New Real-Time Map Tracks London's Entire Transport Network
A web coder has developed a comprehensive map displaying the live locations of tubes, trains, buses, and boats across central London.
A new interactive map created by web coder James Potter visualizes the real-time movement of London's public transportation system, including tubes, trains, buses, and riverboats, alongside planes and helicopters flying over the city. The map aggregates data from Transport for London, live departure boards, and flight and ship trackers to provide a comprehensive overview of the city's transit.
Users can observe trains moving along their routes and see precise arrival times at stations. The map also allows commuters to track buses, indicating if they are nearby or delayed, and provides views from traffic cameras at key locations.
Hovering over individual vehicles offers more detailed information. For trains, this includes their serial number, origin, destination, and proximity to the next stop. For buses, users can view license plate numbers and estimated arrival times at subsequent stops. Riverboats display a pop-up with an image of the vessel, its dimensions, and current speed. 
Potter, who shared his creation on X (formerly Twitter), stated that the map shows every vehicle on screen is real and moving in real time, sourced from public transport and tracking feeds. He mentioned that trains and buses, which lack direct GPS feeds, have their positions inferred from arrival countdowns and departure boards, then animated along route geometry. Potter noted that his "just for fun" project took approximately one day to develop, utilizing an AI coding model called Fable.
The map also highlights the geographical disparities in London's transport network, illustrating how the actual layout of the Tube system is more spread out than depicted on the official TfL map. It visually demonstrates the greater concentration of Tube lines north of the River Thames compared to the south.
Viewers have responded positively, with comments noting the map's impressive detail and the potential for hours of engagement. Suggestions for future enhancements include adding pedestrian density data to show crowd levels in different areas.