New National Rail website

[yorksrob]

No luck with it so far.

I type in the journey details, press the "get train times and fares" button and it just takes me back to the journey details screen.

I hope they iron it out soon. The site was due a renewal.

 

[lincolnshire]

No luck with it so far.

I type in the journey details, press the "get train times and fares" button and it just takes me back to the journey details screen.

I hope they iron it out soon. The site was due a renewal.

Found the same problem myself , put the old one back till you can get the new one working properly. This new one is better known as CRAP

 

[Benjwri]

So many issues with the recent released pages. On my phone the journey planner takes you back to the homepage, on my laptop the tickets page. They also seem to have removed the option to set a via point which was very useful.

The disruption page is absolutely useless as well as it won't actually show details about the disruptions.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, the "via" option is vital.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Absolutely hopeless. I tried to plan a journey and it just took me back to the initial journey planning screen. Used Real Time Trains instead.

 

[nlogax]

So many issues with the recent released pages. On my phone the journey planner takes you back to the homepage, on my laptop the tickets page. They also seem to have removed the option to set a via point which was very useful.

You can still set a via point. Once you have search results, edit your journey and add a via point under Advanced Search. For now at least the results and edit function still live on in the old style.

 

[Benjwri]

You can still set a via point. Once you have search results, edit your journey and add a via point under Advanced Search. For now at least the results and edit function still live on in the old style.

Just wonder if that will make it to the new version. At least there is that though, I wasn't aware as as I mentioned above I couldn't even get to the results page!

 

[grove]

I don't know who does NR's web design, but frankly, it's appalling. It feels like something from a bygone age (perhaps that's what they want?) A significant part of the top of the page is taken up with multiple menu lines, and still images that convey no real content so that you always have to scroll down to get to anything useful and then the content itself is arranged in a completely unconventional way. Try it on mobile and it feels like it has not been tested by real users. As an example what on earth (or rail) does a menu option of "Inspiration" convey to the user?

 

[py_megapixel]

On the homepage there is a thing that looks like a pair of text inputs with a button in between:


But that's not what it is - the whole thing is a giant button which triggers a pop-up containing various controls, one of which is said pair of text inputs:



Even more bizarrely, this means that the "swap origin and destination" button on the homepage is entirely fake - clicking on it does exactly the same as clicking anywhere else in the giant button, and opens the popup.

I don't have a problem with the journey planner being in a pop-up, but why on earth wouldn't you just style the button which opens it as a button?!? When a user clicks in a text input (or something that appears as such) they have a clear expectation that the next thing they are supposed to do is type something. Breaking that sort of expectation is an excellent way to make the site annoying to use.

 

[Benjwri]

When a user clicks in a text input (or something that appears as such) they have a clear expectation that the next thing they are supposed to do is type something. Breaking that sort of expectation is an excellent way to make the site annoying to use.

To be fair on modern browsers it captures the input properly and after clicking you can just start typing (Albeit only in the origin box).

 

[grove]

On the homepage there is a thing that looks like a pair of text inputs with a button in between:
View attachment 136017

But that's not what it is - the whole thing is a giant button which triggers a pop-up containing various controls, one of which is said pair of text inputs:

View attachment 136018

Even more bizarrely, this means that the "swap origin and destination" button on the homepage is entirely fake - clicking on it does exactly the same as clicking anywhere else in the giant button, and opens the popup.

I don't have a problem with the journey planner being in a pop-up, but why on earth wouldn't you just style the button which opens it as a button?!? When a user clicks in a text input (or something that appears as such) they have a clear expectation that the next thing they are supposed to do is type something. Breaking that sort of expectation is an excellent way to make the site annoying to use.

Exactly my point, this unconventional design appears to be untested. It gives a confusing and poor user experience and if you have Accessibility issues it's a disaster.

I suspect the web designers have not read the UK Regulations for public sector organisations https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps

The reality is if you build a compliant site well it's actually better for everyone.

 

[py_megapixel]

To be fair on modern browsers it captures the input properly and after clicking you can just start typing (Albeit only in the origin box).

True, but depending on where you've scrolled the page to, the box you're typing in might end up in a completely different place to where you clicked, which is likely to be disorienting if you aren't expecting it.

 

[MikeWM]

Everything seems fine on my iPad using Safari. Not saying your problem isn’t legitimate of course, but could be something on your end?

