# Irail CLI

> Queries Belgian railway (NMBS/SNCB) schedules via the iRail CLI, including departures, connections, train compositions, and service disruptions.

- Skill: `johnalbertini14-glitch/irail-cli` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add johnalbertini14-glitch/irail-cli`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/irail-cli/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity, Coding & Dev Tools
- Tags: Belgian Railways, Cli, Connections, Irail, Liveboard, Nmbs, Sncb, Train Schedules
- License: MIT
- Author: johnalbertini14-glitch (https://skillmd.com/u/johnalbertini14-glitch)
- Updated: 2026-08-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/johnalbertini14-glitch/irail-cli

---


# irail-cli

CLI for Belgian railways (NMBS/SNCB) via [iRail API](https://api.irail.be/). No authentication required.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Station departures
irail liveboard Brugge

# Find connections
irail connections Brugge Leuven

# Check disruptions
irail disturbances
```

## Authentication

**None required.** iRail API is public and free to use.

## Core Rules

1. **Always use `--json`** when parsing output programmatically
2. **Station names are flexible** - accepts partial matches, quotes for multi-word
3. **Time format** - HH:MM (24-hour), date format YYYY-MM-DD
4. **Language options** - nl, fr, en, de (default: nl)

## Output Formats

| Flag | Format | Use case |
|------|--------|----------|
| (default) | Table | User-facing with colors |
| `--json` | JSON | Agent parsing, scripting |

Colors indicate: red = delays, yellow = platform changes.

## Workflows

### Liveboard (Departures/Arrivals)

```bash
# Departures from station
irail liveboard Brugge
irail liveboard "Brussel-Centraal"

# Arrivals instead of departures
irail liveboard Brugge --arrivals

# Specific date/time
irail liveboard Brugge --time 09:00 --date 2025-02-15

# JSON for scripting
irail liveboard Brugge --json

# Different language
irail liveboard Brugge --lang en
```

### Connections (Route Planning)

```bash
# Find routes
irail connections Brugge Leuven

# Specific departure time
irail connections Brugge Leuven --time 09:00

# Arrive by time (instead of depart at)
irail connections Brugge Leuven --time 14:00 --arrive-by

# More results
irail connections Brugge Leuven --results 10

# JSON for parsing
irail connections Brugge Leuven --json
```

### Stations

```bash
# List all stations
irail stations

# Search stations
irail stations --search bruss
irail stations --search gent

# JSON for scripting
irail stations --json
```

### Vehicle (Train Info)

```bash
# Show train information
irail vehicle IC1832

# Include all stops
irail vehicle IC1832 --stops

# JSON output
irail vehicle IC1832 --json
```

### Composition (Train Cars)

```bash
# Show train composition (seats, amenities)
irail composition S51507
irail composition IC1832

# JSON for parsing
irail composition S51507 --json
```

### Disturbances

```bash
# All current disruptions
irail disturbances

# Only planned works
irail disturbances --type planned

# Only unplanned disruptions
irail disturbances --type disturbance

# JSON for scripting
irail disturbances --json
```

## Scripting Examples

```bash
# Get next train to destination
irail connections Brugge Leuven --json | jq -r '.[0].departure'

# Find station ID
irail stations --search "brussel" --json | jq -r '.[0].id'

# Check if delays exist on liveboard
irail liveboard Brugge --json | jq '[.[] | select(.delay > 0)] | length'

# Get platform for next departure
irail liveboard Brugge --json | jq -r '.[0].platform'

# List all disruptions
irail disturbances --json | jq -r '.[].title'
```

## Environment Variables

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `IRAIL_LANG` | Default language (nl, fr, en, de) |
| `IRAIL_JSON` | Default to JSON output |
| `NO_COLOR` | Disable colored output |

## Language Options

| Code | Language |
|------|----------|
| `nl` | Dutch (default) |
| `fr` | French |
| `en` | English |
| `de` | German |

```bash
irail liveboard Brugge --lang fr
irail connections Brugge Leuven --lang en
```

## Command Reference

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `liveboard` | Station departures/arrivals |
| `connections` | Route planning between stations |
| `stations` | List/search stations |
| `vehicle` | Train information and stops |
| `composition` | Train car composition |
| `disturbances` | Service disruptions |
| `completion` | Shell completions |

## Common Patterns

### Check if train is delayed

```bash
irail vehicle IC1832 --json | jq '.delay // 0'
```

### Get connection with transfers

```bash
irail connections Brugge Leuven --json | jq '.[0].vias | length'
```

### Find direct trains only

```bash
irail connections Brugge Leuven --json | jq '[.[] | select(.vias == null or (.vias | length) == 0)]'
```

## Guidelines

- No authentication needed - API is public
- Be mindful of API usage in loops - add delays between requests
- Station names are case-insensitive and support partial matching
- Delay values are in seconds (divide by 60 for minutes)


## Installation

```bash
brew install dedene/tap/irail
```