MBTA Rail
Track the MBTA Commuter Rail
Track the MBTA Commuter Rail
Total Ratings
United States
Description
Navigating the daily commute can be a hassle, but MBTA Rail is here to make your journey seamless. Designed exclusively for seasoned Commuter Rail commuters, this app provides comprehensive real-time information about your train's location and status.
Please note that this app is not affiliated with the MBTA, Keolis, or MassDOT.
Features:
* Train location data: stay up-to-date with your train's current stop, next stop, GPS location, predicted arrival times, and vehicle speed.
* Crowd-sourced updates: incorrect predictions? Delays mid-trip? Wondering about crowding? Engage with fellow passengers through the "Reports" feature.
* Boarding Track Numbers: never miss your train with accurate boarding track information.
* Interactive map: see your train's movement along with other trains on your route.
* Historical data: access coach numbers, typical boarding tracks, and average on-time percentages.
* Schedule view: predicted arrival times for each stop.
* Service alerts: stay informed about delays, cancellations, track changes, and more.
* Works seamlessly with CapeFLYER and Gillette Stadium special event trains.
* Clean, User-Friendly Interface: Enjoy an ad-free, intuitive experience.
Disclaimer: MBTA Rail sources data directly from the MBTA's real-time feeds using PTIS equipment installed on trains. We don't make predictions ourselves; this app simply presents the MBTA's data provided by MassDOT.
Experience hassle-free commuting with MBTA Rail, your ultimate companion for navigating the commuter rail system.
Terms of use: https://www.mbtarail.app/terms
Privacy policy: https://www.mbtarail.app/privacy
Screenshots
Version History
Releasing updates every 3 months on average. Last update 26 days ago.
Bug fixes and minor UI improvements
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
* Improved the UX when selecting a trip from the departures tab
* Bug fixes & code maintenance improvements
- Added a filter to the departures tab to only show trains that stop at Back Bay
- Fixed a bug changing routes
Add missing Forest Hills and Oak Grove stops
Fix for the app not remembering your purchase status
* Improve visibility of a delayed train's actual lateness
* Bug fixes
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
- Fixed bug with scheduled times on the schedule view
- Added an experimental feature to indicate when a trip has passed your stop
Bug fixes
- Improved schedule view
- Tap on a service alert to dismiss it
- Other miscellaneous UI improvements
Updated internals
Bug fixes
Improve support for Lynn Interim station
Stability improvements
Bug fixes
Bug fixes and improvements
Updated schedules
Bug fixes
* All stops now show the track number. This is particularly helpful for stops like Back Bay that have multiple tracks, or when a train is unexpectedly switched to/from the inbound or outbound track
* Updated schedules
* Bug fixes
Updated PDF schedules
- Updated PDF schedules
- Bug fixes
You can now choose both the stop you're getting on at and the stop you're getting off at, rather than being limited to a single home stop. By default these stops will automatically reverse at noon in anticipation of your ride home.
Hey commuter friends, in this version I switched the maps to use Apple maps instead of Google maps. Apple maps offers superior performance optimizations since the map is built into your iPhone vs. Google maps which requires the installation of third-party libraries. I've also heard from some riders that they're concerned about Google collecting and selling your data, and Apple has a stricter stance on protecting your privacy (but really... who knows).
- Updated schedules
- Bug fixes
* You can now edit and delete reports that you've submitted
* Updated schedules
Updated schedules
Tapping on a trip now takes you to a new detail screen with even more information about your trip: an inline map of the train, a timeline indicator of the train's next stop, and more.
If you prefer the old behavior, tap the "more" menu (the three dots on the top right of the screen showing all trips on your route) and choose "more settings".
In addition:
* The departures tab now shows coach numbers when they're available
* Removed the six commuter rail stations that were closed last fall
- Updated schedules
- When trips are grouped by direction, inbound trips will appear first during the morning commute. Outbound trips will appear first 12pm.
- Improved performance of the system map
- Bug fixes
Bug fixes
Under-the-hood tweaks. Nothing interesting in this version.
Under-the-hood tweaks. Nothing interesting in this version.
Bug fixes
Bug fixes & updated schedules
Bug fixes
Updated schedules
Added a new "System Map" tab to see all trains and their location
Fix crash on launch.
New in v2.21.0:
- App now displays predicted departure times for your home stop. Enable by configuring the "Choose your stop" feature.
Fix crash on launch.
New in v2.21.0:
- App now displays predicted departure times for your home stop. Enable by configuring the "Choose your stop" feature.
App now displays predicted departure times for your home stop. Enable by configuring the "Choose your stop" feature.
Updated PDF schedules to the new fall 2020 schedules
Minor UI improvements
More improvements to the map view. Stay safe everyone!
Enhancements to the map view:
- See which direction the trains are moving in (heading support)
- Toggle station stops & line markers on/off
CapeFLYER support
Bug fixes
- Updated schedules
- The schedule view now shows the time a train departed each station. This is helpful for estimating whether or not a late train is making up time.
