RIP old National Rail app

[gerjomarty]

Yes, it had been updated to it's new version for a while now, being less information dense, slower, more fiddly, requiring more clicks/presses and basically just being a wrapper on the website.

But those of us who kept the old version on Android and blocked updates had a grand old time for the last year or so.

It felt old, but it was quick, and it did one thing well - checking departures and arrivals.

Being on the developer list I'd been getting emails about the Darwin Evolution project for a while, and as of Tuesday 11th August it has finally gone live.

Worst fears have been realised. The project has broken the old app completely. It was living on borrowed time anyway, but that is sadly now up.

So long, and thanks for all the good times.



Attached images show screenshots of the OG National Rail Android app Live Trains tab, with the second image showing an error message after pressing Go to fetch departure times.

 

[OliverH68]

So, what's the next best Android alternative now then? I refuse to use the latest NRE app.

 

[rmHawk765]

So, what's the next best Android alternative now then? I refuse to use the latest NRE app.

I just use RTT, it's not an app but it works far better than the NR app. I do have the new NR app but for the express purpose of checking disruption information.

 

[Daniel Storey]

GWR’s own app is very good for live departures. I like the poster above refuse to use the NRE app.

 

[WestAnglian]

What's the complaint? The first screen you see is the live trains screen and you just add the name/code of your station and then a single click. I don't see how it could be made easier.

 

[rmHawk765]

What's the complaint? The first screen you see is the live trains screen and you just add the name/code of your station and then a single click. I don't see how it could be made easier.

It is some sort of web-based thing so it is often incredibly buggy and slow, that's the issue.

 

[rocket1615]

I was hoping it was just a temporary outage but I guess not

Has anyone who has now updated had any success with restoring the ad-free version? Mine is not allowing me to.

 

[MrJeeves]

So, what's the next best Android alternative now then? I refuse to use the latest NRE app.

Biased, but the TrainSplit app offers live departures and arrivals info, along with train formations and coach images courtesy of RTT.

 

[Tom]

I just use RTT, it's not an app but it works far better than the NR app.

RTT has Android and iOS apps.

 

[JaJaWa]

RTT has Android and iOS apps.

Indeed

Realtime Trains - Apps on Google Play

RTT: Live GB train information

play.google.com

Realtime Trains App - App Store

Download Realtime Trains by Swlines Ltd on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews, user tips and more games like Realtime Trains.

apps.apple.com

 

[craig2]

Many thanks for sharing this. I did think there was an issue with my phone when it wouldn't load yesterday. I've made sure I've not updated the NR app to v10 and above as I liked the look and feel of the old app, even when I've switched phones.

I did download Railchecker (android version) a while back, which works very well. The only issue I have is that you have to swipe up and clear to exit the app, you can't simply press back to come out of it. I would have paid for the full version, but would prefer a one off payment option instead of monthly payments.

Didn't realise that RTT had an app, so have downloaded it and will see how I get on with that.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

So, what's the next best Android alternative now then? I refuse to use the latest NRE app.

I generally don't bother with specific apps, I generally use https://trains.gaelan.me/ or the TOC's journeycheck if they have one for Darwin data, with RTT used the most since it's just far more useful than any Darwin source

 

[Bungle965]

Biased, but the TrainSplit app offers live departures and arrivals info, along with train formations and coach images courtesy of RTT.

Seconded! Can the same be done for IOS also?

 

[MrJeeves]

Seconded! Can the same be done for IOS also?

It's got it too now!

 

[Hophead]

Not the only change today: I've long used live departure boards.co.uk for station train times, but this has stopped working today (might be due in part to being http). I liked the interface, as it gave arrival and departure times, or reason for cancellation if known, in an easy to read format.

Today , if I go past the warning, I find myself at National Rail.

Sample abandoned URL: https://www.livedepartureboards.co.uk/southeastern/summary.aspx?T=PAD

 

[rmHawk765]

RTT has Android and iOS apps.

I was blissfully unaware until now...

 

[boiledbeans2]

GWR’s own app is very good for live departures. I like the poster above refuse to use the NRE app.

SWR's is slightly superior. SWR has a countdown in mins until each train arrives.

I think the countdown used to be on GWR's app as well (since they are/were both FirstGroup), but updates have messed up the apps. SWR's app couldn't remember the last searches (but GWR did) until the most recent update.

 

[MrJeeves]

Not the only change today: I've long used live departure boards.co.uk for station train times, but this has stopped working today (might be due in part to being http).

I believe this was intentionally decommissioned as part of the industry "Darwin Evolution" project.

 

[Hophead]

I believe this was intentionally decommissioned as part of the industry "Darwin Evolution" project.

Thanks for the update. Shame - it was a useful page which told me all I needed to know at a glance.

 

[J.C.]

I was hoping it was just a temporary outage but I guess not

Has anyone who has now updated had any success with restoring the ad-free version? Mine is not allowing me to.

I've been able to restore the ad-free version without any problems.
Sorry to see the old app go though.

