Trains are a convenient and popular form of transport among Russians, capable of quickly and comfortably delivering passengers to almost any point in our country. However, not every one of us knows that modern technologies already allow us to track the movement of trains on the map in real time. Existing online services allow you to track trains not only in Russia, but also in many other countries around the world.
How does train tracking work?
To determine the location of a train at a certain point in time, use the following methods:
Services for viewing the actual movement of Russian trains on the map
It is nice to know that such services are available not only abroad, but also on the territory of our country. Let's take a closer look at them.
Yandex.Timetables
The easiest and most convenient way to track railway transport is to use the Yandex.Timetables service. You can use it to find out the location of trains and commuter trains running not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries. To search, follow these steps::
Go to the service's websiteYandex.Timetables. To track trains, select the "Locomotives" section. After that, the map will display all the railway trains that are on the way.
Use the search box to enter the desired flight number or select a station or city. Then click on the "Find locomotives" button.
The service will show the train's location on the map, and also highlight the entire route in color. Points will indicate all stops on the route.
Click on the train number in the upper-left corner of the screen to see more detailed information about intermediate stations, presented as a table.
The disadvantage of this service is that it does not provide information about delays, so if the train is late, it will be difficult to predict the approximate arrival time. In addition to the above function, you can track the movement of planes and buses on the site, view the schedule for any date, and buy tickets online.
Russian Railways website
Another service that will be useful for both passengers and greeters. However, you should immediately pay attention to the fact that the movement of trains on the map in online mode is not displayed here. There is simply no such option. Despite this, on the official website of Russian Railways, you can find more detailed information about delays in railway transport, the time of its actual arrival at a particular station.
To view information about the movement of the desired train, follow these steps.
Go to the official website of Russian Railways and select the section "Actual train traffic".
Specify the station on the route you are interested in and the arrival date, then click on the "Show trains" button.
A new window will provide information about trains that have already arrived and are on their way. Find the train number you need and view its details in the last column.
Click on the text on the right for more information. The "Actual arrival time" column will indicate deviations from the schedule due to delays or earlier arrivals at the station.
Information on the Russian Railways server comes from various sources, most often via GLONASS (global navigation satellite system) and SCS (alarm, centralization and blocking devices). Data on the site is updated every 10 minutes. In addition, the service provides information about the movement of domestic trains running on the territory of Russia, as well as international trains traveling from Russia abroad and in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, so far only these two services help travelers get useful information about the movement of railway transport in our country. For ships, aircraft, and even buses, there are an order of magnitude more websites and even individual smartphone apps that allow you to see the route along the route online. It is surprising that such programs have not yet been created for long-distance trains and electric trains.
Real-time train traffic maps from other countries
Tourists who prefer to travel by rail outside of our country can use the following services to find out the location of the train at a given time.
For those traveling in Austria
Railway communication in Europe is quite developed. You can travel by train not only within one country, but also across the borders of EU member states. Moreover, sometimes it turns out to be more profitable and much faster than on buses. If your route passes through Austria, feel free to use local trains and a special service to track them. It will be quite easy to find out the location of the train. To do this, follow these steps::
Go to the website of the Austrian Railways.
Select the "Train radar" tab. Enter the train number in the "train number" field or find the one you need on the map.
By clicking on the bold dot that indicates a train, you can get more detailed information about the route, in particular the planned and actual time of arrival at the station.
The website is available in German and English. However, it will not be difficult to understand it, it is enough to have at least basic knowledge or have a translator program with you.
For those traveling in Italy
To use this resource, Russian tourists do not have to remember their school knowledge of foreign languages or download dictionaries. The Italians have prudently translated their train tracking service into 9 languages, including Russian. And although in some places the phrases look clumsy, it is still quite possible to guess their meaning.
To find out where an Italian train is located, follow these steps:
Go to the Italian Railways website.
In the upper-right corner of the page, switch the menu display language to Russian by selecting the Russian flag.
Select the desired train type by checking the box next to one of the options: "Freccia Rossa", "Freccia Bianca", "Freccia Argento" or display all of them (point 1 in the picture below).
Use the "Train-Station" section in the left menu panel to specify the number of the train or the name of the desired station (point 2 in the figure above).
Information about the route and delays will be shown in the table. The current location of the train will not be displayed on the map, but on a small diagram that will show which two stations the train is currently traveling between.
For those traveling in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has its own service that allows you to track the movement of railway transport on the map online. The main disadvantage of this program is the lack of choice of any other interface language other than Czech. Although our languages are somewhat similar, it was quite difficult to understand the meaning of most words without a dictionary.
