Tunnel Rat is New York's underground expert—a fast, native, and private app for riding the subway, built specifically for those who rely on it every day. Totally free, no ads, and no tracking. Unlike other transit apps, the ambition is narrow: cover the NYC subway in depth—just this system, just this city. Realtime countdowns, live train tracking, summarized alerts, trip planning, reminders, precise entrances widgets, and more, each designed with care and precision.
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Maker
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Hey PH, I'm Ry! Designer, maker, etc. Most recently at Figma, but building some lil bits and bobs while I take a break.
Throughout my decade in NYC, I've been craving a subway app that works a bit more like how I think about it: instant access to the stuff I use daily, with everything else a tap away. And instead of trying to do everything, one that's focused exclusively on NYC. So... I built it.
Tunnel Rat's a native iOS app, built to be fast, free, reliable, private, and accessible from the ground up. Realtime arrivals, service alerts, live routing, trip reminders, and widgets, all around one idea: open it, get what you need, put your phone away before the train comes.
Still very much a work in progress, so if you ride, give it a try and tell me what's missing or broken. Drop me a line here, in the app's feedback flow, or at hi@tktk.studio.
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Since the app is totally free with no ads, how are you planning to keep the servers and development funded long term, especially if real-time MTA data costs start adding up?
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How are you handling the MTA's data feed reliability when the realtime updates lag or go down during service changes?
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how does the live train tracking actually work under the ground, is it pulling from the MTA feed or something custom you built?
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The singular focus on just the NYC subway shows real discipline, and the precise entrance widgets sound genuinely useful for daily riders who know how much a missed staircase can ruin your morning.
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finally an app that gets NYC and only NYC. love how clean the live tracking is, no clutter or weird upsells popping up between stops. the widget for station entrances is genuinely useful for late nights when you need the closest exit fast.
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Finally gave it a spin on the 6 train this morning, and the live countdown matched what I saw on the platform to the second. The no-tracking promise actually feels genuine, which I appreciate more than I expected from a free app.
Since the app is totally free with no ads, how are you planning to keep the servers and development funded long term, especially if real-time MTA data costs start adding up?
How are you handling the MTA's data feed reliability when the realtime updates lag or go down during service changes?
how does the live train tracking actually work under the ground, is it pulling from the MTA feed or something custom you built?
The singular focus on just the NYC subway shows real discipline, and the precise entrance widgets sound genuinely useful for daily riders who know how much a missed staircase can ruin your morning.
finally an app that gets NYC and only NYC. love how clean the live tracking is, no clutter or weird upsells popping up between stops. the widget for station entrances is genuinely useful for late nights when you need the closest exit fast.
Finally gave it a spin on the 6 train this morning, and the live countdown matched what I saw on the platform to the second. The no-tracking promise actually feels genuine, which I appreciate more than I expected from a free app.