tubeupdates.com was developed by Ben Dodson who said: ""Ever since the Transport For London site was updated, I've wondered why they didn't provide a basic way of accessing their data which so many developers could make use of. I expected that they would have an RSS feed of the tube status updates but instead the only way to access this information was through a set of pre-built widgets. Not any more."
My idea was to have a fully featured REST-ful API that would allow any developer to instantly query what state the London Tube network was in. As a bonus, this would include the Docklands Light Railway and if possible would feature the individual messages that each line has in order to specify exactly why there is a delay or if any stations are closed, etc. A distant dream was to be able to search back through the various status changes over time so that other developers could build applications such as reliability graphs or time checkers."
When number of bloggers & myself met TfL last year we asked why their API wasn't open to developers, so it's good to see that people are trying to handle what little data is open to people. Surely some tools like this on their website or working closely with developers (many of whom have a lot more time their hands in the current economic climate) would benefit everyone?
Who knows it may happen in the future. But in the meantime while away some time seeing how reliable your line is, & feel free to get in touch with Ben if you've got any questions on the tool.
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