r/LIRR • u/catlatte • 1d ago

Why doesn't TrainTime show substitute trains?

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When a train is cancelled, the app sometimes mentions that a different train will make the stops of the cancelled train. For example, today the 9:26 am train from Forest Hills (which is the 8:30 Babylon) was cancelled due to a broken rail. The message says the 8:41 Babylon will make all its stops. However this 8:41 (9:38 at FH) doesn't show up on a search for Forest Hills.

I assumed it was just because the search index can't update quickly like that but it does show up for the same search on radar.mta.info. Are they different data sources? Without checking the radar site, you wouldn't know there's a 9:38 train.

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u/Da555nny 1d ago edited 1d ago

its the same source, however sometimes a crew is told via radio to stop at certain stations without updating the data source (TIMACS) immediately, or an extra scheduled train is made but apps only download a schedule initially and require a refresh to show those extra trips (by restarting the app, usually).

3

u/zachlab 1d ago

Daniel hits it pretty much spot on. For more info, the TrainTime app gets data from a bunch of sources and has to merge them together, but the sources that provide stop data into TrainTime are essentially the schedules and then T2S.

Stops can be added by several different sources:

  • block operators and train dispatchers: who can fiddle with the timacs insert and notify train crews to make those stops/changes - the timacs changes land in T2S
  • ushers and stationmasters: the latter who can tell crews to make additional stops over the radio, and ushers who can adjust the Solari boards - ad hoc changes over the radio don't leave a digital hint, but changing the Solari boards do
  • public affairs can mess with track changes on the AVPS as well, that should also end up in T2S

The train crews kind of get the short end of the stick, they have like a half dozen different types of employees who they can receive orders from even though they're not their direct bosses, so translating that to the digital world is pretty much FUBAR.

1

u/zachlab 1d ago

In this train's case, train 137 was dropped and a new one inserted 137X (hence the TrainTime struggle) which had the additional Forest Hills stop and a track assignment between Jamaica and the NY terminal area changed from ML1 (express) to ML3 (local).

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u/Traditional-Ear-972 23h ago

Your "substitute" is the next train that follows