Link rosters, spare turns and a diagram that means nothing at home
Rail rosters run in links: a rotating sequence of turns that repeats over many weeks. It is precise, it is published far ahead, and it is written in a format designed for the depot rather than for anyone planning a birthday.
The schedules this actually has to cope with
Freeish is built around these, not around a nine-to-five with the occasional exception.
Link rosters
A long rotating sequence — often many weeks — before it repeats.
Early and late turns
Starts before four in the morning and finishes after midnight, in the same link.
Spare turns
Booked on with no fixed diagram until the day.
Rest day working
Overtime on a rostered rest day, agreed at short notice.
What it sounds like at home
- “My roster is published a year ahead and my family still cannot read it.”
- “A four o’clock start means the evening before is part of the shift.”
- “Spare turns mean I do not know the day until it starts.”
- “Rest day working takes days everyone thought were free.”
- “The link means my weekends move constantly.”
Where Freeish fits
Import the roster once and get plain days rather than a diagram.
Early starts can carry the early night before them, so it is expected.
Rest day working is one addition everyone sees.
Because rail rosters publish far ahead, family can plan months out.
One week, start to finish
Sanjay, driver
- Sanjay imports the link roster from a screenshot.
- The turns become plain days on a calendar his family can read.
- His daughter can see he is off for her school play in November.
- A rest day working shift goes in as agreed.
- The early turns carry the early nights before them.
Questions train and rail crew ask
Can it import a link roster?
What about spare turns?
Does it work months ahead?
Stop being the schedule. Start sharing it.
Now on iPhone — Android coming soon. Free to start. Import a photo of your next schedule and see who stops asking.