- Fixed misspelling of Ipswich and Blue Hill Station
- Added Foxboro Station to the map
Nothing special in this release, just some minor UI tweaks & updated internals. Happy new year!
- New: added station markers to the map view
- New: maps now use Google Maps instead of Apple Maps
- New: you can now choose to only see trains that stop at specific stations. From the "more" menu (tap the three dots on the top right of each route), choose "Filter by Stop"
- New: added an angry face reaction emoji
- Changed: the settings page is now accessible via the "more" menu instead of on the Settings tab, which has been renamed to "About"
- View schedules in PDF format
- Bug fixes
The app now displays an "unknown" status instead of "on time" if a train is underway but its GPS is not reporting. We don't know that these trains are on time so we're no longer going to assume it is.
We're also trying to be smarter about detecting bad GPS data. Sometimes trains will report themselves to be 20+ minutes late when they're actually on time. If a train shows signs of this happening we'll let you know that we think something's wrong with the GPS transmission.
This release also contains a few bug fixes:
- Fixed a bug that prevented the Routes and Departures tab from automatically updating when resuming the app from the background
- Fixed a bug on the Schedule view that prevented the "minutes away" prediction from updating properly
- Fixed a bug that caused times in the Departures tab to be a minute or two off
- Fixed a bug that prevented route-wide delay or cancellation alerts from prominently displaying in the app
- Fixed a bug where tapping on a trip would sometimes expand the wrong one
Added support for Back Bay Station in the Departures tab
Added comment bubbles next to each trip that has report(s). Click on the bubble to go directly to the reports screen instead of tapping into the trip first.
This update focuses on improving the passenger reports feature:
- Each user is now assigned a random avatar. This helps identify posts from the same anonymous author and prevents users from impersonating other users. Avatars cannot be changed.
- You can now react to posts with emojis. If a poster gave bad info, react with a thumbs down. If a poster gave good or helpful info, react with a thumbs up or pray emoji.
- Press the "more" button on the top right of a post and tap "Posts by this user" to only see all reports authored by that passenger.
Don't forget, you can flag inappropriate posts by tapping the "more" button next to a post and choosing the "Report to admin" button. Posts that are reported by multiple users are automatically deleted.
I hope this is a positive quality of life update for everyone who depends on crowd-sourced info. Thanks again for using the app!
- Bug fixes, particularly for iPhone X/XS devices
- When a train is delayed past it's scheduled arrival time at its final destination, and the train stops reporting its GPS location, we'll now attempt to keep the train listed in the app instead of assuming it's arrived at its final destination.
- New: improved support for Back Bay Station. You'll now see boarding statuses and track numbers for trips that stop at Back Bay.
- New: added support for the Foxboro Line/Special Events. At this time only trips heading towards Foxboro are supported as the MBTA does not yet support trips returning from Foxboro.
- It's now easier to flag inappropriate passenger reports: press the menu button located next to each report
- Miscellaneous usability improvements
- Bunch of behind-the-scenes updates
Fixes an issue that caused outgoing trips not to appear when the group trips setting is set to direction.
- New: each trip now shows the origin and destination without needing to tap to expand. Prefer the old style? Change it back in Settings
- New: view all trips across the entire system at once
- New: ability to quickly change routes while viewing another route by tapping on the header
- New: app can now be installed on iPad's (it's not optimized for iPad, however)
- Bug fixes
Bug fixes
New: long-press on a report to flag it as inappropriate or misleading. Reports that are flagged by multiple passengers will be deleted automatically.
- Added icons to the Schedule view to denote wheelchair accessible & flag stops
- Increased the font size in some spots
- Bug fixes
Bug fixes
This update fixes a bug that caused favorites and settings to randomly reset for some users. After installing the update, all users will be required to re-enter their favorites and other saved settings (we're sorry!) but once done, the app should remember them in perpetuity.
- New: by popular demand, the app now remembers the last route you visited and will automatically take you to that route when the app launches. You can disable this under Settings -> General.
- New: the Settings view has been moved to the tab bar and combined with the Help view
- New: redesigned Map view
- New: when pulling to refresh the Reports view, new reports will highlight as they come in
- New: you can now include line breaks in your reports
- New: swipe left on on an alert from the Alerts modal to dismiss it
- New: alerts in the Alerts modal now show a compact view, with the option to expand for full details
- New: fewer loading screens
- New: faster, smoother animations and page transitions
- New: all communication between the app and the back-end server is now done over SSL
- Fixed: settings and favorites should no longer randomly reset themselves
- Fixed: loading screen no longer fails to dismiss for some users
- Fixed: improved support for comment threads with 100+ comments
This update fixes a bug that caused favorites and settings to randomly reset for some users. After installing the update, all users will be required to re-enter their favorites and other saved settings (we're sorry!) but once done, the app should remember them in perpetuity.
