Passengers planning train journeys in Hertfordshire can now check online route maps for planned engineering work up to six weeks ahead of their day of travel.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates both Thameslink and Great Northern services in the county as well as the Southern network, has added an interactive calendar to the live route maps on each of their websites.

The Great Northern live mapThe Great Northern live map (Image: Govia Thameslink Railway)

To use the brand-new calendar, website visitors simply enter the date of their trip.

The live digital map shows at a glance which routes will be affected by rail improvement or maintenance work on that day, and where replacement buses will be running.

Passengers can fine-tune the calendar setting to a particular time of day, for instance to check whether late-night trains will be affected more or less than daytime services, or what time in the morning lines will reopen after overnight closures.

Live maps on Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern websites now show planned engineering work up to six weeks in advanceLive maps on Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern websites now show planned engineering work up to six weeks in advance (Image: Govia Thameslink Railway)

Eileen O’Neill, GTR’s customer excellence director, said: “We’re always aiming to make travel information clearer, more convenient and more useable for our customers.

"This new calendar function makes it easier to get the big picture of where we know services will be affected by engineering work, well in advance.

"We’ll keep improving the information this provides and add more useful features to the maps as we develop them.”


For an example, see the live map with its calendar function on the Thameslink site here.


The Thameslink live mapThe Thameslink live map (Image: Govia Thameslink Railway)

The calendar is already proving popular, with views of the maps having tripled during a four-week trial.

The live maps will continue to highlight routes that are experiencing unplanned disruption at the time of viewing.

With this latest enhancement, passengers can start checking well ahead with the latest advance information about upcoming planned service changes.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services.