iRail MCP Server

Disclaimer: This project was vibe coded and is not affiliated with or supported by [iRail vzw](https://hello.irail.be). Train data may be inaccurate or outdated. Always verify with official sources (belgiantrain.be or the NMBS/SNCB app) before making travel decisions.

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides Belgian railway travel information via the iRail API.

Features

• Search Stations - Find Belgian railway stations by name
• Live Departures/Arrivals - Real-time departure and arrival boards
• Find Connections - Route planning between stations with transfers
• Train Information - Detailed stops, delays, and platforms for a specific train
• Network Disturbances - Current disruptions and planned maintenance

Installation

Requires Python 3.11+ and uv.

git clone https://github.com/HansF/irail-mcp.git
cd irail-mcp
uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e .

Usage with Claude Code

Add to your project's .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "irail": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["irail-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Then ask Claude things like:

• "What trains leave Brussels Central in the next hour?"
• "Find a route from Antwerp to Bruges at 2:30 PM tomorrow"
• "Are there any disruptions on the Belgian rail network?"
• "Show me details for train IC2240"

Tools

search_stations

Search for stations by name.

• query (required) - Station name or partial name
• lang (optional) - Language: en, nl, fr, de, it

get_liveboard

Real-time departures or arrivals from a station.

• station (required) - Station name
• date (optional) - YYYY-MM-DD, "today", "tomorrow", "+2 days"
• time (optional) - HH:MM (24h)
• arrival (optional) - Show arrivals instead of departures
• lang (optional)

find_connections

Find routes between two stations.

• from_station (required) - Departure station
• to_station (required) - Destination station
• date, time, lang (optional)
• arrival_time (optional) - If true, time is desired arrival time

get_train_info

Detailed information about a specific train.

• train_id (required) - e.g. "IC1234" or "BE.NMBS.IC1234"
• date, lang (optional)

get_disturbances

Current network disruptions and planned works.

• lang (optional)

Running Tests

uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
python -m pytest tests/ -v

API Compliance

• Rate limited to 3 requests/second per iRail guidelines
• Proper User-Agent header set
• 30-second timeout for slow responses

License

MIT

References

• iRail API - Documentation
• Model Context Protocol
• NMBS/SNCB