This thread is for talking about railways, and things related to railways, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Let's talk about trips we've made, journeys we've taken and would like to take, and trains and stations that we like, without being freaks about it.

Our previous thread - which seems to have begun as a meaningless driveby, but evolved into a mostly pleasant chit-chat - can be found here: >>1834513 - at time of writing it's at its bump limit, so let's see if a new thread will work out. If it runs on rails, it belongs here - questions are welcome!

Here's a few interesting links:
~Realtimetrains (realtimetrains.co.uk) - track your train. Its data comes directly from the signalling systems, so it'll almost certainly tell you your platform before your ticketing app does.
~National Rail Enquiries (nationalrail.co.uk) - punch in where you're going and where you're coming from, and it'll link to the available trains for your journey. It doesn't make a difference which train operator you choose to buy your ticket from, as they'll all charge the same price for the same journey.
~Trainline (thetrainline.com) - probably the best option for overseas visitors wishing to purchase train tickets. A little pricey, as they charge a booking fee, but they'll support your language and payment card.
~Openrailwaymap (openrailwaymap.org/) - invaluable for finding past and present railway infrastructure.
~Signalbox (map.signalbox.io) - look at them go! It works by guesstimating train positions based on their last known location and timetable, but it's mesmerising to watch.

So what's going on? - the Crossrail megaproject has been completed, and is open to passengers; it's due to begin a more intensive timetable next year. The first phase of High Speed 2 (hs2.org.uk) is under construction, and several smaller projects are also underway - East-West Rail, the Transpennine Route upgrade, the Midland Main Line electrification, and others I've forgotten as well.