Amtrak's "Track a Train"

Thanks, that's pretty cool.

We are introducing similar technology for our transit sytem in Lehigh Valley, Pa. Check out http://www.lantabus.com/realtimebustracker.html. It just went live and we haven't even promoted it yet. Passengers can use computers, smartphone, texting and even traditional-style phone to get their next bus arrivals, accurate to within one minute.

New York City is rolling it out too--Manhattan was recently turned on (Bronx and Staten Island already have it):

http://bustime.mta.info

and it's lesser-known sibling, TrainTime:

http://apps.mta.info/traintime (currently only operational for the IRT)

Both sites are relatively simple ones that don't require a smartphone  browser (I regularly use both with a feature-phone), but BusTime, when viewed on a PC, gives you a Google Maps closeup of the bus route with icons representing the buses running on the route.

(Unlike the Amtrak app, buses on the BusTime PC map vanish if they have to detour off-route, and only reappear when they resume normal routing)

---PCJ

I went to the Amtrak app, really cool and will actually be useful when starting a trip so I will not have to keep calling Amtrak to check on the train status.  But, I could not find anywhere I could download the app.  Anyone find that?

I don't think it ever was a tablet/smartphone app, just a utility on their website.

---PCJ

Sometimes I click on a train and it zooms in but no info appears.

On the Amtrak home page is a "status" area to click. You enter the train # and the name of the station you need the info for. It will tell you the time the train was supposed to arrive at that station, and a revised estimate if needed.

Yesterday I took the train from Philadelphia to RT.128 Boston. I was helpful for my daughter who had to travel 30 minutes to pick me up at the station.

Gee, go figure.  All trains delayed.

I have a amtrak train track 1/4 mile from the house I can see where the train is  nd when it gets close to the hous etime running to catch it to see it. Its real time tracking.

On two of my 7 round-trips to Boston, we had a engine conk out...once in New Haven, CT, and once at Penn Station in NYC. Delays were 2 hours and 1 hour until new engines arrived. I wonder how those were reported (Oops...delay TBD)?

In all fairness, the norm has been "on time". They can make up time on a few sections like Trenton-Newark, and Providence-Boston.