[Edit after revisit…]
It’s nice to have a map-based interface. However, my expectation for a trans-europe-planner is to cross from one corner of europe to another, not to start by choosing one of only four cities within the centre - ok this is only a prototype example, but maybe not the best start-locations to illustrate the concept.
I can already go to DB site and get a long list of options from say Belgium to Poland, most with options to buy a through ticket, and can specify details like via station, transfer-time, train-types (although too few people know this is possible). However I can sometimes find more interesting or cheaper combinations by splitting the trip, consulting openrailwaymap to understand where are fast/slow/wiggly lines, or consulting a european night-trains map etc…
So there’s great potential to blend this in one tool including such a route-map interface. However the current background map shows motorways and forests before it shows railways - and then road numbers … why not build on openrailwaymap and/or opentopomap (or even better but less standard - a vector-map instead of tiles) as a base ? This could help people discover smaller railways with fine views, including passes between mountains, or along coasts or river valleys. Don’t just go for big famous cities.
Maybe the key innovation I see here is the parallel layout with blocks (trains) which can be dragged around to adjust timing - the lines indicating when trains depart are a clever way to condense info (although this does assume all have similar speed).
[Edit after revisit…] It’s nice to have a map-based interface. However, my expectation for a trans-europe-planner is to cross from one corner of europe to another, not to start by choosing one of only four cities within the centre - ok this is only a prototype example, but maybe not the best start-locations to illustrate the concept.
I can already go to DB site and get a long list of options from say Belgium to Poland, most with options to buy a through ticket, and can specify details like via station, transfer-time, train-types (although too few people know this is possible). However I can sometimes find more interesting or cheaper combinations by splitting the trip, consulting openrailwaymap to understand where are fast/slow/wiggly lines, or consulting a european night-trains map etc…
So there’s great potential to blend this in one tool including such a route-map interface. However the current background map shows motorways and forests before it shows railways - and then road numbers … why not build on openrailwaymap and/or opentopomap (or even better but less standard - a vector-map instead of tiles) as a base ? This could help people discover smaller railways with fine views, including passes between mountains, or along coasts or river valleys. Don’t just go for big famous cities.
Maybe the key innovation I see here is the parallel layout with blocks (trains) which can be dragged around to adjust timing - the lines indicating when trains depart are a clever way to condense info (although this does assume all have similar speed).