There are two important updates to the site this week.

First, the Kings Langley – Wolverton map includes the new signalling being commisioned at Bletchley over Christmas. The fast lines are due to be back in operation on Thursday 27th December, and the slow lines on Monday 31st December.

Second, the the Wolverton – Northampton – Rugby map now includes Rugby station.

As usual, there are a bunch of minor things that I’ve fixed based on feedback:

• Signalling maps are fixed in Internet Explorer 9
• The (more…) links on the PPM Detail pages now work on Apple devices
• Routes and track circuits aren’t displayed on signalling where the information isn’t yet available
• The ‘help’ buttons now work again
• The globe icon on the front page now works
• Some missing signals have been added to maps

Over the Christmas break, I’ll be working on more real-time statistics and historical data – but not until after I’ve eaten plenty of turkey, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding!

Happy Christmas!

The last week has flown by once again. The fact that there are only four items of note is no reflection on the amount of work I seem to have done – drawing out maps and sanity-checking them takes ages.

• The Wolverton to Hillmorton Junction map is now live. This covers the direct and ‘via Northampton’ routes up to Hillmorton Junction. Rugby will be appearing next week
• A new-look map of Great Britain’s railway lines, based on updated OpenStreetMap data
• The Real-Time PPM pages have been very slightly tweaked to make them display better on smaller screens
• You can now search for a headcode or schedule UID without having to select which one you’re searching for

Enjoy!

Another week has slipped by so quickly, and I can’t believe it’s Sunday again. Here’s what I’ve been working on this week:

• PPM Data data is now sorted correctly by PPM, and service groups are shown
• The Thameslink map now extends down to Kentish Town
• The Kings Langley – Wolverton map now covers Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central and Wolverton
• Those of you using the Opera web browser will now be able to load the signalling maps, as I’ve fixed the code that loads maps
• The Map of Great Britain’s Railways now has panning and zooming controls

Other things that are less significant:

• Sheffield now appears in the list of Train Describers
• Platform 4 at Willesden Junction is now correctly shown, and was previosuly mis-labelled as Platform 6
• Boxmoor Sidings are now shown on the Kings Langley – Wolverton map, and the Linslade and Northchurch tunnel bores are now accurate

I’m at a conference on transparency hosted by the Office of Rail Regulation on Monday 10th December. If you’re there, come find me and say hello – but regardless, please read ORR’s calls for improved access to real-time train information and consider responding to their consultation on access to National Rail Enquiries’ Darwin system.

Remember – we’re on Twitter as @opentraintimes and also on Facebook.

Until next week, enjoy the updates!

Wow, what a busy few weeks I’ve had! Two hours a day of my free time has been taken up by commuting across London to a temporary contract. Updates have therefore been a little slow, although I’ve made the best use I can of my mega-commute.

This week’s highlights:

Signalling diagrams

• Acton Wells to Stratford has been overhauled and redrawn.
• The Kings Langley to Bletchley map is now live. In the coming weeks, it’ll be extended to Milton Keynes Central
• Bedford to Elstree and Borehamwood, an extended version of the Bedford to Luton map, is now live. Some sidings are missing, which will be added soon
• The East London Line map has a few fixes at New Cross Gate, thanks to a field trip a couple of weeks ago to find out which signals are where

Statistics and Information

• Using the Real-Time Public Performance Measure (RTPPM) data from Network Rail, you can now see the current National PPM, and drill down to individual train operating company statistics. The next release will have detailed statistics on each operator by route.
• Data on Temporary Speed Restrictions in force on the network has been added. These are updated every Friday morning

As well as all of those, the site is ready for Network Rail’s release of S-Class data, where available, from train describers. When this becomes live, some of the maps will show signal aspects (red or green), routes set from signals and track circuit occupation.

Thanks to everyone who’s emailed in asking for maps of specific areas. I’m working on geographical maps, and I’m looking for volunteers to use a GPS device to record the routes of trains. The more data the better – wait for the next blog post, which will have all the juicy details.