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Comments: 5
Rating: 4
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Total Rating: 8
Train text
Posted 6 months ago by JustAThought in Mass Transportation | Submit idea in this category
I know mass transit companies have alert systems when trains are running late, but I wonder why they don't offer alert systems for specific trains and not just the rail line you are on.

For example, if you take the 8:10am train every morning, it would be nice to subscribe to that specific train and receive a text in the morning notifying you that your specific train is late, and maybe even letting you know of other options you can take such as another train or bus.

It sounds like a lot of work on their part, but I would assume it would all be computer automated...
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Posted by sarossell
3 months ago
You would think in this day and age with GPS and endless options for communications and the Internet we would not only know what train was where, but who was driving it, their favorite color and if they like long walks on the beach. Seriously though, I can order a pizza online from Dominos Pizza and I know when it hit the oven, the name of the person who made it and the name of the person who will be delivering it to my door. What's the difference? The trains are not run by a corporation trying to impress you for your money. They're run by bureaucratic behemoths who have no clue that the world stopped using typewriters nearly three decades ago!

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sarossell (4 days ago): Actually, there is already a system in place to keep track of the locations of the trains in order to avoid collisions. This system could easily be interfaced to the Internet for public access without the installation of new hardware.
BrainWaves (5 days ago): Agreed. It seems like the simple solution for this would be to install a GPS in each train and bus. The transit companies can charge a monthly subscription to access the specific GPS signal on the line you run in order to pay for this.
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Posted by eric
6 months ago
Well usually one train affects another, so if the 8:10 train was late, you could be sure that either the prior or next train would be affected as well. I subscribe to train alert RSS feeds so I understand what you mean b/c I get notifications about every freakin train delay there is, and only like twice a year does the notification apply to my own

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BrainWaves (4 months ago): The problem though would be what if the 8:10 train was on time, but your 8:45 train broke down? I think the idea of having train specific texts would be super convenient.
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