New digital calendars map out the big picture for train journey planning

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates the three rail networks, has added an interactive calendar to the live route maps on each of their websites.

To use the brand-new calendar, website visitors simply enter the date of their trip. The live digital map shows at a glance which routes will be affected by rail improvement and maintenance work on that day, and where replacement buses will be running.

Passengers can fine-tune the calendar setting to a particular time of day, for instance to check whether late-night trains will be affected more or less than daytime services, or what time in the morning lines will reopen after overnight closures.

The calendar is already proving hugely popular, with views of the maps having tripled during a four-week trial.

The live maps will continue to highlight routes that are experiencing unplanned disruption at the time of viewing. With this latest enhancement, passengers can start checking well ahead with the latest advance information about upcoming planned service changes.

Eileen O’Neill, GTR’s Customer Excellence Director, said: “We’re always aiming to make travel information clearer, more convenient and more useable for our customers. This new calendar function makes it easier to get the big picture of where we know services will be affected, well in advance. We’ll keep improving the information this provides and add more useful features to the maps as we develop them.”

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Editors' notes

For an example, see the live map with its calendar function on the Thameslink site here.