UK's National Rail Shuts Down Free Timetable App 145
JHaselden points to this "sad tale of one developer's trying time with the National Rail, the owners of the UK's train timetable data, which flies in the face of the recent assertion of Chris Scoggins (Chief Executive, National Rail Enquiries) in Wired recently stating that they had 'opened up' their data, 'often free of charge.'" This is a good case for keeping your old emails handy; the app's author uses cut-and-paste to excellent effect in his correspondence with the rail system.
Re:WTF (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Dear Riders ... (Score:3, Funny)
If the tables are easy to obtain, people would realize the trains aren't really running on time.
Obviously they're trying to prevent another Mussolini.
Re:Syummary written by a 'tard (Score:5, Funny)
I hope you were joking, because criticizing another's grammar while having 2 misspellings (one of them in the subject line!) is ironic at best and pathetic at worst.
Late? (Score:4, Funny)
Given that this decision was by National Rail, I'm amazed that they came to a decision at all. I applied for a job once - got a description from the job center and wrote off to apply.
Three months later, I got a reply. Fully expecting, "Sorry but the competition was too intense, etc" I instead got the application form. I replied with it within 24 hours. Over 1 year later, I finally got a rejection letter.
Re:WTF (Score:5, Funny)
They're afraid terrorists will use those schedules to plan attacks!
Re:Late? (Score:5, Funny)
"This delay is caused by the late arrival of another application."
Re:WTF (Score:2, Funny)
I think I might have it too. My definition is - I expect a train at my station (could be late). This train takes so long that I have to run from the station to work every morning. If I try to get an earlier train something must go wrong and that service is cancelled. Of course I expect the ticket price to go up each year.
I wonder if there is a correlation chart for obesity rates and train overcrowding?
Re:Syummary written by a 'tard (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Just a precursor (Score:1, Funny)
It is private. Only it's public as well.
It's complicated, all right?
Re:WTF (Score:3, Funny)
Re:WTF (Score:5, Funny)
Heh, you should see a Japanese person waiting at a non-japanese train station for the first time.
They start getting anxious when it's 2 minutes and no train has showed up yet...
Related links:
http://www.japanechoweb.jp/economy/jew0210 [japanechoweb.jp]
http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25405/Tokyo+Train+Timetable.html [dannychoo.com]
Japan seems to be a really different country from the rest of the world.
Joke: when the Japanese went to watch football in a football stadium, the stadium ended up cleaner when they were done... :).
Re:WTF (Score:5, Funny)
Considering the timetables' accuracy, wouldn't it be safer to keep providing them?
Re:WTF (Score:1, Funny)
Correction: They're afraid terrorists will use those schedules to plan attacks for free!
Re:WTF (Score:3, Funny)
I successfully used their website.
It was so successful that I went to easyjet and booked a flight instead. No hassle involved at all.