]

https://freightmaster.net/ is pretty much what you're after, but it's a paid for service.

The difficulty is that unlike passenger services, freight is irregular so not as simple!

Thanks for your response. I'll look into this

 

[Freightmaster]

https://freightmaster.net/ is pretty much what you're after, but it's a paid for service.

If it helps, I'm happy to offer a 7 day, no obligation free trial during March if anyone is 'on the fence'
about subscribing to Freightmaster subscription and wants to check it out before committing any money...


If anyone wants to take up this free offer, shoot me a PM or email...





MARK

 

[Condor7]

Passenger trains have to run to a strict timetable so the general public can book them with confidence otherwise it would be chaos. Freight doesn’t work like that. Yes there are paths that are reserved for certain freight but even the most regular ones can cancel for a day or so for different reasons or they can be delayed as they usually have to give way for other passenger trains often for quite some long time. To find a freight train running on time as published is not common and these booked paths have to been taken as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Freightmasters tables are the closest thing there is to being certain as Mark keeps them regularly updated but he cannot predict delays or cancellation on the day. Apps such as Real Time Trains will have all the paths (ZZ for freight) for any given day and you can see if a freight train is running or not and whether it is on time or not but you would need to understand which paths are just dormant paths and never run and which are active.

 

[jfollows]

Freight working timetables are included at https://www.networkrail.co.uk/industry-and-commercial/the-timetable/working-timetable/

Realistically, these timetables show allocated freight timetable paths rather than actual guaranteed workings. Many will be “Q” - runs when required.

 

[The Planner]

Passenger trains have to run to a strict timetable so the general public can book them with confidence otherwise it would be chaos. Freight doesn’t work like that. Yes there are paths that are reserved for certain freight but even the most regular ones can cancel for a day or so for different reasons or they can be delayed as they usually have to give way for other passenger trains often for quite some long time. To find a freight train running on time as published is not common and these booked paths have to been taken as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Freightmasters tables are the closest thing there is to being certain as Mark keeps them regularly updated but he cannot predict delays or cancellation on the day. Apps such as Real Time Trains will have all the paths (ZZ for freight) for any given day and you can see if a freight train is running or not and whether it is on time or not but you would need to understand which paths are just dormant paths and never run and which are active.

Err no. All Freight is timetabled the same way as passenger services. Freight companies still need to be able to resource and diagram services as well as terminals being able to accomodate trains for the end customer. Freight is not feral.

 

[Freightmaster]

Freight is not feral.

Maybe not, but it sure feels like it is some days when I'm spending hours trying to
pin down the 'usual' running times/days of particular workings!



MARK

 

[Condor7]

Err no. All Freight is timetabled the same way as passenger services. Freight companies still need to be able to resource and diagram services as well as terminals being able to accomodate trains for the end customer. Freight is not feral.

i think it was just the way I worded it. I was trying to explain that with passengers trains these are, within reason, guaranteed to run. It is not the same with freight timetables with many of the paths timetabled never used or used so intermittently you never know from one day to the next whether they will run or not, even paths activated on the day don’t always run.

 

[Sun Chariot]

i think it was just the way I worded it. I was trying to explain that with passengers trains these are, within reason, guaranteed to run. It is not the same with freight timetables with many of the paths timetabled never used or used so intermittently you never know from one day to the next whether they will run or not, even paths activated on the day don’t always run.

A good example of that, is 6O50 Westbury to Ardingly (near Haywards Heath) aggregates and 6V57 return:
The paths are Mo-Fr on the Working Timetable.
The two paths had been allocated to the Working Timetable since 16th December 2024 but not used until late-April 2025 (a "use it or lose it" working, enabling the two paths' inclusion in the 2025 Summer WTT).
Even so, the service has only run relatively sporadically since the second half of 2025.

 

[MboroFC]

If it helps, I'm happy to offer a 7 day, no obligation free trial during March if anyone is 'on the fence'
about subscribing to Freightmaster subscription and wants to check it out before committing any money...


If anyone wants to take up this free offer, shoot me a PM or email...





MARK

Thanks Mark, that is a great offer. I'll be in touch.