 

[paul332]

Likewise, couldn't beat the old NR app for instant view of rail health and view of favourite stations with indications of disruption, simple presentation optimal for smartphones, and good navigation. RIP indeed, sorely missed.

As for the others, the RTT app is good on the face of it but bizarrely seems unreliable on cancelled services, missing a few near future ones that are shown as cancelled on Trainsplit and NR. So not fit for this use imo.

GWR and SWR have nice presentations but no previous or next, so no good.

That leaves Trainsplit. Presentation is pretty good though a bit screen-wasting, previous and next good. However there's a big but at the moment – the full two hours' worth is not displayed where services are frequent, and selecting next skips two hours, so some services are missed. You then have to select previous, and results are confusing. I have raised this as a bug, although of course their priorities are selling tickets so I'm not holding my breath. Although having just discovered Trainsplit, it does look good for buying tickets!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

bizarrely seems unreliable on cancelled services, missing a few near future ones that are shown as cancelled on Trainsplit and NR.

Different data source, which is one of RTTs key advantages but in this case it is a negative since it misses out on some cancellations and manually entered delays since they are done in the main information system "Darwin".

 

[Tom]

Different data source, which is one of RTTs key advantages but in this case it is a negative since it misses out on some cancellations and manually entered delays since they are done in the main information system "Darwin".

Today there's a high number of trains going the other way too. There have been a number of trains cancelled in TRUST today long before they got cancelled in Darwin. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[dave59]

realtime.nationalrail.co.uk/virgintrains/summary.aspx?T=YRK

Gone in favour of a slower much more cumbersome interface which cannot be bookmarked to show specific a station. Previously showed arrivals, departures and delay reasons.

 

[MrJeeves]

the full two hours' worth is not displayed where services are frequent, and selecting next skips two hours, so some services are missed.

As far as I can see, something has broken here recently, and all I can think of (without checking!) is Darwin Evolution has changed something with the departure board service we use.

It is on my list to look at today, after you emailed us.

 

[py_megapixel]

realtime.nationalrail.co.uk/virgintrains/summary.aspx?T=YRK

Gone in favour of a slower much more cumbersome interface which cannot be bookmarked to show specific a station. Previously showed arrivals, departures and delay reasons.

The UI may now be slow and clunky but you can at least still bookmark it: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/york/

Why the URL contains the station name rather than the code as before, I have no idea.

It is quite poor that the redirects go to the generic "live trains" page. If they have a well-architected system, I wouldn't expect setting up a redirect to the page for the correct station to be a particularly complicated job. It doesn't even provide a "sorry, please re-enter your station" sort of message.

 

[infobleep]

The old NRE app still allows one to undertake train planning.

I am not sure what the new app offers over the website, but I have just installed the TrainSplit app, unaware it did live deaptures. I use to have thr TatinSplot app but it wasn't as good as the website, so I installed it.

I also couldn't find anything in this forum over what benefits the Darwin Evolution project is bringing.

 

[gerjomarty]

Likewise, couldn't beat the old NR app for instant view of rail health and view of favourite stations with indications of disruption, simple presentation optimal for smartphones, and good navigation. RIP indeed, sorely missed.

As for the others, the RTT app is good on the face of it but bizarrely seems unreliable on cancelled services, missing a few near future ones that are shown as cancelled on Trainsplit and NR. So not fit for this use imo.

GWR and SWR have nice presentations but no previous or next, so no good.

That leaves Trainsplit. Presentation is pretty good though a bit screen-wasting, previous and next good. However there's a big but at the moment – the full two hours' worth is not displayed where services are frequent, and selecting next skips two hours, so some services are missed. You then have to select previous, and results are confusing. I have raised this as a bug, although of course their priorities are selling tickets so I'm not holding my breath. Although having just discovered Trainsplit, it does look good for buying tickets!

Yes, exactly. My flow used to be scrubbing back through previous departures that day to my destination to check if any had been delayed or cancelled down the line. Given that Darwin is what all of the public facing data on the railway uses, I am always much more confident in relying on it. Especially it's little "Delayed" tag showing a train has stopped unexpectedly somewhere, and for those times when staff manually override a Darwin-suggested departure time to show what will actually happen.

Of course RTT also has its uses, but as I understand it you can either have Darwin-only data, or be completely Darwin-less, and those are the choices.

Good shout on Trainsplit's live times, I just tried it and it seems to cover most of my use cases. Will have to look at the disruption data on the NR website I guess.

 

[jpl]

Of course RTT also has its uses, but as I understand it you can either have Darwin-only data, or be completely Darwin-less, and those are the choices.

Different data sources can be mixed, licenses do allow that. Only limitations coming to my mind is that developers can't use their own prediction algorithms with Darwin data (the content can't be amended), and developers residing outside the UK can't use data from Darwin for commercial purposes.

 

[kieron]

The UI may now be slow and clunky but you can at least still bookmark it: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains/departures/york/

Why the URL contains the station name rather than the code as before, I have no idea.

The URL works with the station name or the CRS code (YRK here); the CRS URL just redirects you to the name one. There are some other things on the nre.co.uk which do the same thing.

It's handy if you don't know exactly what name they use.