- New: by popular demand, the app now remembers the last route you visited and will automatically take you to that route when the app launches. You can disable this under Settings -> General.
- New: the Settings view has been moved to the tab bar and combined with the Help view
- New: redesigned Map view
- New: when pulling to refresh the Reports view, new reports will highlight as they come in
- New: you can now include line breaks in your reports
- New: swipe left on on an alert from the Alerts modal to dismiss it
- New: alerts in the Alerts modal now show a compact view, with the option to expand for full details
- New: fewer loading screens
- New: faster, smoother animations and page transitions
- New: all communication between the app and the back-end server is now done over SSL
- Fixed: settings and favorites should no longer randomly reset themselves
- Fixed: loading screen no longer fails to dismiss for some users
- Fixed: improved support for comment threads with 100+ comments
iPhone X support
- The initial page of routes now includes a status indicator. If the indicator is green, every trip on the line is on time. If yellow, at least one trip on the line is late (at least 5 minutes behind). If red, at least one trip on the line is either delayed or cancelled.
- The departures view now includes the coach number for boarding trains if one is available.
- Improved iOS 11 compatibility.
The app now tells you the exact time GPS coordinates were last received for a train.
- Added Boston Landing station to the map
- Added timestamps for each user-submitted report
Added a "load more" button at the bottom of each route to pull more trips into the app.
- The "Tracks" button associated with outbound trips has been renamed to "History", now appears for all trains, and includes historical lateness information
- Bug fixes for iOS 10.3
Bug fixes
Delays that affect an entire route (like when Back Bay traffic shuts down due to a fire on the orange line) will now display prominently in the app. These alerts can be dismissed by swiping left.
- Improved support for Wachusett Station
- Bug fixes
- iOS 10 bug fixes
- Fixed issues creating reports when using a custom keyboard
- Fixed a bug that caused reports to submit twice in some situations
- Links posted in reports can now be clicked on
- Minor UI improvements
When the MBTA's primary sources of real-time data are unavailable, the app will now fallback to using an older source of information. It's not quite as accurate as the primary sources, but it is good enough to give you a general idea of where your train is, and we will let you know when the accuracy might be questionable.
Fixes an issue that caused the app to freeze on some versions of iOS.
- New: ability to only display trips that you've favorited and hide the rest. To enable this feature, choose "Only Display Favorited Trips" from the settings menu (just make sure you've added all your important trips to your favorites first!).
- New: external links (like the @MBTA_CR Twitter account) will now open in Apple's new embedded Safari window for iOS 9.0+ users. This means that you can login to Twitter from the app and stay logged in across sessions.
- Minor bug fixes.
- New: coach numbers for past trips now display on the boarding history screen.
- Hopefully fixed: some users have reported that the app stops retrieving up-to-date data even after manually refreshing. While we haven't been able to reproduce this issue, we did fix some code that may have caused it. Please let us know if this bug continues to plague you!
- Fixed: on the schedule, if a train is more than an hour away from a stop it will display that length of time in hours and minutes instead of just minutes. E.g., "1 hour, 30 minutes" instead of "90 minutes".
- Fixed: for trips that have not departed yet, the schedule will display the "departing in" label correctly when the schedule is set to reversed sort order.
Bug fixes
Bug fixes
- New: passenger reports! A forum for riders to comment on their train. Is a prediction wrong? Train delayed mid-trip? Wondering if your train is standing room only? Discuss through the new "Reports" button next to each trip.
- New: you can now dismiss individual alerts.
- Fixed: an issue that prevented the Routes from automatically updating when returning from another tab.
- New: view all active trains in a route on the map; not just the train the map was loaded for
- New: train markers now automatically update themselves if new GPS coordinates are received while the map is open
- New: refresh directly from the map or schedule views
- New: iOS9 users now receive the new "San Francisco" font
- Fix: trains now present themselves properly if real-time data temporarily drops from the feeds
- Fix: app now refreshes properly when brought back into the foreground
- Other minor bug fixes, UI tweaks, and performance improvements
iOS 9 bug fixes
• New "GPS Location" label for each trip: see where your train is without loading the map
• Improved data: we now use both feed types from the MBTA to power the app. If a train isn't found in one of their feeds we fallback to the other
• Delayed trips will now display the length of the delay, if applicable, without needing to open the alerts window ("delayed 10-15 mins")
• Service alerts now appear in reverse chronological order
• Other miscellaneous bug fixes and performance improvements
- Improved maps: faster load times over cellular; tap on the "T" stop icons to view the stop name; tap on purple line markers to view the line; HD graphics.
- New "Historical Boarding Data" view: see which tracks your train most frequently boards on.
- The "pulse" icon indicating that live predictions are available will dim out if the train stops reporting data mid-trip.
- Bug fixes and performance improvements.
- View a full schedule for each trip with predicted arrival times.
- Bug fixes and performance enhancements.
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