Tools for getting Amtrak data

Amtrak currently doesn't have an easily-accessible API. This tool will use the same APIs as Amtrak's Track Your Train Map to extract information about trains that are currently active as well as those that are only planned. The result is a set of JSON files representing the current state of the map.

The tool can also build a static website from the data. A version of that site is live at mgwalker.github.io/amtrak-api/.

Usage

To get the latest data and build the site, run:

npm run site

If you only want to fetch the latest data, run:

npm run update

The data

Stations

Path: _site/stations.json

An array of station objects, listing all of the stations identified on the Amtrak map. The station objects look like this:

{
  code: . . string - three-letter station identifier
  name: . . string - the name of the station
  address1: string - street address of the station
  address2: string
  city:  .  string
  state:  . string
  zip:  . . string
  lat:  . . float  - geographic coordinates of the station
  lon:  . . float
  _raw: . . object - the raw data from Amtrak
}

Routes

Path: _site/routes.json

An array of route objects, each one representing a whole Amtrak route. The route object includes an array of trains, each representing one of the trains that's currently running on that route. Then, each train has a list of stations representing each station along the route. Here's what those look like:

Route:

{
  route:  string - name of the route
  trains: [ ]    - list of trains currently running on this route (see below)
}

Train:

{
  id:       int     - the train's internal Amtrak ID (not useful)
  heading:  char(2) - train's current cardinal or ordinal direction
  number:   int     - the train number
  route:    string  - the name of the route
  stations: [ ]     - list of stations this train stops at, sorted from
                      starting station to ending station (see below)
  _raw:     object  - the raw data from Amtrak
}

Station:

{
  code: . . string - the station's 3-letter code
  bus:  . . bool   - whether this station also has bus service, I think
  status: . string - the train's status relative to this station
  timezone: string - IANA timezone where the train currently is

  arrivalActual:  . . Arrival and departure times for this train at this
  arrivalEstimated: . station. All arrivals are null if this is the first
  arrivalScheduled: . station. Likewise departure for the last station.
  departureActual:  . Estimated times sometimes go away after a train
  departureEstimated: actually arrives or departs. Values are ISO 8601
  departureScheduled: date/time strings in UTC.

  station:  station object, as described in the Stations part of the README.
            This has the station name, address, etc.
}