TrainTracker24
Posted: 26 Aug 2026 21:11
If anyone has ever used Flightradar24.com for monitoring flights or MarineTraffic.com for ships, a similar site was launched this morning for trains, albeit it has limitations because of the availability of data it can access to work with - although positioning of Renfe trains is fairly accurate because of GPS.
Clicking on a train will pull up its route and stops, and show any delays.
https://www.traintracker24.com/
Some information about how the train positioning is provided is below:
How does positioning work in #TrainTracker24? Is it really in real time?
Let's start with French trains. 
SNCF does not provide exact location data. There is no GPS, nor anything equivalent to ADS-B for planes.
However, real-time data feeds are published, which allow us to obtain delays, traffic information, itinerary changes... That's what we use, corroborated by station timetables.
This data is ingested, normalized, and then fed into our positioning algorithm. Each train receives, based on this data, an extrapolation that places it on its route. This takes into account numerous criteria: the train's acceleration and braking, line speed, various delay scenarios, deviations, non-commercial stop times...
This system is not as precise as a GPS position, but it's the limit of what's possible with the data we have.
Belgium works on the same principle. 
The data comes from the Belgian operator SNCB, and is of the same nature as SNCF's. The same algorithm applies.
For Spain, however, it's different. 
Renfe publishes, for most of its trains, a GPS position updated in real time. It's technically simpler for us, but also more reliable and of course precise.
Conclusion: Is the position in real time?
For Spain, yes for most trains.
For the others, it will depend on what you mean by "real time":
- If it's an absolutely exact position at every moment like Flightradar24, then no, and we're transparent about the fact that it's technically impossible (see legal mentions).
- If it's an extrapolated position updated every ~15 seconds, based on real-time updated data, taking disruptions into account, then yes, and it's a technical limitation imposed.
What's next? Expanding in Europe 
. As is currently the case, some countries will have more precise positioning than others for the same reasons.
Behind this map are hundreds of hours of work and real server costs to process massive data streams continuously. The resources needed to aggregate and process such quantities of data continuously are significant. It's for this sole purpose that optional subscriptions exist. They are not mandatory, but a way to support our work and accelerate the arrival of the next European countries.
I say it again, but the map remains entirely free and ad-free for users.
Elric. B,
Founder of TrainTracker24.
Clicking on a train will pull up its route and stops, and show any delays.
https://www.traintracker24.com/
Some information about how the train positioning is provided is below:
How does positioning work in #TrainTracker24? Is it really in real time?
Let's start with French trains. 
SNCF does not provide exact location data. There is no GPS, nor anything equivalent to ADS-B for planes.
However, real-time data feeds are published, which allow us to obtain delays, traffic information, itinerary changes... That's what we use, corroborated by station timetables.
This data is ingested, normalized, and then fed into our positioning algorithm. Each train receives, based on this data, an extrapolation that places it on its route. This takes into account numerous criteria: the train's acceleration and braking, line speed, various delay scenarios, deviations, non-commercial stop times...
This system is not as precise as a GPS position, but it's the limit of what's possible with the data we have.
Belgium works on the same principle. 
The data comes from the Belgian operator SNCB, and is of the same nature as SNCF's. The same algorithm applies.
For Spain, however, it's different. 
Renfe publishes, for most of its trains, a GPS position updated in real time. It's technically simpler for us, but also more reliable and of course precise.
Conclusion: Is the position in real time? For Spain, yes for most trains. For the others, it will depend on what you mean by "real time":- If it's an absolutely exact position at every moment like Flightradar24, then no, and we're transparent about the fact that it's technically impossible (see legal mentions).
- If it's an extrapolated position updated every ~15 seconds, based on real-time updated data, taking disruptions into account, then yes, and it's a technical limitation imposed.
What's next? Expanding in Europe 
. As is currently the case, some countries will have more precise positioning than others for the same reasons. Behind this map are hundreds of hours of work and real server costs to process massive data streams continuously. The resources needed to aggregate and process such quantities of data continuously are significant. It's for this sole purpose that optional subscriptions exist. They are not mandatory, but a way to support our work and accelerate the arrival of the next European countries.I say it again, but the map remains entirely free and ad-free for users.
Elric. B,
Founder of TrainTracker24.