For several years, Chris Knight’s been quite satisfied with his 40-minute light rail ride from San Jose to Mountain View.

But now his daily commute has become even better: He knows almost exactly when his next train will arrive.

With little fanfare, the Valley Transportation Authority recently began making real-time information available for light rail on cellphones and other mobile apps as well as on message boards at its platforms.

VTA buses have had this information available for a year. Now, light rail’s come on board with the new app, which has been one of the top requests from riders, who make more than 11 million train trips each year.

“They have electronic signs at many stations, and they only show the generic messages and the current time and seem like a waste of very nice signs,” said Knight, 43, who works at NASA/Ames and is ecstatic about the new app. “Having a display showing when the next train is arriving, and how long the train is, would be appreciated. I really like their real time map (http://vta.transloc.com), which even works well on my iPhone.”

The arriving time is also available @VTA on Twitter, on the VTA on Facebook or subscribing to email notices about specific routes. Soon it will also be available at m.511.org.

Real-time information systems are based on the current location and estimated travel times, taking traffic and signals into consideration. Because of so many variables, predictions can’t always be exact but will be able to help passengers plan trips and alert them to any unanticipated delays or service interruptions via one’s cellphone.

Muni, BART, WestCAT, AC Transit, Dumbarton Express, the Broadway Shuttle, SamTrans and Caltrain all offer similar services.

The bus and light rail connection cost the VTA $6.5 million.

The VTA project resulted in 5,000 inquiries last month from light rail riders, with little to no advertising. “There’s a big demand for it,” said spokeswoman Colleen Valles.

And, it is particularly useful during major delays.

When a San Jose teenager was struck by a train and killed recently near Southwest Expressway, it caused widespread delays with many passengers in the dark as to why.

“There was no indication as to what was going on,” Knight said. “Other passengers at the station used the information call box to talk to an operator. It could have better announced on the displays that a train was canceled, but the next train was on schedule.”

And on Wednesday buses 23 and 522 — two of the VTA’s most heavily used lines — had to be rerouted off Alum Rock Avenue in San Jose due to a gas leak.

On Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m., four VTA workers will be at San Jose’s downtown Transit Mall on First and Second streets, between St. John and San Carlos, to explain how to get the most up-to-date information on bus and train arrival times.

Like so much in our lives these days, it’s now just an app away.

Contact Gary Richards at 408-920-5335.