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JourneyCheck FAQs | General Alert FAQs | Alert Registration FAQs | Alert Message FAQs

What is JourneyCheck?
What is shown?
Can I get a quick overview of what is happening?
How do I get more information about any category?
How do I get more information about any individual item?
What is the difference between ‘Underground Update’ and ‘Planned Underground Works’ (only relevant for Train Operating Companies running into London)?
Can I get information on Underground planned alterations after today (only relevant for Train Operating Companies running into London)?
Can I filter the information for my journey?
How do I get departure board information?
Can I select journeys that involve changing?
Where does the real time information come from?
How far into the future do the listed incidents in ‘Line’ and ‘Service’ Problems cover?
How far into the future do the departure boards go?
Do the Departure Boards only show the trains operated by Avanti West Coast?
What does ‘No Report’ etc. in the Calling Pattern mean?
Can I see how my train is actually running when it is en route rather than just having ‘Expected times’?
What is a ‘Circular Route’?
How do I know which train is likely to arrive at my destination first?
How can I quickly change my route around for the return journey?
Can I save a route to be used later?
Can I make a route my default route setting?

What is JourneyCheck?

An internet site which gives details of what is currently happening in real time to train services on Avanti West Coast generally and also in respect of specific journeys which can be personally chosen.

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What is shown?

The site gives details of incidents affecting services along a route, specific train delays, alterations and cancellations and real time departure and arrival information. It also gives details of both incidents and planned disruption of London Underground services (only relevant for Train Operating Companies running into London).Other information such as Carbon emissions by rail and other modes may also be shown.

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Can I get a quick overview of what is happening?

Yes, the ‘Summary Page’ shows how many items of each type of information there is and a brief summary of the item. If you have a specific selected route displayed, you can change to this page by clicking on ‘Summary’ at the top right of the page.

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How do I get more information about any category?

Alongside each category on the right are two boxes. If there is no detail shown and the further right box shows ‘Show’ you will need to click in this to show details in this category. Clicking in the box again (now showing ‘Hide’) will reverse the process. Clicking in the other ‘Expand All’ box will expand the details of all the individual items in this category so you can read the details. Clicking in this box again (now showing ‘Collapse All’) will reverse the process. If you wish to see expanded information about only one item, see the next FAQ.

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How do I get more information about any individual item?

Alongside each summary on the left is a small square with a + sign in it. Clicking on this will expand the item and show more details. Clicking on this square again (now showing a – sign) will reduce the information shown to the summary.

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What is the difference between ‘Underground Update’ and ‘Planned Underground Works’ (only relevant for Train Operating Companies running into London)?

‘Underground Update’ lists unplanned problems currently disrupting the service. ‘Planned Underground Works’ shows the planned alterations affecting Underground services.

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Can I get information on Underground planned alterations after today (only relevant for Train Operating Companies running into London)?

Yes. You can get details of all items up to 31 days in advance by selecting any station with an Underground interchange and filtering the list by using it as a ‘From’ or ‘To’ location (see below). Options are then available for listing future Underground information.

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Can I filter the information for my journey?

Yes. Move the mouse over the ‘Route Selection’ box on the left near the top. It will change colour and you will see three options in a list. The top one is ‘Load New Route’. Click on this and a ‘Route Filter’ box will be displayed permitting you to select stations from the list and enter them in the ‘From’ or ‘To’ (or both) boxes. The information will then be filtered to only show items likely to affect trains serving the station(s) you have specified. To undo this, click on ‘Summary’ at the top right of the screen or change the ‘From Station’ and ‘To Station’ to both show ‘All Stations’.

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How do I get departure board information?

You will need to select stations from the list and enter them in the ‘From’ or ‘To’ (or both) boxes (see previous Q and A).

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Can I select journeys that involve changing?

No. Only routes with direct train services between them will display relevant information. If there are no direct services the following message will be shown ‘There are no direct services between the ‘from’ location and the ‘to’ location’. Alternatively where there are direct services but none in the next hour this message will be shown, ‘There are no direct services from the ‘from’ location to the ‘to’ location within the next hour’.

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Where does the real time information come from?

The ‘Line’ and ‘Service’ Problems are fed directly from the Avanti West Coast Control Room, where decisions on current train running are made and using Nexus Alpha's own systems. It is thus the most up to date information available about the train service.

