What does Exp mean on a train departure board?

Exp on a train departure board means expected. The train is running late, and the time next to it (Exp 18:40, say) is the current estimate of when it'll leave. It isn't a promise. The estimate gets worked out again every time the train passes a reporting point, so it can drift later or, quite often, come back a minute or two. If you've got a few minutes to spare, that's the one word on the board worth understanding properly. The others are simpler.

Status words at a glance

That's the whole status vocabulary on most UK station screens, give or take a station that phrases things slightly differently.

What does On time actually mean?

On time means the train is running to the timetable according to the latest information. It doesn't mean nothing can go wrong. A train sitting at On time while you walk to the station can turn into Exp a few minutes later if it gets held at a red signal somewhere up the line.

On the left of the board you'll see the booked time, the one printed in the timetable. That never changes. The status column is the live part, and when the two disagree, believe the status.

Why does the expected time keep changing?

Because it's a forecast built from where the train is right now. Darwin, the system National Rail uses for live running information, takes reports as trains pass points along the route and recalculates the estimates for every station ahead. A train that loses time behind a slow freight train gets pushed back. A train with a bit of slack in its timetable can make some of it up.

So an Exp time can move in both directions. If the board says Exp 18:47 and it's 18:38, don't wander too far. We've written more about how that data works in what is Darwin.

What's the difference between Delayed and Exp?

Both mean the train is late. Exp comes with a fresh estimate; Delayed means there isn't a reliable one yet. You tend to see Delayed when a train is stuck somewhere (a signalling fault ahead, an incident on the line, a train that's broken down in front of it) and nobody can say yet when it'll move again.

Delayed often turns into an Exp time once things get going, so it's worth watching for a few minutes. If it sits on Delayed for a long while, look at the other trains to the same place. On some routes a different train, or a different line entirely, will get you there sooner.

What does Cancelled mean, and why is a reason shown?

Cancelled means the train won't run from your station. That might be the whole journey, or it might be cut short so it doesn't reach (or start from) where you are. Boards keep a cancelled train on show for a while so anyone waiting for it knows what's happened.

Most of the time a reason comes with it, written in the railway's slightly formal way, along the lines of "This train has been cancelled because of a shortage of train crew" or "because of a fault with the signalling system". Those reasons come from a set list the railway uses. Our guide to why trains are delayed or cancelled explains the common ones in normal language.

If a delay or cancellation means you arrive late, you may be able to claim compensation. See Delay Repay explained for how that works.

Platform numbers and station notices

Two more things on the board aren't strictly statuses but matter just as much:

• The platform appears once the station has confirmed it. At big termini that can be quite late, and platforms can change, so keep checking.
• Station notices scroll along the bottom or across the screen. They cover engineering works, disruption between two stations, or changes to how a line is running that day.

Read the notices when the board looks odd. A run of cancellations usually has an explanation sitting right there in the scrolling text.

Seeing the status before you leave home

Most of us check this stuff on a phone, standing in the hallway with one shoe on. TrainTicker puts the board itself on a shelf or desk instead. It's an amber LED board that shows the next trains from any National Rail station in Great Britain, with the same status words: On time, Exp with the new time, Delayed or Cancelled with the reason given, plus the platform once it's announced and the station's notices.

It checks Darwin every 10 seconds, so a train that slips to Exp shows up on the board at home much as it would on the platform. You can try it free in your browser with the live demo, or read our full guide on how to read a train departure board if you'd like every column explained.