So, to find out the location of the Czech train on the map, follow these steps::
Go to the Czech Railways website.
Many routes will be displayed on the map. To select the desired train, click on it once.
The system will provide detailed information about the starting ("výchozí stanice") and ending ("potvrzená stanice") stations, the actual departure time ("skutečný odjezd") and possible delays ("předpokládané zpoždění").
In general, the service is quite clear, especially if you have a Czech-Russian dictionary or translator app at hand.
For those traveling in the UK
Another fairly convenient and simple resource for tracking the movement of trains across the United Kingdom. The service is called Raildar. This name is derived from the two words "rail", which means "rail", and "radar", which means "radar, detection". The menu and the entire internal interface are presented in English.
To track trains on the map online, follow these steps::
Go to the UK trains website.
Scroll down and select the "Map" section.
Click on the desired train, or use the search bar to select a station.
In the window that opens, you will see information about the schedule, the actual time of arrival at the station, a list of all stops on the route, as well as information about delays.
Raildar developers have made separate apps for owners of iPhones and Android phones. You can download and install them via the App Store and Google Play Market.
For those traveling in Finland
Among all the train tracking services tested in this article on the map, the Finnish site compares favorably with the rest with the lack of unnecessary details and buttons. The menu is available in three languages: English, Finnish and Swedish. To change it, just select the appropriate one in the upper-right corner of the screen.
To track a train on the map, follow these steps::
Go to the Finnish Railways website.
In the window that opens, click "Try it out" to access the map.
Find the train you need manually or use the search box located at the bottom of the page.
By clicking on the circles that indicate railway trains, you can get information about the train number, as well as the starting and ending stations.
To see more detailed information, click on the "Train details" button.
Detailed information will indicate the actual (highlighted in red) and planned (highlighted in gray) arrival and departure times of the train from all stations on the route.
The site's interface is simple and intuitive, and the user will have enough basic knowledge of English.
A distinctive feature of this service is that the map, among other things, also indicates the speed of the train at the current time.
For those traveling in France
To track trains traveling through the territory of their native country, the French have developed their own service "SNCF". This abbreviation means "National Company of French Railways"in Russian. The service is translated into three languages: English, French, and German.
To find a train on the map of France, follow these steps:
Go to the French Railways website.
You can search by number (in the "Train number" section), starting and ending point names (in the "Rout" section), or individual stations on the route (in the "Departures"section). You can also select a train on the map by clicking on it.
To start the search, click on the "Search" button.
After that, the system will find the train you need on the map, as well as show information about the route and approximate time of arrival at the final point.
In addition, the service allows you to track the selected train automatically. In other words, the map will move by itself, following the specified train. To do this, after selecting a train, click on the "Follow train" button.
For those traveling in the United States
The movement of trains between cities in the United States can also be tracked using a service created by the national railway Corporation "Amtrak". Its trains serve more than 500 stations in 46 US states.
Visiting and correct operation of the site is only possible (as is usually the case with American services) only from an American IP address.
So, to track a train that is located in the United States, follow these steps::
Go to the American Railroads website. Moving trains are marked with arrows on the map.
Select the desired train by clicking on it. After that, you will see information about the route, the next station, and deviations from the schedule (delays).
For more detailed information about the actual and scheduled arrival at other stations located on the route, click on the plus sign next to "Detailed Train Status".
Stops that have already been completed will be colored gray, while those that have yet to be completed will be colored blue. If the train is delayed, the expected arrival time will also be indicated in the detailed card.
Universal service "TRAVIC" for cities in Europe and the USA
"TRANSIT VISUALIZATION CLIENT" is an interactive map created by German-Swiss developers. It combines data collected from railway operators in several countries and takes into account 249 transport networks around the world to show train traffic in real time. Red dots on the map indicate trains, yellow-trams, and blue-buses.
To use the TRAVIC service, follow these steps::
Go to the site.
Find the desired city on the map and click on any bold dot. The system will provide information about the train number and route, as well as indicate on the graph which stations have already been passed and which are left.
By default, the map is displayed schematically. For convenience, you can choose the "satellite" mode. To do this, click on the button located in the upper-right corner and select "Here is a transport map".
One of the disadvantages of the service is the lack of train schedules and, as a result, information about delays. For this reason, if the selected country has its own separate website for tracking trains, then it is better to use it.
How does train tracking work?
