A few weeks ago Translink updated their timetables. Since both Richard and I no longer live in Northern Ireland this missed us by completely. Thanks to everyone who emailed to notify us of the change.

We’ve uploaded a new version of the app today, which you should all get notifications of when next opening NI Rail, which has the new timetables.

One of the problems we had was that Translink decided to include Buses on their Train timetables. I’ve had to strip out buses for the mean time as they aren’t supported yet, so Derry commuters will have to check with Translink for details on replacement Bus services.

So sorry this has been so long coming (10 days since the timetable change) but it wasn’t helped by Translink deciding to mess with the timetable formats on their website.

We’re pleased to announce an update for NI Rail!

Try it out!

Changes:

• Memory fixes meaning now working on HTC Hero (tested) and presumably HTC Wildfire
• Now correctly displays trains that arrive after midnight
• Improved performance on slower devices
• Several bug fixes
• Reduced memory footprint

Thanks to all who downloaded the Beta and tested it for us. 67 installs over 5 days and only two errors discovered. These have been fixed, so anyone on 2.1 can now enjoy the app and you don’t need an sd card to install it.

Redesigned dash with better Departures board

We’ve also added some features to entice anyone on the beta to download it from the store. We’ve redesigned the upcoming nearby arrivals pane on the dashboard. This lets you see more nearby trains on screen at any one time and, if you tap on the bar, it will fill the screen (especially useful for small screen devices).

Departures board expanded by click on the Nearby Upcoming Departures bar

One thing to note; if you are installing having already downloaded the beta you need to un-install the beta first. The two apps are signed with different keys and so can’t be simply upgraded.

We hope you all enjoy the app and we promise to have a ad-free version up soon with a few added features

After many hours hard work by myself and Richard we can now present to the public the Beta of the NI Rail android app.

We hope that this app will help commuters to get around Belfast and Northern Ireland with less fuss and hassle.

You can join the free Beta by clicking, tapping or scanning the QR code above and installing the apk file that will be downloaded. Please forgive us any mistakes or missing features that may irk you, even better leave us some feedback on our Bugs/Feedback page, so we can continue to improve NI Rail.

Features:

• Favourite stations right on dashboard
• Station Map with stations ordered by distance for easy access
• Unique Search feature orders stations by nearest so you can easily access the station you’re interested in
• Station Page dedicated to each NIR station, with links to map, directions and lists of upcoming arrivals
• Delay Notifications garnered straight from Translinks twitter delay feed, keep on top of delays and never miss a train again

Feel free to request any features on our  Bugs/Feedback page and if we use it we’ll include a shout out in the app.

The Beta version of the app will send any crash reports to us automatically but don’t worry, they are infrequent and less than 5 bytes in size.

Features under development:

• Train Reminders
• A to B Journey Planner
• Themes – including one thats a measure more translink in style

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