Departure Board information is supplied from National Rail Enquiries via an automatic system. Underground Information is supplied by Transport for London Travel Information.

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Does JourneyCheck include the Enterprise services?

Yes. These are included (in both directions), in respect of both incidents and departure boards. The stations in the Republic served by these services are included within the station list and so can be used to query for information regarding these services.

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How far into the future do the listed incidents in ‘Line’ and ‘Service’ Problems cover?

These are displayed as soon as they are received from the Avanti West Coast Control Room and thus cover as far into the future as is known at that time.

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How far into the future do the departure boards go?

Normally the first four trains will be shown. Clicking on ‘More’ will increase the display to show all trains in the next hour. If there are no trains scheduled in the next hour, a message ‘There are no direct services to the ‘to’ location departing from the ‘from’ location within the next hour.’ will be shown for departures with a similar wording for arrivals.

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Does the information automatically update?

No. You will need to refresh your browser using its refresh button or the F5 key.

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Do the Departure Boards only show the trains operated by Avanti West Coast?

No. All the services of each Train Operating Company operating trains along the route you have selected will be shown together with the name of that company underneath the details.

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What does ‘No Report’ etc. in the Calling Pattern mean?

There are a number of words which may appear and this is what they mean:
Delayed = This service is delayed,
No report = There is no report on the progress of this service yet,
On time = This service is on time,
Starts here = The service has not yet started the journey,
Cancelled = The service has been cancelled throughout,
Not Stopping = The train is running for part of its journey but not calling at that particular station.

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Can I see how my train is actually running when it is en route rather than just having ‘expected times’?

Yes. When the timing shown in the Calling Pattern against a station is shown in normal typeface this indicates an expected time. However when you refresh the page, as soon as there is a report of the train leaving a station, the timing shown in the Calling Pattern against that station will be shown in italic rather than in normal typeface and this indicates the time that the train actually departed that location.

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What is a ‘Circular Route’?

Some trains start from a location and then go round in a loop returning to terminate at the same station from which they started. These are ‘Circular Routes’. Sometimes using one of these trains the long way round the loop would be very slow. See the next Q and A for details of how to find the quickest service.

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How do I know which train is likely to arrive at my destination first?

Not only are there trains that go a long way round (see question above) but also trains may overtake others that were previously in front. By clicking on ‘Sort by Dest. Arr.’ the train departures will be listed in the expected order of arrival at your chosen destination rather than by scheduled departure from where you are going from. Clicking on the same area again (now shown as ‘Sort by Orig. Dep.’) will revert the order to that of scheduled departures.

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How can I quickly change my route around for the return journey?

Move the mouse over the ‘Route Selection’ box on the left near the top. It will change colour and you will see three options in a list. The second one is ‘Swap Direction’. Simply click on this and it will reverse the ‘From’ and ‘To’ locations.

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Can I save a route to be used later?

Yes. Move the mouse over the ‘Route Selection’ box on the left near the top. It will change colour and you will see three options in a list. The third one is ‘Save Current Route’. Simply click on this and it will save the current ‘From’ and ‘To’ locations as a ‘Saved Route’. When you next look at the Route Selection area, you will find your ‘Saved Routes’ listed below the ‘Save Current Route’ option. The first Button to the right of the details of the route enables you to delete it as a ‘Saved Route’.

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Can I make a route my default route setting?

Yes. Select one of your saved routes in the ‘Saved Routes’ list and then click the other button to the right of the details marked ‘Make Default’. The default route will be indicated by the words ‘Default Route’ where the button was previously located. You can change the default to another route by simply clicking the ‘Make Default’ button adjacent to the route that you now wish to make your default route. This route will now become the default route instead of the previous one. When you open JourneyCheck it will now open with your ‘Default Route’ as the settings.

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Claim for a delay

We always do our very best to get you where you are going on time. Sometimes though, problems occur outside our control that affect your journey.

Claim a refund here

Improvement works

We are constantly looking at ways to try and improve the service we deliver. We like to keep you up to date with all the planned improvement works and help minimise the disruption they cause.

Keep up to date here

Our routes and stations

Find out more about our routes and stations up and down the country.

See our routes and stations here

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