It would appear not from the other replies in the thread. I've now tried it on both my iPads (which are running different versions of iOS) in a wide range of browsers, with no luck. It *does* work on Safari on my iPhone, however.

It’s also fairly common for beta sites to be opened up to a larger pool of users.

Of course, but if you're remotely professional and/or competent you don't release the final product until after you've done the beta testing and fixed any serious issues found. You don't make *everyone* use the beta. If there is still a way of using the old site that worked, until they've finished fixing up what they themselves are calling a beta - well, I don't see it.

 

[grove]

Of course, but if you're remotely professional and/or competent you don't release the final product until after you've done the beta testing and fixed any serious issues found. You don't make *everyone* use the beta. If there is still a way of using the old site that worked, until they've finished fixing up what they themselves are calling a beta - well, I don't see it.

This is not a one-person website here but one of the key ways a public body's customers interact with the service.

 

[MikeWM]

This is not a one-person website here but one of the key ways a public body's customers interact with the service.

Well, yes, which is why forcing people to use something self-described as a 'beta' is such an utterly poor decision.

 

[AlbertBeale]

So many issues with the recent released pages. On my phone the journey planner takes you back to the homepage, on my laptop the tickets page. They also seem to have removed the option to set a via point which was very useful.

The disruption page is absolutely useless as well as it won't actually show details about the disruptions.

Yes - I looked for engineering work amendments for the Bank Holiday weekend, and got looped backwards and forwards between two pages, neither of which listed the information. What would be even more helpful than a written list to plough through [not that there was even that], would be a map of the rail system with the affected bits highlighted ... but that would be too useful to be produced of course... (The "pending engineering work" displays in London Underground stations used to have a system map with the bits affected in the coming week highlighted - and with details underneath to read if a quick glance at the map meant it was relevant - but now there's only a page of text which makes it far slower and harder to check; you have to look at all the stuff you don't need to know before finding out that there's nothing at all you need to know. Showing the informatuion visually made it easy to visualise an alternative route, too. Is NR going down the same unhelpful route?)

Yes, the "via" option is vital.

Yes - I needed to check a "via" possibility on a route, and found it no longer gave that option. But when - luckily - I did a search anyway, I found it presented the results in the old style, which meant I could use the "amend journey" option to put a "via" in...

You can still set a via point. Once you have search results, edit your journey and add a via point under Advanced Search. For now at least the results and edit function still live on in the old style.

Aha - I thought it was just a lucky glitch when I got switched to the old style for the results when I did a search!

 

[Benjwri]

The "pending engineering work" displays in London Underground stations used to have a system map with the bits affected in the coming week highlighted - and with details underneath to read if a quick glance at the map meant it was relevant - but now there's only a page of text which makes it far slower and harder to check

That actually still exists it was just renamed. You can use it here, and change the date at the top of the page, which will change what the map displays.

 

[JacobWrenn]

The cookie message that pops up at the bottom appears to be not loading the correct font on macOS Chrome and just displays in an unpleasant default serif font.

 

[Robski]

I don't think this has been mentioned here yet, but NRE have managed to break certain other systems through their website update rollout. In the process of updating the disruptions page, they have managed to break the system that supplies real-time incident information to third parties (Knowledgebase). As a result, certain TOC websites, like Thameslink, are no longer showing up to date disruption information.

The current estimate for a fix to be implemented is 1st June... The system has been broken since 17th May.

 

[grove]

I don't think this has been mentioned here yet, but NRE have managed to break certain other systems through their website update rollout.

This is further evidence supporting my point that this has not been tested. It is truly appalling that random, unstructured tests by users on a live system is identifying so many errors especially with critical interfaces like real-time incident reporting.

 

[py_megapixel]

The "See what's new on the site" button - which just functions as a link to "https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/welcome-to-the-new-national-rail-website/" - is implemented in JavaScript.

What on earth?!?

That's not the only function which completely breaks if you try to use the site with Javascript disabled. And they don't even have the courtesy to provide some text to tell you this.

This sort of messiness would be acceptable in beta software, and indeed that's what they're calling it - but when every user has already been forced to switch to it, can you really still call it beta?

I don't think this has been mentioned here yet, but NRE have managed to break certain other systems through their website update rollout. In the process of updating the disruptions page, they have managed to break the system that supplies real-time incident information to third parties (Knowledgebase). As a result, certain TOC websites, like Thameslink, are no longer showing up to date disruption information.

The current estimate for a fix to be implemented is 1st June... The system has been broken since 17th May.

