Departure Vision and Real Time Train Tracking

Don't know if this has been discussed before, but can someone describe how the real time tracking for trains (available to us via departure vision) works? It woks reasonably well on "normal" days but is completely useless on 'bad' days. Today, for instance, Gladstone line was subject to 20-25 min delays in the morning. I was expecting the 7.15 departure from Murray Hill to NYP to be delayed given the preceding trains were all 20-25 min late. However, the app kept showing on time departure from all prior stations and arriving in MH at 7.13. When I got there, literally with a minute to go, the MH departure became 7.36. And that's when the train showed up. It was as if the train was stranded between Stirling and Gillette for 20+ min which wasn't the case. Are there specific points out the route enter the app can "true up" train status and then project forward?

I'm not sure how departure vision works from a technical standpoint, but I have seen similar issues that you've described while I'm using the app. Amazingly, some trains don't even show up on departure vision, or even the printed schedule. I took an "all stops to Hackettstown" from Hoboken one day around 4 pm. It apparently never made it to the printed schedule, and didn't show up on departure vision. It was not a holiday, so I'd guess that it was a scheduled train that made additional stops for some reason. That train crawled - an old diesel making every stop.

Frequently, trains that are late don't appear as late until they're *really* late. So, you'll see that 20 minutes out your train is on time, then within 6 minutes of the train due to arrive, it posts that there is a 35 minute delay.

I haven't noticed those issues, but I might use it a bit different. What I do is I click on the train in question and it shows you what stations the train has "DEPARTED" from. From that, it gives me a realistic time of how long it will be. As for the departure times, I don't use that as much. I use the "In 6 Minutes" (or whatever time it is) thing more than the departure time. The thing is, the "In 6 Minutes" thing only works when the train is due at a station within a certain amount of time.

One thing I don't like about "Departure Vision" is that when you select a station that is a final destination for the train (like High Bridge), it doesn't list the train since you can't board it.

nick11a wrote:One thing I don't like about "Departure Vision" is that when you select a station that is a final destination for the train (like High Bridge), it doesn't list the train since you can't board it.

Arrival Vision, coming to a terminal near you.

On the NEC , i notice that trains will arrive eariler then listed, and departure vision will update right before the train arrives. Even if its 10 mins late

So the app is quirky. I have had crazier things happen...such as when service is suspended for some reason, the app still merrily updates as if the train is running. I've seen a bizarre situation where the app showed "in 2 min" for a train that was behind another train that had broken down on the Gladstone line (which is a single line, so everything has to back up behind the stranded train). And then, after 2 minutes, it showed "departed" for Murray Hill....,leaving everyone who was using the app in utter disbelief. So, the question is, what does the app use to track arrivals and departures? It is pretty reliable on good days (within a minute) but goes for a toss when delays are substantial. How can that happen?

bharatrao wrote:So the app is quirky. I have had crazier things happen...such as when service is suspended for some reason, the app still merrily updates as if the train is running. I've seen a bizarre situation where the app showed "in 2 min" for a train that was behind another train that had broken down on the Gladstone line (which is a single line, so everything has to back up behind the stranded train). And then, after 2 minutes, it showed "departed" for Murray Hill....,leaving everyone who was using the app in utter disbelief. So, the question is, what does the app use to track arrivals and departures? It is pretty reliable on good days (within a minute) but goes for a toss when delays are substantial. How can that happen?

That is quite a quirk. Perhaps it has two different settings? What is.... and what is supposed to be. You're describing a "what it is supposed to be" scenario, and I've only seen the "what is" scenario.

Looking at the screen print in the app store, it looks like the track assignment is included. How accurate is that for trains departing NYP? Knowing what track my train is on before I get off the subway would be very helpful.

Looking at the screen print in the app store, it looks like the track assignment is included. How accurate is that for trains departing NYP? Knowing what track my train is on before I get off the subway would be very helpful.

Departure vision for Penn has been a saver on occasion when I've been really late. It is accurate - is a faithful rendition of the TV screens in Penn. And given you usually get service at subway stations like 7th Av/50th St/42nd St etc., you can make a mad dash for your train without having to first look at a monitor. And, given trains usually leave a min or two later than scheduled, sometimes you can catch the train even if it has rolled off the TV screens. Of course, lot of people do this - so its a surprise there isn't a stampede @ Penn.

Thanks for the feedback but I just got an offer on a new job in NJ so I'm not long for NYP.