How to Check Your Train's Speed on Your Phone
No app, no signup. Open the train speed test in your phone's browser, allow location, and the GPS speedometer shows how fast your train is moving. Here is what happens under the hood and how to get an accurate reading.
GPS in 30 Seconds
Your phone or laptop has a tiny GPS receiver that listens to signals from satellites orbiting Earth. By measuring how long these signals take to arrive, it can pinpoint your location within a few meters. When you're moving, it samples your position multiple times per second and calculates your speed by dividing distance by time. Train Speed Test simply reads that speed value through your browser's Geolocation API and displays it.
Allow Location Access
On first use, your browser will pop up asking for permission to share your location. Click Allow. Train Speed Test never sees your raw coordinates — it only reads back your derived speed.
Find a Window Seat
GPS needs a line-of-sight to satellites. The closer you are to a window, the more satellites your device can see and the more accurate your readings will be.
Wait for First Fix
It can take 10–30 seconds for your device to lock onto enough satellites. Once it does, the dial starts updating about once per second.
Keep the Screen On
Most browsers pause GPS when your screen turns off. If you want continuous tracking, keep the tab visible and consider plugging into power for long trips.
iPhone and Android
Any phone with GPS works. Safari and Chrome on iPhone, and Chrome, Samsung Internet or Firefox on Android all support the Geolocation API the speedometer relies on. Tap Allow when the location prompt appears; if you tapped Block earlier, re-enable location for trainspeedtest.org in your browser's site settings and reload.
Laptops usually have no GPS chip, so on desktop the reading is approximate or unavailable. For a reliable number, use a phone. On Indian Railways and IRCTC-booked journeys, a window seat in a non-AC coach gives the strongest signal; AC coaches with tinted glass may take longer to get a fix.
Wondering what number to expect? See how fast trains go by type and country, then calculate your train speed live and compare.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. Your GPS coordinates are never sent to a server, stored in a database, or shared with any third party. Close the tab and the data is gone.
For more detail, read our Privacy Policy.
When Readings Go Wrong
- Speed drops to 0 — usually a tunnel, underground station, or steel-shielded coach. Resumes when GPS regains signal.
- Jittery numbers — the train is stopped or going very slowly. GPS noise becomes more noticeable below ~10 km/h.
- Inconsistent max speed — short bursts of GPS error can spike the maximum. Use the Reset button to clear stats.
- Speed unavailable — some browsers don't report speed directly. Train Speed Test falls back to calculating speed from consecutive coordinates using the haversine formula.
Try Our Tools
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Average and top speeds of Vande Bharat, Rajdhani, Shinkansen, TGV, Amtrak, metros and freight, with a table for every country.
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