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TrainTracker™

How does TrainTracker Text™ work?

TrainTracker Text™ is our easy to use journey planner, available directly to your mobile phone by text message.

How does it work?

TrainTracker Text™ uses the same information that is available on the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner and the telephone TrainTracker™ service. Simply text your journey details to 84950.To get up-to-the-minute information for trains running in the next 21 or past 3 hours, including delay and cancellation information where available.

How much does it cost?

Messages sent to 84950 cost the standard network rate. Our reply to you will cost 25p including VAT, and will be charged to you by your operator. You are only charged for replies containing departure/arrival information. You will not be charged for error or usage messages.

How do I use it?

Using the service is easy - just text a few simple requests to 84950 and within seconds you'll have a response. You can receive information about a specific journey, or about departures or arrivals at a specific station.

Below are a couple of examples of what you could text:

Easy guide:

What to text	Example	Response
dep & station name	dep London Victoria	The next few real-time departures - including any delays - from London Victoria station to anywhere
arr & station name	arr London Victoria	The next few real-time arrivals - including any delays - to London Victoria station from anywhere

Advanced guide:

What to text	Example	Response
dep & station name to station name	dep Brighton to London Victoria	The next few departures from Brighton to London Victoria from the current time.
dep & station name to station name & time	dep Brighton to London Victoria 1730	The next few departures from Brighton to London Victoria from 17:30
arr & station name from station name & time	arr London Victoria from Brighton 1900	Trains, arriving in London Victoria at or after 7pm, which have stopped at Brighton
arr & station code from station code & time	arr VIC from BTN 0730	Trains from Brighton arriving in London Victoria at, or after, 07:30.

Live Departure and Arrival Information:

In this example, we'll ask for information at Brighton (BTN) and London Victoria (VIC) stations. You can use the stations code if it's easier.

What to text	Response
Brighton	Next few departures from Brighton at the time of your text message (including only showing departures which call at a specific station)
BTN to Victoria
dep BTN 1900	Departures from Brighton at around 1900.
depart Brighton 1900	Departures from Brighton at around 1900.
arrive London VIctoria	Arrivals at London Victoria (including only showing arrivals from a specific station)
arr VIC 1900
arr VIC from Brighton

Journey Planning, with real time information:

Working with the same principles as shown above, simply enter the origin and destination names or stations codes to get the journey information. In this example, we'll ask for information at London Victoria (VIC) and Brighton stations (BTN).

What to text	Response
Brighton to Victoria	The next few departures at the time of the sending the text message
VIC to BTN 1300	For journey options between the two stations, using times to make results more specific.
arr VIC from BTN 2100
dep Brighton to London 2100

Give it a try!

Try the National Rail Enquiries text message simulator free before you try it on your mobile phone.

TrainTracker Text™ Simulator

Understanding TrainTracker Text™ replies

The table below explains the types of messages you can get back from TrainTracker Text™ 84950.

Expect to receive a reply to your message within one minute.

To fit in the maximum amount of information, we shorten long station names in our replies to you. For instance we send 'Portsmouth Harbour' as 'PortsmHbr'.

We also use the following notations:

Message	Explanation
time due - station name: OK	On time
time due - station name: ?	No report
time due - station name:	As timetable
time due - station name: +4m	Four minutes late
time due - station name: -4m	Four minutes early
time due - station name: canx	Cancelled