I appreciate what the API gives us but why is the information output for the District line not very good?
Specifically the data coming through via:
https://api.tfl.gov.uk/trackernet/PredictionSummary/D/?app_key=
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Trains leaving Richmond without no destination except for: “Check Front of Train” which is useless to me since my app relys on each train
having a destination so i can put it on a route to move it between stations… without that i will not even show the train, i dont see the point in trains flashing
up everywhere with a destination of “Check Front of Train” because that does not tell a potential user anything.
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Trains heading for Richmond leaving Turnham Green then totally disappearing from the feed somewhere between Turnham Green and Gunnersbury with the
last location being: “Between Turnham Green and Gunnersbury”
(Is their another route to Richmond we do not know about?)
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This has been mentioned before about trains heading out of Wimbledon but has definitely not been sorted out:
https://techforum.tfl.gov.uk/t/district-line-feeds-replaced-operated-by-circle-line-city-via-victoria-wimbledon-branch-eastbound/1790/7
And here are my notes about it…
I watched a train going out of Wimbledon with a destination of ‘City (via Victoria)’ to start with then i saw it change around about
East Putney to Putney Bridge to the Destination = ‘Upminster’ and then at Parsons Green or just before it changed to ‘Tower Hill’…
and then it changed again at Fulham Broadway to destination of Edgware Road!
Thanks
Neil
@HighPlainsDrifter
It is not that unusual in my experience for a train to shift from one branch to another mid-journey if there is disruption.
I’d also question whether showing a train as “Check front of train” is really useless to the passenger, If I am close to Gunnersbury Station I would prefer to see that there is a train coming in the next five minutes, regardless of its final destination, rather than nothing because the destination is not known. I may not be going as far as Earl’s Court but if I am I know I can change at Earl’s Court if necessary. Depends what your audience is, I suppose.
None of which is to play down the problems that there are with the feed!
@mjcarchive hi Michael, i can see your point about passengers at least knowing a train is due or not, just the problem i have is that i use the destination strings to put the train on a set route and then off it goes… it can of course change routes as it goes along and my code will account for that… however it cannot work out what route to put the train on with just “Check front of train”.
And i have not got the time to rewrite it so that it can maybe try and look along and see what the next station is etc. and work out the route from that.
Cheers
Neil
@HighTrainsDrifter At Gunnersbury there is no doubt about the next few stations. I was going to say “Earl’s Court” but there’s a depot somewhere before there, isn’t there? I’m just wondering whether your code could set it off along the bit that must be served on that line and adjust it when the Wizard of TfL pulls the curtain back to reveal the actual destination. For the example departing Wimbledon you could assume Parsons Green, which I think is the first physically possible destination, while retaining “Check front of train” in what the app actually displays. If it still shows “Check front” at Parsons Green, then assume Earl’s Court and so on. Not intellectually satisfying as a solution but, as they probably don’t day, the stations don’t move so it could be hard wired in. Could that fit in with what you are doing?
Thanks @mjcarchive i will get back to you on that…
Also ive noticed some trains on the District Line with a Destination of “Circle Line”… does anyone know which station that is meant to be?
thanks
Neil
hi @mjcarchive okay, for the Check Front Of Train destinations from Richmond i have just done discovered this and how to solve it which is a good enough work around…
Trains leaving Richmond with a “Check Front of Train” destination… so far ive tracked one which stopped at: Kew Gardens and Gunnersbury but then disappeared.
However it then re-appeared at Turnham Green along with a destination of Upminster (which is where i guessed it would be going)…
so what we could do is check if the train is on a Richmond station with “Check Front of Train” and if it is then put it on the Richmond to Upminster route.
It just means that for the section between Gunnersbury and Turnham Green the train wont be shown moving on my windows app (i have to wait for a signal from the feed before i start a train moving) and will just jump to Turnham Green… i can live with that for 1 section… screen shots…
Train from Richmond at Gunnersbury with Check Front Of Train
Then re-appears at Turnham Green with Destination as Upminster…
thanks
Neil
