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TrainTracker™ Terms and Conditions

About TrainTracker

TrainTracker is provided by Thales Information Systems, BT and Eckoh Technologies on behalf of the Association of Train Operating Companies. The information for the service is provided by an automated system which has limitations. This information is offered 'as is', and the Association of Train Operating Companies, National Rail Enquiry Service, Thales Information Systems, BT and Eckoh Technologies give no warranty and accept no liability for the accuracy of the information given.

The copyright in the data on this service is with the Association of Train Operating Companies. You may not further distribute the data on this service without permission from the Association of Train Operating Companies. Please contact us if you wish to discuss this.

Tariffs

From a BT landline, 0871 numbers are charged at 10p per minute. A typical call takes around 90 seconds, though longer calls are possible. Further information on costs to call 0871 numbers from your phone is available from your telecom service provider.

Messages sent to 8 49 50 cost your standard network rate. The reply is free to the user and your operator will not charge for any messages you receive from us.

Acceptable Use Policy

Some individuals and organisations have attempted to obtain the data for commercial gain without being licensed to do so. We will detect and prevent such unlicensed activity to keep the service available for all our customers.

If you think you have been blocked undeservedly, please contact us to explain your reasons, and we will investigate.

Information you provide to us

TrainTracker may record any or all calls in order to improve the service offered to you or others. No information is stored which could on it’s own identify any specific individual. In order to adapt the service to your needs the following information may be stored indefinitely and used for adaptation of the service, training, reporting or service improvement purposes:

  • The phone number you called from where this is presented by your telecoms provider

  • The requests you make, including the times you make them, as well as the stations and the times you ask for

  • Recordings of what you say and any background noises which are normally transmitted

Information we provide to you

Speech and touchtone technologies, including speech recognition, text to speech and touchtone recognition, are subject to limitations. Therefore, the information we give you may not always match the enquiry you made. Care should therefore be taken to ensure that the information given relates to the enquiry you made.

The information we provide may include elements of historic and predicted information as well as current information. Due to the nature of predictions, accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

TrainTracker accepts queries about direct trains for the next 20 and the previous 4 hours. The list of stations includes all national rail stations on the British mainland but may not include all train services between them.

You may not sell or otherwise use the information provided by TrainTracker without prior written approval from the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Limitations

The system that produces TrainTracker is automated and has a number of known limitations.

  • The service only supports queries relating to direct trains. The use of a direct train may not always be the quickest or cheapest means to make a journey.

  • In general, any lateness predicted is based on reports of trains passing monitoring points located around the country. If a train encounters delay, this will not be available until the train passes the next monitoring point on its journey.

  • Most train operating companies are able to notify details of cancellations and schedule changes (such as additional stopping points) that affect their trains. They can also notify predictions of lateness on a train's journey to supplement information provided by the monitoring points. This is a manual process and not all changes may be notified. Further, Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express, Hull Trains, Eurostar and operators of charter trains do not have the facilities to notify changes to their trains.

  • Trains for which the train operating company has provided no information and no reports have been received from monitoring points will be determined as being timetabled information or will not be reported. Expected arrival and departure times will be given when a report is received.

  • Any failures of monitoring points or other equipment will not prevent the service from operating. Estimated times given may therefore be out of date.

  • Trains can make up or lose time and may arrive and depart earlier or later than estimated.

  • Some trains operate over circular routes, where the train returns to the same station later in its journey. TrainTracker will usually tell you the ultimate destination of a train, though displays at the station may show a different destination on the train's first visit. Trains may not be noted as having Circular Routes but will normally play the fastest route that matches your request.

  • Additional services may call at stations besides those given by TrainTracker.

  • The way in which the system works means that there may be little information available on each train at the station where it starts and any stations early in its journey.

  • The service may not be available for short periods while routine maintenance is carried out. Whilst every attempt will be made to publish outages known in advance, no notice need be given for these maintenance periods. No liability for the failure or unavailability of TrainTracker is accepted.

  • Many stations are equipped with Passenger Information Systems that display and/or announce details of the trains calling at the station. TrainTracker obtains information from some of these Passenger Information Systems, and uses it for expected arrival and departure times in place of the mechanisms described above. For these stations, TrainTracker gives the same information as is available on the stations. This generally allows Train Tracker to give expected arrival and departure times before the train starts its journey. Should the connection from a Passenger Information System fail, TrainTracker will generate expected arrival and departure times using the normal mechanisms described elsewhere.

Comments on the TrainTracker service are welcome. Contact National Rail.

This system is an information system only. The information is made available ‘as is’, and the Association of Train Operating Companies, National Rail Enquiry Service, Thales Information Systems, BT and Eckoh Technologies offer no guarantee or warranty in respect of the information on the TrainTracker service. Your use of this information and any reliance you place on it is at your own risk. The Association of Train Operating Companies, National Rail Enquiry Service, Thales Information Systems, BT and Eckoh Technologies shall have no liability for any loss or damage you suffer, whether direct or indirect, as a result of relying on any statement made by Train Tracker.

Advertising

We may, from time to time, use the service to provide you with advertising within the response.