---

name: septa description: Get real-time SEPTA Regional Rail train schedules, departures, arrival times, delays, and status between stations in the Philadelphia area version: 1.2.0 user-invocable: true slash-command: septa

metadata: openclaw: requires: bins: [node] emoji: "🚆" category: transportation tags: [septa, trains, philadelphia, transit, realtime, regional-rail] network: true

parameters: type: object properties: command: type: string enum: [departures, to, trains, train] description: "Type of query: 'departures' for all trains from a station, 'to' for direct trains between stations, 'trains' for all active trains, 'train' for specific train schedule" station: type: string description: "Station name for departures (e.g., 'Suburban Station', 'Paoli')" origin: type: string description: "Starting station for 'to' command (e.g., '30th Street Station')" destination: type: string description: "Ending station for 'to' command (e.g., 'Airport Terminal A')" train_number: type: string description: "Train number for 'train' command (e.g., '2335')" results: type: integer description: "Number of results to return (default: 10 for departures, 5 for direct trains)" default: 10 required: [command]

examples: - prompt: "When is the next train from Suburban Station?" call: septa args: command: departures station: "Suburban Station" results: 5

- prompt: "Next train from 30th Street to Malvern"
  call: septa
  args:
    command: to
    origin: "30th Street Station"
    destination: "Malvern"
    results: 3

- prompt: "What trains are leaving from Paoli?"
  call: septa
  args:
    command: departures
    station: "Paoli"

- prompt: "Show me all active trains right now"
  call: septa
  args:
    command: trains

- prompt: "What's the schedule for train 2335?"
  call: septa
  args:
    command: train
    train_number: "2335"

---

SEPTA Regional Rail CLI Skill

Get real-time SEPTA Regional Rail train information including departures from any station, direct train schedules between stations, live status of all active trains, and detailed schedules for specific trains.

When to use this skill

• User asks about SEPTA trains, schedules, or departures
• User wants to know when the next train is from a specific station
• User asks "When is the next train from X to Y?"
• User wants to know what platform/track a train departs from
• User asks about train status or delays
• User mentions traveling on Regional Rail in Philadelphia area
• User wants to see all active trains or track a specific train
• User asks about all stops for a particular train

How to call it

Execution: This skill uses the septacli executable.

Output Format: Returns markdown tables by default for LLM-friendly parsing. Add --json flag for structured JSON output.

There are four main commands:

1. Get all departures from a station

Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli departures "<station>" [results] [--json]

• Returns northbound and southbound trains leaving that station
• Includes origin, destination, departure time, track, platform, service type, and status

2. Get direct trains from one station to another

Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli to "<fromStation>" "<toStation>" [results] [--json]

• Returns only trains that go directly from station A to station B
• Includes departure time from origin, arrival time at destination, and direct/transfer indicator

3. Get live status of all active trains

Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli trains [--json]

• Returns all currently running Regional Rail trains
• Includes train numbers, origins, destinations, current locations, GPS coordinates, heading, delays, consists, and tracks

4. Get detailed schedule for a specific train

Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli train "<trainNumber>" [--json]

• Returns complete schedule with all stops for a specific train
• Includes scheduled, estimated, and actual times for each stop

Station Names

Station names MUST be exact (including spaces and capitalization).

Common stations:

• "Suburban Station"
• "30th Street Station"
• "Jefferson Station" (also known as "Market East")
• "Airport Terminal A"
• "Airport Terminal B"
• "Temple U"
• "Norristown TC"
• "Doylestown"
• "Wilmington"
• "Malvern"
• "Paoli"
• "Wayne Junction"

Full list available at: https://www3.septa.org/VIRegionalRail.html

Examples

Example 1: Get departures from Suburban Station

User: "When is the next train from Suburban Station?" Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli departures "Suburban Station" 5 Output: Markdown table with northbound and southbound trains:

# Departures from Suburban Station
*Suburban Station Departures: February 23, 2026, 10:47 am*

## Northbound
| Train | Origin | Destination | Line | Path | Depart | Track | Platform | Service | Status |
|-------|--------|-------------|------|------|--------|-------|----------|---------|--------|
| 4224 | Airport Terminal E-F | Norristown | Airport | R4/2N | 2026-02-23 11:05:00.000 | 1 | A | LOCAL | 9 min |

Example 2: Get trains from 30th Street to Airport

User: "When does the next train to the airport leave from 30th Street?" Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli to "30th Street Station" "Airport Terminal A" 3 Output: Markdown table with direct trains:

# Trains from 30th Street Station to Airport Terminal A

| Train | Line | Depart | Arrive | Direct | Status |
|-------|------|--------|---------|--------|--------|
| 5432 | Airport | 3:55 PM | 4:12 PM | Yes | On time |

Example 3: See all active trains

User: "What trains are running right now?" Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli trains Output: Markdown table with all active trains:

