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Terms of Use

Effective October 19, 2026

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are the rules for using railroadradar.com and the RailroadRadar web app (the “Service”). How we handle personal information is explained only in the Privacy Policy. That policy is part of this agreement; we do not repeat it here.

By using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use RailroadRadar.

1. Agreement

These Terms are a contract between you and RailroadRadar. The Service is offered as a free beta product. Features can change, break, or be removed without notice.

RailroadRadar is operated in the United States. It is a live train tracking map. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by MassDOT, the MBTA, Amtrak, MTA Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road, Metra, NJ Transit, CTrail, or any other railroad or public agency.

2. Using the Map

We provide a map of live and scheduled passenger trains, station boards, alerts, search, optional notifications, and community locomotive reports. You may browse the public map without an account. Submitting reports and saving watch lists requires Google sign-in.

We grant you a limited, revocable, non-transferable license to use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes, in line with these Terms. You may not use the Service to build a competing product, resell our pages, or wrap our map as if it were your own service.

3. Accuracy of the Map

RailroadRadar is not a ticket seller, dispatcher, or official passenger-information system. Positions, delays, tracks, alerts, history, Ask answers, and community pairings can be late, incomplete, or wrong.

Do not rely on the Service as your only source for boarding, connections, meeting a train, or any safety decision. Official information remains with the operating railroad. Railroad names and equipment marks that appear on the map belong to their owners and do not mean those owners sponsor RailroadRadar.

Railroad property is private. These Terms do not give you permission to enter yards, rights-of-way, or other restricted areas.

4. Accounts

If you sign in, you must have the right to use that Google account and you are responsible for activity under it. We may refuse, hold, suspend, or ban accounts that violate these Terms, submit false or abusive reports, evade a prior ban, or threaten the Service or other users.

Verified-reporter badges and report holds are moderation tools only. They are not a guarantee that a report is correct. Account deletion and what we keep after deletion are described in the Privacy Policy.

5. Reports You Submit

Pairings, comments, and other material you post (“User Content”) must be accurate to the best of your knowledge. You keep any rights you have in that content. You grant RailroadRadar a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, adapt, and keep that content so we can run the map and moderate the community.

Do not put in a comment anything you do not want other users to see. We may edit, hide, refuse, or remove User Content at any time, including when it is outdated, duplicated, misleading, or abusive. A newer pairing may replace an older one for the same train or vehicle.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

  • Use the Service for any unlawful purpose.
  • Submit reports you know are false, or impersonate another person or a railroad employee.
  • Harass, threaten, or publish someone else’s personal information.
  • Interfere with trains, railroad operations, or emergency response, or encourage trespass on railroad property.
  • Probe, overload, scrape, or disrupt the Service, our hosts, or the public feeds we use, in a way that harms the map or other users.
  • Bypass a ban, report hold, or other access control, or use admin tools without permission.
  • Create accounts or flood reports by automated means without our written permission.

7. Safety

As cool as trains are, they are fast, quieter than you think, and can kill. RailroadRadar is a map for following and riding trains. It is not a safety tool. By using the Service, you agree to follow this section.

Stay Safe Around Trains

  • Stay off tracks and railroad property. Walking on or along tracks, or going into yards, rights-of-way, bridges, or tunnels without permission, is trespassing. It is against the law, and it can kill you. Trains cannot stop quickly or swerve, and they are often closer, faster, and quieter than they seem.
  • Cross only at marked crossings. Obey all signals, gates, bells, and signs. Never go around or under a lowered gate. Expect a train on any track at any time; another train may be coming right after the first one passes.
  • On platforms, stay back from the edge. Stand behind the yellow line or edge markings, and follow posted rules and railroad staff.
  • Watch and take photos only from places you are allowed to be, such as public sidewalks, roads, parks, and the public areas of stations. Follow each railroad’s photography rules, and stay well back from the tracks.
  • Never use RailroadRadar while driving, and don’t let your phone distract you near tracks, at crossings, or on platforms.
  • Never rely on RailroadRadar for a safety decision. Train positions, times, tracks, and alerts on the map can be late, missing, or wrong, and a train that is not on the map may still be coming. Do not use the map to decide whether it is safe to be on or near tracks, or to cross them. Always use your own eyes and ears, and follow posted signals, signs, and railroad staff.

Where to Get Help

  • Emergencies: call 911.
  • A problem at a railroad crossing (for example, a vehicle stuck on the tracks, or a gate or signal that isn’t working): if anyone is on the tracks, get them off and well away first. Then call the railroad’s emergency number on the blue-and-white Emergency Notification System (ENS) sign at the crossing, and give the crossing number shown on the sign. If someone is hurt or in danger, call 911. For MBTA Commuter Rail crossings, you can also call the MBTA at 800-522-8236.
  • Railroad police, for crimes, suspicious activity, or safety concerns on their railroad (in an emergency, call 911 first): For other railroads, call 911 or use the contact information posted at the station.
  • Rail safety tips: Operation Lifesaver, oli.org.
  • If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about someone who might be, you are not alone, and help is available any time. In the U.S., call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8. These services are free and confidential. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

These numbers belong to the organizations listed, which are not affiliated with RailroadRadar, and they can change. Check the organization’s official website if you are unsure.

Reports of Dangerous Activity

RailroadRadar is not an emergency service. We do not monitor the Service in real time, and we may not see a message for some time. If someone is in danger, call 911 or the railroad police first.

Do not post or share anything that encourages or shows trespassing or other dangerous or illegal activity around railroads. This includes train reports and comments, special move titles, public trips and profiles, press-release comments, and live location sharing from tracks or other places you are not allowed to be.

If you see something on RailroadRadar that breaks these rules, email us at railroadradar@gmail.com. Tell us where you saw it (for example, the train, the report, the profile username, or the press release) and what it shows.

We may review what you send us and, in our discretion, we may:

  • remove train reports and press-release comments;
  • end a live location share;
  • hold an account’s new train reports until an administrator approves them; and
  • suspend or ban an account. A banned account cannot post reports or comments, log trips, or share its location.

We are not required to review every report or to take any particular action, and we do not promise to act within any set time.

If we find evidence of illegal or unsafe behavior on RailroadRadar, we may work with railroad authorities and law enforcement.

We may share information about an account or its content with law enforcement, railroad police, or other authorities when we believe the law requires it, or when we believe it is needed to prevent harm, as described in the Privacy Policy.

8. Intellectual Property

RailroadRadar’s name, site design, map presentation, and original text and graphics are owned by RailroadRadar or its licensors. Transit data remains subject to the terms of the agencies and feed providers that publish it.

You may share public train links and screenshots for personal, non-commercial use, with credit to RailroadRadar where practical.

9. No Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RAILROADRADAR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that information on the map is accurate, current, or complete, or that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RAILROADRADAR AND ITS OPERATORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR MISSED TRAINS, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THOSE DAMAGES WERE POSSIBLE.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF TEN U.S. DOLLARS (US$10) OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM. THE SERVICE IS CURRENTLY FREE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations. In those places, the limits apply to the maximum extent allowed.

11. Suspension and Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or end access, including reporting features, if you violate these Terms, if required by law, or if we shut down or redesign the map.

Licenses you granted for User Content already published, and the disclaimer and liability sections, survive termination.

12. Changes

We may update these Terms from time to time. The effective date at the top will change when we do. Material changes will be posted on the Service. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

13. Governing Law and Contact

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, the state or federal courts located in Massachusetts will have exclusive jurisdiction, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and RailroadRadar about the Service.

Questions about these Terms:
railroadradar@gmail.com