It's not just Knowledgebase. For disruption that started before the website changed, disruption information in the Darwin live departure board feed still contains links to service disruption information with the URLs formatted as they would be for the old website, but because they've not set the redirects up properly, these links are now lead to the wrong place.

This is particularly silly because the NRE site's own live departures function uses the Darwin feed, which means it displays these broken links - so it isn't even finished yet, and it's already suffering from "link rot".

 

[londonmidland]

The disruption page makes no sense. Loading more information for a particular incident will open up a separate page for it entirely.

No good if you are on a train with poor signal.

 

[Dr Strider]

Mobile site now seems to be working again via O2, so someone for the moment is still fixing faults on the old site.

Traintimes.org.uk does live departure boards too, and more than three at a time. Here's the link for Crewe, just change the station code at the end of the link for other stations: https://traintimes.org.uk/live/cre

Thanks for the tip. Not come across traintimes.org.uk before. Looks great, could be a lifesaver.

Dr Strider

 

[AlbertBeale]

That actually still exists it was just renamed. You can use it here, and change the date at the top of the page, which will change what the map displays.

Aha - thanks for this. Although I was meaning the "this week's engineering works" maps which were always displayed when you walk into a station, not what's online. Seeing that map when you got to the station, with easily absorbable information about which sections of line were affected, and where you could - looking at the map - see how to navigate your way round the problem, was so useful as you started your journey; the new text list on the posters is a very poor substitute (especially if you're not a local with familiarity with the system, when you have to cross-reference the text with a system map to figure out whether any affected section is on your route or not).

I realise that a similar map on the NR site wouldn't be as instantly useful as one for the LU system, given the massively bigger network; but at least you could tell at a glance whether there was anything to worry about, even if you did then need to look up the details if you were affected.

 

[Benjwri]

realise that a similar map on the NR site wouldn't be as instantly useful as one for the LU system, given the massively bigger network; but at least you could tell at a glance whether there was anything to worry about, even if you did then need to look up the details if you were affected.

Most TOCs produce one for their own network, I know for a fact GWR do for both the whole week, which is very in depth, or a more simple one each weekend.

 

[Rail Ranger]

I was pleased to find just now that if you put "National Rail" into Google it brings up National Rail Enquiries and if you click on "Journey Planner" it brings up the old website journey planner.

 

[benbristow]

Well, yes, which is why forcing people to use something self-described as a 'beta' is such an utterly poor decision.

Most public-sector (GOV.UK) sites launch as 'beta' - it's fairly common as they're releasing to the public but still doing user research & discovery.

How the beta phase works - Service Manual - GOV.UK

What to do during the beta phase, launching your service in private and public beta and deciding to move on to live.

www.gov.uk

Seeing lots of complaints about the new site here but it's a MASSIVE improvement from the old website.

I'm seriously shocked that it hasn't been done sooner - the old website was a fossil.

 

[zwk500]

Most public-sector (GOV.UK) sites launch as 'beta' - it's fairly common as they're releasing to the public but still doing user research & discovery.

How the beta phase works - Service Manual - GOV.UK

What to do during the beta phase, launching your service in private and public beta and deciding to move on to live.

www.gov.uk

Seeing lots of complaints about the new site here but it's a MASSIVE improvement from the old website.

I'm seriously shocked that it hasn't been done sooner - the old website was a fossil.

Launching in beta is fine, although it should have a 'old website here' button if people are really struggling.

 

[Benjwri]

Most public-sector (GOV.UK) sites launch as 'beta' - it's fairly common as they're releasing to the public but still doing user research & discovery.

How the beta phase works - Service Manual - GOV.UK

What to do during the beta phase, launching your service in private and public beta and deciding to move on to live.

www.gov.uk

Seeing lots of complaints about the new site here but it's a MASSIVE improvement from the old website.

I'm seriously shocked that it hasn't been done sooner - the old website was a fossil.

Lauching in beta is fine, but that does imply it's actually a beta. They launched with the journey planner redirecting to a much of semi random pages, never the actual journey planner. That suggests no testing was done whatsoever.

 

[benbristow]

Lauching in beta is fine, but that does imply it's actually a beta. They launched with the journey planner redirecting to a much of semi random pages, never the actual journey planner. That suggests no testing was done whatsoever.

I'd argue a beta site is better than the archaic mess that was the previous site.

Shame it does still seem to re-use the old design in certain areas - e.g. planner results.