On track to comfort! App pinpoints train carriages with spare seats and tells you the best place to stand on the platform to get one
- System lets train passengers know whether trains are standing-room only
- App is being tested on the Thameslink line between East Croydon and Brighton
- New technology analyses mobile phone signals and info about train capacity
Train passengers can now avoid overcrowding on services through an app which tells them which carriages have seats available.
The system also lets passengers know where to stand on the platform to get to free seats or whether there is only standing-room available.
Dubbed Rail Watch, the system will show the status of the next five trains due at a given station and help commuters make choose which one to board.
Dubbed Rail Watch, the new technology analyses mobile phone signals and information about train capacity. At present it identifies only capacity on the train as a whole but work is being carried out to let travellers pinpoint exactly which carriages on individual trains are full (stock)
The app is currently being tested on the Thameslink line between East Croydon and Brighton over the next fortnight.
The technology, supported by transport provider the Go-Ahead group, analyses mobile phone signals and information about train capacity.
At the moment the app can only pinpoint the overall capacity on the train but work is being carried out to let travellers pinpoint exactly which carriages have seats.
As well as this the aim is to tell passengers where to stand on a platform to maximise their chances of getting on.
The full version of the app is expected to be rolled out across the southeast network in May.
Train passengers can now avoid overcrowded trains through an app which tells them when services have seats available. The system lets passengers know whether trains are standing-room only or if they have free seats (stock)
The development of the app comes amid distrust in the rail industry and overcrowding on trains, leading many commuters to complain to providers.
Figures showed that almost 150,000 people had to stand on trains into London during the morning peak in 2017.
Analysis found earlier this month claimed that the 10 most overcrowded peak train routes were running at 187 per cent overcapacity, an increase of 25 per cent since 2011.