Among frequent flyers, it has become common to record completed flights in a digital logbook. Many of us probably use tools like myFlightradar24, though there are several alternatives like Flugstatistik.de or Log my World.
Unfortunately, the latter tool doesn’t yet live up to its name, as other modes of transport such as buses, trains, and the like are excluded. While a suburban train ride through your hometown might not be particularly noteworthy, an overnight train journey through Norway or an Amtrak tour across the USA is something I’d like to document. For years, I’ve been searching for a way to log train journeys properly.
Now, the search seems to be over. A few days ago, I stumbled upon a website called Viaduct via Twitter. It offers nearly all the features I’ve been hoping for. You can log any train journey, and the tool will analyze the data and present it beautifully on a map—not just as a straight line but with the detailed route.
The tool is completely free to use. Its current funding comes solely from posters that users can print and hang on their walls.
How It Works
With a click on Add Trip
, you can enter individual train trips. Each segment must be entered separately—so if your trip involves transfers, you’ll need to log multiple segments. At a minimum, the route and date are required.
Viaduct can access timetable databases for most European companies, making data entry much easier. Ideally, the connection you took will appear directly, and you only need to select it:
This feature is also helpful for past journeys. Even if the timetable is outdated, train numbers and intermediate stops often remain unchanged. If the tool doesn’t work for a specific case, you’ll need to enter the data manually, which takes a bit more time.
You can also add further details, such as the type of ticket, travel class, and, for trips in Germany, perhaps the most important field: the delay.
Once you’ve logged a few trips, they are displayed in a clear list:
The highlight is, of course, the map. I haven’t manually entered all my 500 train journeys yet, so for now, here’s an example of my Interrail trip from the 50% sale:
Naturally, there are also some statistics, like time spent on trains, most-visited stations, the percentage of a country’s railway network you’ve traveled, and more:
Room for Improvement and Outlook
The tool was only released in summer 2024, so it’s far from perfect. However, it feels well-programmed, visually appealing, and works as expected in most cases. For other issues, there’s an ideas and bug tracker.
Here are a few points I noticed during testing:
- Currently, only trains are supported. Ferries are expected to be added soon, but it might take a while before (long-distance) buses are supported. A corresponding suggestion already exists.
- Not all stations are in the database. For instance, I initially couldn’t find my #1 station, Rostock Central Station. After reporting this bug, it was fixed within 24 hours!
- Some stations are hard to find via text search. If that happens, you can use the map search and select the station directly.
- Train types cannot yet be specified. Whether it’s a Siemens Desiro HC or a Stadler FLIRT is nearly as important to me as choosing between Airbus and Boeing. The developers have already marked this suggestion as planned.
- Occasional mapping errors. For instance, during my Interrail trip, I noticed a route crossing Germany that I never traveled. After some investigation, I traced it to the Venlo–Mönchengladbach segment, where a stop (“Venlo Staatsgrenze”) was incorrectly mapped near Berlin instead of at the German-Dutch border.
- Limited flexibility for stations and operators. You can only choose from predefined lists and cannot add your own entries. A bit more flexibility or an “expert mode” would be helpful.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the current functionality. It doesn’t feel like an alpha version released too early.
Conclusion
Viaduct.world is exactly the tool I’ve been waiting for. Finally, there’s an attractive and convenient way to track train journeys. Now all that’s missing is support for buses, ferries, and the like, and I’d be completely satisfied.
Previously, I repurposed Flugstatistik.de for this purpose, treating every station as its own “airport.” However, this was only a stopgap solution, as it didn’t account for route details (each trip was a straight line), and the map wasn’t zoomable. Now I only need this interim solution for bus rides, cruises, and ferries, which was never a great fit anyway:
A big thank you to Florian and Michael for developing and providing this tool for free!
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Viaduct.world on an MGB ride through the Oberalp Pass | Peer Linder