I suppose it was inevitable given that they have been ordering people to take down their iPhone apps providing the same functionality, but National Rail has launched an iPhone app.  At £4.99 it is expensive as apps of this nature go, although so far it has nothing but rave reviews.  I have to say I’m shocked about that.

I mentioned in a previous post that National Rail have previously ordered other folks to take down iPhone apps and websites providing a far superior experience for discovering train info than their own website, and using their data to boot.  I am shocked that people seem to be very pleased with their iPhone offering considering their website for the very same thing is nothing short of utter shite.  I would have thought that a sensible thing for them to have done would be to buy out the most successful app already in existence, rather than chugging away at a new version of the good old wheel.

I still hang on to my older apps which I managed to get before they were torn down from the store, the best of which I got for free.  I’m afraid you won’t be getting a review from me of the National Rail version of it as there is no way that I’m shelling out 5 quid for something which should be freely available given that they probably want people to be using trains.  The alternative is to put up with their damn awful website, which rather than improve they’ve decided to advertise on to bring in revenue.  Tip for the rail folks:  if people could easily and efficiently get accurate information about their train journeys on a consistent basis, the revenue would come from customers, bums on seats, you know the sort.

Just an idea.