What are ghost trains?

A ghost train is a scheduled vehicle drawn on the map at its expected position based on the published timetable, used when an operator doesn't broadcast real-time vehicle positions.

Why we show them

Many rail networks worldwide publish their schedule (a GTFS feed) but not live positions. Without ghost trains, those networks would appear empty on the map even though service is running. Showing the timetabled position is more useful than showing nothing.

How accurate are they?

A ghost train assumes the vehicle is exactly on schedule and moving at the average speed implied by the timetable. In reality, trains are often a few minutes early or late, may be held at signals, or may not run at all. Treat ghost trains as a guide, not a guarantee.

How to tell them apart

Ghost trains are visually distinguished from real-time vehicles in the app. Whenever a network gains a true real-time feed, ghost mode is automatically disabled for it.

Networks that use ghost mode

Ghost mode is used wherever there's a usable timetable but no real-time positions. The set of networks changes as operators add or remove feeds — check the network's page on trains.fyi for the current data source.