[Shaktipalooza]

I've been working on a little project designed to make finding trains a little easier.

IndiaGroove

It's in beta mode but still fun to take for a spin. New features and enhancements are being made all the time. One notable difference from the Indian govt web site is mine along with direct routes, will find connecting trains between two destinations.

Give it a whirl!

[iwanttogoback]

shakti

that's really useful, i've been looking at trains for my next trip, and found it really useful.

can i offer some feedback?i think you have the depart and arrive heading reversed in the table section. when i scrolled down to plain text section they were in the opposite order and made more sense.

cheers,and thanks.

[Shaktipalooza]

iwanttogoback, on Jan 5 2007, 04:29 PM, said:

shakti

that's really useful, i've been looking at trains for my next trip, and found it really useful.

can I offer some feedback?I think you have the depart and arrive heading reversed in the table section. when I scrolled down to plain text section they were in the opposite order and made more sense.

cheers,and thanks.

Doh!! Did I mention this was a work in progress?

I went ahead and swapped the labels, thanks for pointing it out!

[dzibead]

Wow!  What a project!  Being able to find the connecting trains will be a real god-send.  But I think you must have way too much time on your hands!  

[Sudheer Poppa]

Excellant concept and working like a chocholate cake - pure delight

Now I know earliest I can reach Rourkela from Trivandrum is in 45 hours. The layover time actually can help you plan for the delays of the other connecting train. Very user friendly format.

[Abhijit Sur]

Good work done!!
Try to add fare also if possible

[iwanttogoback]

Quote

The layover time actually can help you plan for the delays of the other connecting train. Very user friendly format.

yes, i really like this feature too, as well as the total trip time. it gives you a clear idea of the length, and whether or not you'll be able to stop somewhere along the way.

great work shakti.

[70s-80s overlander]

India Groove Train Finder (beta) works in Firefox

Good Work!

I'm happy to report that the search engine works with the free [Mozilla] Firefox browser [which, I might add, is so much less of a hassle than IE, IMHO].

I also like the subtitle on the site: "subcontinental travel, simplified" -- as it helps bolster one's courage in tackling travel in such a large country.

I am NOT complaining -- just suggesting: do you suppose a "next" project could be for a similar search engine called "India Groove Bus Finder," consolidating data regarding the major so-called "Volvo bus lines"?

While you are doing this for you, and for fellow travelers, perhaps it is worth noting what a fantastic effect these sites could have on the lives of average Indians who need to get from here to there. The power of the internet to change countries never ceases to amaze me.

[I guess I am also fully expecting some 10 year old Indian computer nerd to put up a site competing with yours. You'd best hire a 10 year old of your own to be on the lookout!]

[Shaktipalooza]

thanks for encouragement and advice everyone!

After years of fussing with the not-so-user-friendly Indian government site I decided there was room for an alternative. There is a lot more to be done to get it out of beta but it's been a major milestone just getting it out at all.

I am considering adding bus schedules but have a few other features to put up before I get to that one. The train finder is really just the tip of the iceberg on this project.

[Shaktipalooza]

I've added a minimum layover time option on the search engine. You can now select between 1-24 hours as a minimum layover.

[webswami]

Shaktipalooza, on Jan 7 2007, 06:12 AM, said:

thanks for encouragement and advice everyone!

After years of fussing with the not-so-user-friendly Indian government site I decided there was room for an alternative. There is a lot more to be done to get it out of beta but it's been a major milestone just getting it out at all.

Shakti, good work and thanks I have nearly finished setting up my first itenery using your work (Goa-vadodara-kanpur-lukhnow-varanasi-gankot-sikkim-kolkata-banglore-Goa). I guess you can get hold of some marketing chap and start work on hotels/guest house near stations etc to advertise? Also I normally plan my route by train one way and flight on return, it would be good to get some fight schedules as well? deccan/spicejet etc I know it is all on the web but having all on one site can be useful.
By the way who is this guy in the login page?

Attached Files

•  shaktim_sec.jpg   27.95K   8 downloads

[iwanttogoback]

shakti

looks like you've been working on it, the cities list looks simplified and easier to use.

one question, with the multi train lists, what does 'source' mean in the 'arrive' column? and i'm guessing that this should be depart, but you're still working on it?

this is making my trip seem so much less scary. i think i have avoided thinking too much about train trips after hearing others horror stories using the IR website.

everyone should take a look at this, even if they're not planning a trip at the moment.

[dzibead]

iwanttogoback, on Jan 7 2007, 05:29 PM, said:

one question, with the multi train lists, what does 'source' mean in the 'arrive' column? and i'm guessing that this should be depart, but you're still working on it?

I really should let shakti answer this, but I think this just means that the train doesn't have an "arrival" time because it originates at that station.

[Shaktipalooza]

webswami - the image is none other than Shaktimaan, First Indian Superhero.

I try to mirror the naming conventions used on the Indian Govt site so when checking availability over there it's a little more familiar. Source does indeed mean it is the origination station. When this project stabilizes a bit I'll come back through and had some tips to the pages.

All the recommendations I've been getting have been very helpful in shaping up the user interface. I still need to take some time with the connection displays, it's a bit of a conundrum how to display some of the more complex routes.

There are times when the two trains on a multi-train routes make connections at multiple stations. Right now it notes all of the connections which can be confusing. Flip side is that showing all the possible connections let's you have more options on when to change trains (middle of the night vs a little better morning hour).

[Mercurie]

Shakti

Undoubtedly, your work is excellent.  It is very helpful and looks absolutely fine, bearing in mind that it is still in beta mode.

I must thank you for your work.  Of course, I will recommend your work to those who are in need.  Keep up the good work.  I am sure it will be a huge success, when you have finalised your work.

Cheers.

Merc.

[Shaktipalooza]

thanks Mercurie.

I added an 'intellisense' feature today for using station codes in searches. start typing the name or the code of the station and a list with the nearest match will appear.

It might be a tad slow right now (esp with a slow internet connection) but I'll be rebuilding the indexes on the tables to speed things up.

[cyberhippie]

Yeah it's all right I suppose!!











Seriously what a wonderful bit of coding. A great idea and the work that must have gone it to it............................................

Thanks very much for the imput and I will be linking to your site directly on my amarteurish Webbie page!!

Great stuff my man!!

[Shilpaks]

shakti grt work
makes life so much simpler for all of us here , thanks a million

[Shaktipalooza]

Shilpaks, on Jan 9 2007, 09:41 PM, said:

shakti grt work
makes life so much simpler for all of us here , thanks a million

you're quite welcome! I just worked out the train stations in Bangalore thanks to the help I've been getting in the development forum here

so do you think this site is helpful for people living in India?

Edited by Shaktipalooza, 10 January 2007 - 11:22 AM.

[jyotirmoy]

Shaktipalooza, on Jan 10 2007, 05:51 AM, said:

you're quite welcome! I just worked out the train stations in Bangalore thanks to the help I've been getting in the development forum here

so do you think this site is helpful for people living in India?

Great job done, congrats & this site is surely helpful for us living in India. I have begun to recommend this to my friends.
Thanks.
Jyoti