'Where Is My Train': The Railway App The Desi Passenger Swears By
'Where is my train' is a public favourite when it comes to tracking the real-time status, schedules of Indian Railways.
'What is the greatest invention of mankind?" a user asked on social media platform X. A fellow user promptly responded to the viral post by sharing a screenshot of Google's 'Where is my train" app. With over 100 million downloads on Google Play, the app frequently appears in public forums and discussions where users explore top utility apps for the best user experience.
But why?
The short answer is the app works. And is pretty good at it.
Where Is My Train
Developed by Sigmoid Labs, the 'Where is My Train" app provides users with live updates on train statuses and schedules. Launched by the Bengaluru-based startup, it received the Google stamp through the tech giant's acquisition of Sigmoid Labs in 2018, a milestone the startup celebrated enthusiastically on its website.
'…we're excited to share that Sigmoid Labs, the team behind the 'Where is my train' app, is joining Google. We can think of no better place to help us achieve our mission, and we're excited to join Google to help bring technology and information into more people's hands."
Prashant Kashyap, a user, praised the app's offline feature for tracking trains without an internet connection, leaving a glowing review.
'This app is incredibly useful for anyone traveling by train in India. The real-time train tracking is impressively accurate, even without an internet connection, which makes it perfect for remote areas. I love how simple and intuitive the interface is, and the ability to check schedules, PNR status, and seat availability all in one place is a huge plus. Highly recommended for all train travelers! (sic)"
Although nearly 48 lakh users have rated the app, a review from a couple of years ago highlighted that it is not without its flaws.
'The latest update gives a bit better experience but also brings an issue. When I search for running status of some trains, it gives me wrong information about its real time status and while travelling if I set 'on train' then it doesn't allow to scroll down to look for other stations. I think development team needs to review the update. Thank You! (sic)"
Is 'Where Is My Train" The Only App?
No. Indian Railways, one of the world's largest railway networks, operates the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) website and app, which offers functions similar to its counterparts, including tracking train statuses, passenger details, and real-time updates on train operations.
Where Is My Train Or NTES
Although 'Where Is My Train" is the more popular choice, users of the app have expressed disappointment over its reported absence from the iOS ecosystem.
'WIMT is by far way better than NTES for live tracking, NTES updates quite randomly," a Reddit user on r/Indianrailways wrote.
Giving a more detailed response, a second user listed the pros and cons of both apps.
'For straight live tracking, WIMT wins. However, it can hallucinate in many cases. Since it depends on crowd data, it relies on good GPS signal to work properly. If the route has poor signal, it can get messy. (sic)"
Calling NTES more reliable, the user continued:
'NTES is more reliable in my experience, especially for UR PAX Trains, as it is reported by station staff and is unlikely to have someone using WIMT. It runs on a 5 min delay, but train information is second to none. It shows cancellations, rerouting and reschedulings as it is updated by IR directly. Most trains also have coach positions loaded. Only thing is its very optimistic on trains catching upto delays, as though it thinks trains can do line speed into junctions. (sic)"
tags :
Indian Railways
view comments
Location :
New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
July 31, 2025, 14:39 IST
News explainers 'Where Is My Train': The Railway App The Desi Passenger Swears By
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
OpenAI, Google, Anthropic win US govt approval for civilian AI contracts
By Gregory Korte and Shirin Ghaffary The US government's central purchasing arm is adding OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Anthropic to a list of approved artificial intelligence vendors, opening the door to widespread adoption of the technology across civilian federal agencies. The move by the General Services Administration, to be announced Tuesday, will speed up the adoption of AI tools in the federal government by making them available through its Multiple Award Schedule, a federal contracting platform with contract terms already set. Without that flexibility, agencies would ordinarily spend months negotiating their own terms for use of the technology. GSA officials said the models from the three companies — OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude — were evaluated by several performance and security measures. The agency didn't immediately disclose the terms of the contracts. But it's used its buying power to negotiate deep discounts with software providers like Adobe Inc., Salesforce Inc. and Google. Other leading-edge AI companies would also be considered for the marketplace. The first three vendors were simply further along in the procurement process, the officials said. 'We're not in the position of picking winners or losers here. We want the maximum number of tools to provide to all federal government employees to make them as productive as possible,' said GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian. 'There's going to be different tools for different use cases.' The move comes just days after President Donald Trump signed three executive orders aimed at reshaping the government's role in AI, including a mandate that federal agencies only procure language models 'free from ideological bias.' Enforcing the presidential ban on what Trump calls 'woke AI' would be an agency-by-agency process, according to the GSA. 'But at the same time, this is a race, right? And as the president said, we're going to win this race,' said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA's Federal Acquisition Service. Adding the three companies to the multiple award schedule — which makes commercial IT products more readily available to agencies — means federal bureaucrats can begin using large language models that had previously been restricted to smaller pilot projects or national security use. The Pentagon has already awarded AI contracts to OpenAI and Elon Musk's xAI, which are separate from the GSA's announcements on Tuesday. Many agencies, including the Treasury Department and Office of Personnel Management, have already expressed interest in using the new platform, according to GSA officials. Under the previous presidential administration, federal agencies identified potential uses for AI such as processing patent applications, detecting tax fraud, reviewing grant submissions and copy-editing press releases. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said he envisions using AI to develop customer service chatbots and to summarize tens of thousands of public comments on rulemaking — a process that previously bogged down changes to regulations. But he said agencies will also have to hire savvy employees. 'We're probably missing people who are super conversant with very modern, AI-related stuff,' he said. 'Clearly, we can't just throw things against the wall and see what sticks,' Kupor said.
