Train travel is riding a global boom as travellers take to the rails for more adventures. Whether you’re hopping between cities, exploring rural landscapes, or navigating busy urban networks, one of the best ways to plan, book, and navigate rail journeys is to pack a smartphone. The right travel apps can bring clarity to your trip: finding routes, booking tickets, and checking live train status. Here’s the Wise Traveller’s guide to standout apps for train travel.
12Go Asia: All-in-One Booking & Planning
12Go Asia is a versatile transport booking app covering trains, as well as buses, ferries, and even flights across much of Asia. Especially useful if you’re planning multi-country travel, for example, routes in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Japan and Sri Lanka. The app aggregates available services in one place, letting you check schedules and buy tickets without juggling multiple websites.
RailOne: Indian Railways Unified App
India’s vast railway network is one of the busiest, and the RailOne app, launched by the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), consolidates multiple services into a single platform. It allows users to book reserved and unreserved tickets, track live train locations, check PNR status, find coach positions, order onboard food, and handle refunds all in one place. This app replaces older segmented tools (like IRCTC Rail Connect or NTES tracking), making it much easier to manage journeys across India without switching between apps.
Where Is My Train: Real-Time Tracking
If you’re travelling by train in India, Where Is My Train is indispensable. Acquired by Google, this app provides accurate live train tracking using GPS and cell-tower data, a massive advantage when internet connectivity is unreliable. You can see when your train is approaching each station, look up upcoming stoppages, and get status updates offline.
NAVITIME / Hyperdia: Japan’s Essential Rail Apps
Japan’s rail system is efficient but complex, with regional lines, Shinkansen bullet trains, JR Pass routes, and local metros. NAVITIME’s Japan Travel offers route planning, station info, transfers, timetables, and even offline maps, while Hyperdia is a long-time favourite for timetable searches and route planning across all major Japanese train operators.
China Train Booking / Local Tools
China’s rail network is enormous, with frequent high-speed rail connections between major cities. While foreign travellers may struggle with local booking apps that are predominantly in Chinese, apps like China Train Booking let you buy tickets and receive e-tickets on your phone.
Omio & Regional Integrators
Omio covers travel routes in Southeast Asia including train and intercity services in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. Its strength lies in comparing options and prices across countries from a single app. This makes it a lightweight all-purpose tool for first-time travellers to Southeast Asia who want to plan and book with ease.
Trainline: Europe’s All-in-One Ticketing App
Trainline is one of the most widely used train ticketing apps for European travel, covering dozens of operators including SNCF (France), Trenitalia (Italy), Deutsche Bahn (Germany), Renfe (Spain) and more. Users can compare prices, see live departure times, and buy digital tickets all in one place.
Rail Planner: Offline Train Timetables
The Rail Planner app is a favourite for those using rail passes like Eurail or Interrail across Europe. It contains offline timetables for thousands of stations and lets you view connections even without mobile data. Perfect for long journeys or rural areas.
DB Navigator
While it’s Deutsche Bahn’s official app, DB Navigator offers coverage far beyond Germany’s borders. It’s known for highly accurate schedules, real-time updates, platform information, and connection suggestions if your train is delayed or cancelled.
JR East App
This app focuses on eastern Japan, with real-time updates, station maps, and service notices — incredibly useful if you’re exploring Tokyo and nearby regions.
Amtrak App
For journeys in the United States, the Amtrak app is the official choice. It allows you to browse schedules, make reservations, check train status, and even access digital boarding passes.
Amtrak connects major cities and scenic routes, such as the Coast Starlight and the Northeast Regional.
Conclusion
From planning complex international routes to checking live departure boards, using the right apps puts the world’s railways into your hands for a smoother, stress-free, and more enjoyable experience.
Andy Probert is a freelance journalist whose work about global travel news, aviation, business and human-interest features has appeared internationally in print and digital formats.
