[scoot]

I live next to a railway line so I'm in the (not particularly unique, and definitely not enviable) position to compare what's on the map to "IRL" trains, and I can tell you it's as good as useless.

  - Trains appearing on the map that aren't anywhere to be seen on the tracks.
  - Trains on the tracks that don't appear on the map.
  - Trains moving away from the station that according to the timetable view shouldn't have left the station yet.
  - Trains on the map seemingly stopping and changing direction, only to reverse course once again.

The map shows a single line segment for what is in fact a multi-line stretch of railway. That's okay as a simplification (I guess), but the icons aren't pinned to the line, so appear to be driving off the track, or even on the adjacent street.

As for realtime - even if the data was accurate and timely, a 2Hz refresh rate most definitely isn't realtime.

Sorry if it seems like I'm shitting on it - it's a fun toy, but I wouldn't depend on it for anything important.

[greyday]

I'm also close enough to a railway line to see the trains. There are two lines near us - a fast line (that I can see) and a slow line on the other side of the estate. The map showed a train moving (quickly) on the slow line, at just about the time I saw it fly past out my window. So it isn't even accurate as to which line the train is on.

Possibly useful as a funky station arrival board, but overlaying that data on an actual map is a bit misleading.

[greengreengrass]

There's no way its input data is anywhere near adequate for the rate the position indicators refresh, so it's taking some base data and then just... guessing the rest.

[windowliker]

>it's a fun toy, but I wouldn't depend on it for anything important.

This could be said for the rail network as a whole.

Neglect and underinvestment over the last 60+ years has left it in a sorry state, and debacles such as HS2 show how government has no ability to deliver proper material upgrades to the ageing infrastructure and service. The direction of travel (scuse the pun) has been clear since the Beeching cuts: roads are the priority. Add to that Neoliberal divestment policies and we end up where we are today: overcrowded, filthy, ugly trains barely fit for cattle transport and chronically understaffed stations and train crews. Not to mention the extortionate prices for a ticket to travel on the network.

I adore rail travel, but dread the necessity of using it any time I go on a journey.