To determine the location of a train at a certain point in time, use the following methods:
- Compare train schedules with actual arrival and departure times from stations located on the route. This information is collected at the railway junctions that the train passes through, and then transmitted to the tracking service. The disadvantage of this method is that it is difficult to determine the actual location of the train, if the control points are located too far from each other.
- Use of tracking GPS beacons, which have recently been increasingly installed on railway trains. They transmit data in real time, which allows you to determine with greater accuracy where the train is currently located.
Services for viewing the actual movement of Russian trains on the map
It is nice to know that such services are available not only abroad, but also on the territory of our country. Let's take a closer look at them.
Yandex.Timetables
The easiest and most convenient way to track railway transport is to use the Yandex.Timetables service. You can use it to find out the location of trains and commuter trains running not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries. To search, follow these steps::
Go to the service's websiteYandex.Timetables. To track trains, select the "Locomotives" section. After that, the map will display all the railway trains that are on the way.
Use the search box to enter the desired flight number or select a station or city. Then click on the "Find locomotives" button.
The service will show the train's location on the map, and also highlight the entire route in color. Points will indicate all stops on the route.
Click on the train number in the upper-left corner of the screen to see more detailed information about intermediate stations, presented as a table.
The disadvantage of this service is that it does not provide information about delays, so if the train is late, it will be difficult to predict the approximate arrival time. In addition to the above function, you can track the movement of planes and buses on the site, view the schedule for any date, and buy tickets online.
Russian Railways website
Another service that will be useful for both passengers and greeters. However, you should immediately pay attention to the fact that the movement of trains on the map in online mode is not displayed here. There is simply no such option. Despite this, on the official website of Russian Railways, you can find more detailed information about delays in railway transport, the time of its actual arrival at a particular station.
To view information about the movement of the desired train, follow these steps.
Go to the official website of Russian Railways and select the section "Actual train traffic".
Specify the station on the route you are interested in and the arrival date, then click on the "Show trains" button.
A new window will provide information about trains that have already arrived and are on their way. Find the train number you need and view its details in the last column.
Click on the text on the right for more information. The "Actual arrival time" column will indicate deviations from the schedule due to delays or earlier arrivals at the station.
Information on the Russian Railways server comes from various sources, most often via GLONASS (global navigation satellite system) and SCS (alarm, centralization and blocking devices). Data on the site is updated every 10 minutes. In addition, the service provides information about the movement of domestic trains running on the territory of Russia, as well as international trains traveling from Russia abroad and in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, so far only these two services help travelers get useful information about the movement of railway transport in our country. For ships, aircraft, and even buses, there are an order of magnitude more websites and even individual smartphone apps that allow you to see the route along the route online. It is surprising that such programs have not yet been created for long-distance trains and electric trains.
Real-time train traffic maps from other countries
Tourists who prefer to travel by rail outside of our country can use the following services to find out the location of the train at a given time.
For those traveling in Austria
Railway communication in Europe is quite developed. You can travel by train not only within one country, but also across the borders of EU member states. Moreover, sometimes it turns out to be more profitable and much faster than on buses. If your route passes through Austria, feel free to use local trains and a special service to track them. It will be quite easy to find out the location of the train. To do this, follow these steps::
Go to the website of the Austrian Railways.
Select the "Train radar" tab. Enter the train number in the "train number" field or find the one you need on the map.
By clicking on the bold dot that indicates a train, you can get more detailed information about the route, in particular the planned and actual time of arrival at the station.
The website is available in German and English. However, it will not be difficult to understand it, it is enough to have at least basic knowledge or have a translator program with you.
For those traveling in Italy
To use this resource, Russian tourists do not have to remember their school knowledge of foreign languages or download dictionaries. The Italians have prudently translated their train tracking service into 9 languages, including Russian. And although in some places the phrases look clumsy, it is still quite possible to guess their meaning.
To find out where an Italian train is located, follow these steps:
Go to the Italian Railways website.
In the upper-right corner of the page, switch the menu display language to Russian by selecting the Russian flag.
Select the desired train type by checking the box next to one of the options: "Freccia Rossa", "Freccia Bianca", "Freccia Argento" or display all of them (point 1 in the picture below).
Use the "Train-Station" section in the left menu panel to specify the number of the train or the name of the desired station (point 2 in the figure above).
Information about the route and delays will be shown in the table. The current location of the train will not be displayed on the map, but on a small diagram that will show which two stations the train is currently traveling between.
