Twitter and TfL will now send you instant notifications when your train is delayed

You'll still be late, but you'll know it in advance

Commuters prepare to travel on the District Line of the London Underground which is running a limited service due to industrial action on 30 April, 2014 in London (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Claiming a “world first”, Transport for London is partnering with Twitter to launch a pilot scheme that will send live tube and train updates to London commuters with Twitter accounts, alerting them to severe delays as and when they happen.

The pilot which was announced and launched on June 9th is opt-in and customers just need to visit the TfL website and select the lines for which they would like information to start receiving instant notifications. Notifications can also be tailored, allowing passengers to select the time periods they’d like to receive alerts, meaning you won’t receive unwanted reminders of your dreaded commute when you’re trying to enjoy a lie-in on the weekend.

The various TfL services already have Twitter accounts which many London commuters follow and use to get updates on delays and disruptions, however, this is the first time Twitter has ever partnered directly with a transport authority to actively send notifications to commuters’ phones, saving them the trouble of searching through their Twitter feed or finding the relevant account at the last minute.

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan described the service as “an innovative way of providing people with live updates from the Underground" and said it contributed to his "goal of making it as easy as possible to get around the capital.”'

At the moment, the pilot will only cover the London Overground, TfL Rail, Central line and District line services but TfL plan to assess feedback they receive from the pilot over the summer and if it proves to be positive, the service could be extended to other TfL Twitter feeds.