# Active Regional Rail Trains
| Train | Line | Origin | Destination | Current | Next Stop | Service | Track | GPS | Heading | Consist | Status |
|-------|------|--------|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|-------|-----|---------|---------|--------|
| 1711 | Trenton | Market East | Trenton | Jefferson Station | Market East | LOCAL | 3 | 39.9538889,-75.1677778 | 120.1deg | - | 20 min late |

Example 4: Get schedule for specific train

User: "Show me all the stops for train 2335" Command: ~/.openclaw/skills/septa_cli/septacli train "2335" Output: Markdown table with complete schedule:

# Schedule for Train 2335

| Station | Scheduled | Estimated | Actual |
|---------|-----------|-----------|--------|
| Suburban Station | 10:59 pm | 10:56 pm | 10:56 pm |
| Gray 30th Street | 11:03 pm | 11:02 pm | 11:02 pm |

Combining Commands (Advanced Workflow)

An LLM can chain commands together for comprehensive answers:

Scenario: User asks "I need to get from 30th Street to Suburban Station, which train should I take and when does it stop at each station?"

Workflow:

1. Step 1: Run septacli to "30th Street Station" "Suburban Station"

   • Gets available direct trains with train numbers
   • Example result: Train 435 departs 3:51 PM, arrives 3:56 PM

2. Step 2: Run septacli train "435"

   • Gets complete schedule showing all stops between origin and destination
   • Shows exact times at each intermediate station

3. Step 3: Present comprehensive answer to user:

   • "Take train 435 departing at 3:51 PM from 30th Street"
   • "It stops at: Penn Medicine Station (3:54 PM), Suburban Station (3:56 PM - arrival)"
   • "Total travel time: 5 minutes"

Another Scenario: User asks "Are there any delays on trains to the airport right now?"

Workflow:

1. Run septacli trains to get all active trains
2. Filter results for trains with destination containing "Airport"
3. Check delay status for each
4. Present summary: "Train 5432 to Airport Terminal A is on time, departing 4:12 PM"

Output Format

Default: Markdown tables (shown in examples above)

JSON Mode: Add --json flag to any command for structured JSON output

Departures command returns (JSON):

{
  "station": "Suburban Station",
  "timestamp": "Suburban Station Departures: February 13, 2026, 3:45 pm",
  "northbound": [
    {
      "direction": "N",
      "train_id": "435",
      "destination": "Thorndale",
      "line": "Paoli/Thorndale",
      "depart_time": "3:51 PM",
      "track": "4",
      "status": "On Time"
    }
  ],
  "southbound": [...]
}

To command returns:

{
  "from": "30th Street Station",
  "to": "Airport Terminal A",
  "trains": [
    {
      "orig_train": "5432",
      "orig_line": "Airport",
      "orig_departure_time": "3:55 PM",
      "orig_arrival_time": "4:12 PM",
      "orig_delay": "On time"
    }
  ]
}

Trains command returns:

[
  {
    "lat": "40.0123",
    "lon": "-75.1234",
    "trainno": "2335",
    "service": "LOCAL",
    "dest": "Elwyn Station",
    "currentstop": "Suburban Station",
    "nextstop": "Gray 30th Street",
    "line": "Media/Elwyn",
    "consist": "4",
    "heading": "S",
    "late": 2,
    "SOURCE": "02/18/2026 10:56:00 PM",
    "TRACK": "4",
    "TRACK_CHANGE": ""
  }
]

Train command returns:

{
  "train_number": "2335",
  "schedule": [
    {
      "station": "Suburban Station",
      "sched_tm": "10:59 pm",
      "est_tm": "10:56 pm",
      "act_tm": "10:56 pm"
    },
    {
      "station": "Gray 30th Street",
      "sched_tm": "11:03 pm",
      "est_tm": "11:02 pm",
      "act_tm": "11:02 pm"
    }
  ]
}

Important Notes

• Zero Dependencies: Uses only Node.js built-in fetch (requires Node 18+)
• Real-Time Data: Connects to official SEPTA API at https://www3.septa.org/api
• Direct Trains Only: The "to" command only shows direct trains (no transfers)
• Station Names: Must be exact - case sensitive and with correct spacing
• Default Results: 10 for departures, 5 for direct trains
• No Authentication: Public SEPTA API, no keys required
• CLI Tool: Uses septacli executable (made with Node.js shebang)
• Command Chaining: LLMs can combine trains + train commands for detailed journey planning

Error Handling

• Invalid station names: API returns error or empty results
• Network errors: Script will output error message
• Invalid command: Shows usage instructions
• Non-existent route: Returns empty trains array
• Invalid train number: Returns empty schedule or error

Technical Details

• API Base URL: https://www3.septa.org/api
• Departures Endpoint: /Arrivals/index.php?station={station}&results={n}
• Direct Trains Endpoint: /NextToArrive/index.php?req1={from}&req2={to}&req3={n}
• Live Trains Endpoint: /TrainView/index.php
• Train Schedule Endpoint: /RRSchedules/index.php?req1={trainNumber}
• Response Format: JSON
• Update Frequency: Real-time from SEPTA systems