Economic Times
33 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Legal tech startup August raises $7 million from New Enterprise Associates, Pear VC
Legal tech startup August has raised $7 million in a funding round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Pear VC. The company is building artificial intelligence (AI) tools specifically for midsize law firms. ADVERTISEMENT The round also saw participation from Afore Capital, several law schools, and angel investors, including Gokul Rajaram, and senior executives from companies like Ramp, OpenAI, and Bain Capital Ventures. Founded in 2023 by Rutvik Rau, Thomas Bueler-Faudree, and Joseph Parker, August offers modular AI agents designed to automate document-heavy legal work like contract reviews, due diligence, and discovery preparation. The platform caters specifically to midsize law firms, a segment the company estimates includes over 50,000 firms globally employing more than half a million lawyers. The New York-based company, previously known as Vecflow, has also been expanding into the Indian market. It is working with law firm Economic Laws Practice (ELP), where it claims to have helped cut due diligence time by 60%. August's tools are also being piloted by other law firms in the generic legal AI tools aimed at large global firms, August said its software is tailored to local legal environments, and its modular AI agents are designed to align with regional laws, disclosure norms, and document standards.'We realised that these midsize firms are actually extremely innovative, because they're trying to provide the best client services. Their clients are extremely cost-sensitive, and that creates the right environment to use AI and really reap the benefits. But at the same time, we saw that most existing players are focussed only on the big law segment,' CEO Rau told ET. ADVERTISEMENT August said its platform can be deployed securely within a firm's internal network to comply with data residency the new funding, August plans to expand its engineering, product, legal, and sales teams. It also aims to deepen its presence in markets like India, where midsize firms are looking to improve efficiency and manage costs through automation. ADVERTISEMENT 'We see tremendous potential in the midsize legal market, where firms are eager for innovation that drives meaningful ROI,' said Tiffany Luck, partner at NEA. 'August's AI platform and custom agents enable midsize firms to deliver exceptional client value and drive significant growth.'
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Reports suggest Apple is working on an AI-driven answer platform
Apple has reportedly assembled a team to build an AI-powered app akin to ChatGPT, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Reportedly called Answers Knowledge Information AKI team is working on building an 'AI answer engine' capable of using the information from across the web to answer questions posed to it. This feature could be in a standalone app or provide search capability to Siri, Safari, and other Apple products. Gurman also states that Apple is hiring for this in-house AI team, as it is on the lookout for candidates with experience in search algorithms and engine development. Apple has already integrated ChatGPT Siri integration allows users to access AI-features without having to build its own app in-house. However, a more personalized, AI-powered update to Siri has been delayed on numerous accounts and is reportedly in the works. Apple may also be forced to change its search agreement with Google due to the company's recent antitrust loss. Gurman states that Apple is notably behind when it comes to artificial intelligence, and some of its leaders have even expressed skepticism at integrating ChatGPT-style search. The privacy issues surrounding OpenAI's platform has also meant Apple may be interested in a more personalized, Apple-made answer engine. The new 'answers engine' that Apple is reportedly building, could either be a standalone app. It is more likely to offer search capabilities to Siri, Safari, and other Apple products. The tech giant is actively hiring for this team, as seen on its recent job listings, with Apple specifically looking for candidates with experience with Safari search algorithms and engine development. It's worth noting that Apple is not yet on the conversational AI warpath that some other tech giants are, in which they are recruiting AI talent and paying them insane amounts of money to switch companies. Metal has reportedly been poaching top AI talent and adding them to its Super Intelligence Labs with upwards of $100 million on a multi-year deal. It's unknown as to whether Apple will be just as aggressive with its own recruiting.