For those traveling in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has its own service that allows you to track the movement of railway transport on the map online. The main disadvantage of this program is the lack of choice of any other interface language other than Czech. Although our languages are somewhat similar, it was quite difficult to understand the meaning of most words without a dictionary.
So, to find out the location of the Czech train on the map, follow these steps::
Go to the Czech Railways website.
Many routes will be displayed on the map. To select the desired train, click on it once.
The system will provide detailed information about the starting ("výchozí stanice") and ending ("potvrzená stanice") stations, the actual departure time ("skutečný odjezd") and possible delays ("předpokládané zpoždění").
In general, the service is quite clear, especially if you have a Czech-Russian dictionary or translator app at hand.
For those traveling in the UK
Another fairly convenient and simple resource for tracking the movement of trains across the United Kingdom. The service is called Raildar. This name is derived from the two words "rail", which means "rail", and "radar", which means "radar, detection". The menu and the entire internal interface are presented in English.
To track trains on the map online, follow these steps::
Go to the UK trains website.
Scroll down and select the "Map" section.
Click on the desired train, or use the search bar to select a station.
In the window that opens, you will see information about the schedule, the actual time of arrival at the station, a list of all stops on the route, as well as information about delays.
Raildar developers have made separate apps for owners of iPhones and Android phones. You can download and install them via the App Store and Google Play Market.
For those traveling in Finland
Among all the train tracking services tested in this article on the map, the Finnish site compares favorably with the rest with the lack of unnecessary details and buttons. The menu is available in three languages: English, Finnish and Swedish. To change it, just select the appropriate one in the upper-right corner of the screen.
To track a train on the map, follow these steps::
Go to the Finnish Railways website.
In the window that opens, click "Try it out" to access the map.
Find the train you need manually or use the search box located at the bottom of the page.
By clicking on the circles that indicate railway trains, you can get information about the train number, as well as the starting and ending stations.
To see more detailed information, click on the "Train details" button.
Detailed information will indicate the actual (highlighted in red) and planned (highlighted in gray) arrival and departure times of the train from all stations on the route.
The site's interface is simple and intuitive, and the user will have enough basic knowledge of English.
A distinctive feature of this service is that the map, among other things, also indicates the speed of the train at the current time.
For those traveling in France
To track trains traveling through the territory of their native country, the French have developed their own service "SNCF". This abbreviation means "National Company of French Railways"in Russian. The service is translated into three languages: English, French, and German.
To find a train on the map of France, follow these steps:
Go to the French Railways website.
You can search by number (in the "Train number" section), starting and ending point names (in the "Rout" section), or individual stations on the route (in the "Departures"section). You can also select a train on the map by clicking on it.
To start the search, click on the "Search" button.
After that, the system will find the train you need on the map, as well as show information about the route and approximate time of arrival at the final point.
In addition, the service allows you to track the selected train automatically. In other words, the map will move by itself, following the specified train. To do this, after selecting a train, click on the "Follow train" button.
For those traveling in the United States
The movement of trains between cities in the United States can also be tracked using a service created by the national railway Corporation "Amtrak". Its trains serve more than 500 stations in 46 US states.
Visiting and correct operation of the site is only possible (as is usually the case with American services) only from an American IP address.
So, to track a train that is located in the United States, follow these steps::
Go to the American Railroads website. Moving trains are marked with arrows on the map.
Select the desired train by clicking on it. After that, you will see information about the route, the next station, and deviations from the schedule (delays).
For more detailed information about the actual and scheduled arrival at other stations located on the route, click on the plus sign next to "Detailed Train Status".
Stops that have already been completed will be colored gray, while those that have yet to be completed will be colored blue. If the train is delayed, the expected arrival time will also be indicated in the detailed card.
Universal service "TRAVIC" for cities in Europe and the USA
"TRANSIT VISUALIZATION CLIENT" is an interactive map created by German-Swiss developers. It combines data collected from railway operators in several countries and takes into account 249 transport networks around the world to show train traffic in real time. Red dots on the map indicate trains, yellow-trams, and blue-buses.
To use the TRAVIC service, follow these steps::
Go to the site.
Find the desired city on the map and click on any bold dot. The system will provide information about the train number and route, as well as indicate on the graph which stations have already been passed and which are left.
By default, the map is displayed schematically. For convenience, you can choose the "satellite" mode. To do this, click on the button located in the upper-right corner and select "Here is a transport map".
One of the disadvantages of the service is the lack of train schedules and, as a result, information about delays. For this reason, if the selected country has its own separate website for tracking trains, then it is better to use it.
