About UK Live Rail Map
UK Live Rail Map shows the position of every train on Great Britain's rail network in real time — passenger services, freight, sleepers and empty stock — together with live station departure and arrival boards, stop-by-stop timetables with actual and expected times, and a growing library of plain- English guides to railcards and cheaper tickets.
What makes this map different
Most "live" train maps animate the timetable and assume trains are where they ought to be. This one only shows a train where the railway itself says it is.
Placed by the signals
Positions come from the railway's signalling berths and train movement reports. Where a traveller shares GPS from on board, that train's marker becomes precise for everyone.
Network Pulse
A live league of which operators are running on time right now, updated continuously, with a 24-hour chart. Official figures take weeks. The Pulse takes minutes.
The real platform boards
Every station page shows the same Darwin data as the screens on the platform, with platforms, delay reasons and train lengths. It also has a photo, the station's facilities and a check against the live map.
Things other maps hide
You can see temporary speed restrictions, the path each train has actually taken today, freight and empty stock moves, and a "Fastest to…" search from any station.
Where the data comes from
Everything on the map is drawn from the railway's own systems, licensed through official open data programmes:
- Train positions and timings — Network Rail's TRUST train movement feed and Train Describer (signalling) feed
- Departure boards, platforms and predictions — the Darwin system that powers the screens at stations, via the Rail Data Marketplace
- Timetables — Network Rail's daily schedule extract
- Station facilities — the National Rail Knowledgebase
- Speed restrictions and disruptions — Network Rail and National Rail feeds
- Maps — © OpenStreetMap contributors, with the OpenRailwayMap overlay (CC-BY-SA)
Positions are as reported by the railway: trains report as they pass signals and stations, so a marker shows the last reported location rather than a GPS fix. Where a traveller on board has chosen to share their position, that train's marker becomes precise for everyone.
Who runs it
The site is built and run independently by a UK developer as a public resource — it is a personal project, not a company product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to National Rail, the Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail or any train operating company. For official information, tickets and assistance, use those organisations directly; for booking assisted travel, see Passenger Assist.
How it's funded
The site is free to use. It carries advertising and some links are affiliate links: if you buy a ticket or a Railcard after following one, the site may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Affiliate links never change which trains or times you are shown, and the guides are written to help you pay less, not more — see our Terms for the full disclosure.
Get in touch
Spotted an error, a missing station or a train that's wrong? Email kingsib@gmail.com — reports genuinely help, especially from people who know a line well. There's more on the Contact page.