sbb-mcp

MCP server for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF/FFS) -- real-time train schedules, prices, and ticket purchase links for any AI assistant.

Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code Copilot, ChatGPT, and any MCP-compatible AI client.

Features

• Search stations -- find any Swiss train station by name
• Train connections -- real-time schedules with departure/arrival times, platforms, transfers
• Ticket prices -- 1st/2nd class with Half-Fare (Halbtax) and GA travelcard support
• Purchase links -- direct deep links to buy tickets on SBB.ch
• Pagination -- browse earlier/later connections
• Trip details -- intermediate stops, occupancy, platform changes
• Journey planning -- built-in prompt for end-to-end trip planning
• Destination weather -- automatic weather forecast for your destination (powered by swiss-weather-mcp)
• Multi-traveler -- family trip pricing when connected to SwissTrip (partner, kids, each with their own reduction card)
• Multilingual -- output in 9 languages: de, fr, it, en, es, pt, ru, ar, zh (v0.4.0+)
• Rich widgets in ChatGPT -- connection cards, trip timelines, price tables, and ticket cards via the OpenAI Apps SDK (v0.4.1+)
• Mock mode -- works without credentials for testing and demos

Quick Start

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sbb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "sbb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret",
        "SMAPI_SCOPE": "your-scope",
        "SMAPI_CONTRACT_ID": "your-contract-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

claude mcp add sbb -- npx -y sbb-mcp

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sbb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "sbb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret",
        "SMAPI_SCOPE": "your-scope",
        "SMAPI_CONTRACT_ID": "your-contract-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sbb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "sbb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret",
        "SMAPI_SCOPE": "your-scope",
        "SMAPI_CONTRACT_ID": "your-contract-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code Copilot

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "sbb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "sbb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret",
        "SMAPI_SCOPE": "your-scope",
        "SMAPI_CONTRACT_ID": "your-contract-id"
      }
    }
  }
}

ChatGPT (custom connector)

A hosted HTTPS endpoint is live at https://mcp.swisstrip.app/mcp — no install needed. Requires ChatGPT Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise with Developer Mode enabled.

1. ChatGPT → Settings → Connectors → enable Developer Mode
2. Click Add custom connector
3. MCP Server URL: https://mcp.swisstrip.app/mcp
4. Authentication: None
5. Save, then enable the connector via the + button in the composer

Tool responses render as interactive widgets (connection cards, trip details, price tables, ticket cards) via the OpenAI Apps SDK.

Smithery

Install via Smithery:

npx @smithery/cli mcp add fabsforward2-zhoi/sbb-mcp

Demo Mode (No Credentials)

Run without any environment variables to use mock data:

npx sbb-mcp

This lets you test the MCP server with realistic Swiss station data without SBB API credentials.

Multilingual output (v0.4.0+)

Every tool accepts an optional language argument — one of de, fr, it, en, es, pt, ru, ar, zh. This controls the output language for labels, date/time formatting, and the ticket-buy button text. It also sets the Accept-Language header on SBB API calls so station names come back in the requested language where the SBB API supports it (de/fr/it/en).

Resolution order: language arg → saved profile language (save_profile) → English.

// Example: French output
{ "from": "Zurich HB", "to": "Bern", "language": "fr" }

The SBB deep link path uses de/fr/it/en where supported and falls back to en for other languages (SBB.ch serves those four).

Save a default language once per user:

{ "tool": "save_profile", "language": "de" }

Tools

search_stations

Search for Swiss train stations by name. Returns station IDs needed for other tools.

Input:

• query (string, required) -- Station name, e.g. "Zurich", "Bern", "Interlaken"
• limit (number, optional) -- Max results (default: 10)

Example: "Find stations matching Luzern"

search_connections

Find train connections between two stations. Automatically resolves station names to IDs.

Input:

• from (string, required) -- Origin station name or ID (e.g. "Zurich HB" or "8503000")
• to (string, required) -- Destination station name or ID
• date (string, optional) -- Travel date YYYY-MM-DD
• time (string, optional) -- Departure time HH:MM
• arrival_time (boolean, optional) -- Treat time as arrival time

Example: "Show me trains from Zurich to Bern tomorrow at 9am"

Results automatically include destination weather when coordinates are available (e.g. Bern weather: 6-18°C, mostly sunny, 10% rain).

get_trip_details

Get detailed stop-by-stop information for a connection including intermediate stops, platforms, and occupancy forecasts.

Input:

• trip_id (string, required) -- Trip ID from search_connections

get_more_connections

Load earlier or later trains for a previous search.

Input:

• collection_id (string, required) -- Collection ID from search_connections
• direction ("next" | "previous") -- Later or earlier trains

get_prices

Get ticket prices with Swiss reduction card support. Supports multi-traveler family pricing when connected to SwissTrip.

Input:

• trip_ids (string[], required) -- Trip IDs from search_connections
• traveler_type ("ADULT" | "CHILD", default: "ADULT") -- used when no traveler_names given
• reduction_card ("HALF_FARE" | "GA" | "NONE", default: "HALF_FARE") -- used when no traveler_names given
• traveler_names (string[], optional) -- SwissTrip traveler names for family pricing (requires SWISSTRIP_TOKEN)

Example: "How much for Zurich to Zermatt for Fabian and Anna?" (with SwissTrip connected, each traveler's reduction card is applied automatically)

get_ticket_link

Get a direct purchase link to buy the ticket on SBB.ch. On mobile with the SBB app installed, opens directly in the app with Halbtax/GA applied automatically. Supports multi-traveler tickets when connected to SwissTrip.

Input:

• trip_id (string, required) -- Trip ID to purchase
• from_name (string, required) -- Origin station name
• from_id (string, required) -- Origin station ID
• to_name (string, required) -- Destination station name
• to_id (string, required) -- Destination station ID
• date (string, required) -- Travel date YYYY-MM-DD
• time (string, required) -- Departure time HH:MM
• traveler_type ("ADULT" | "CHILD", default: "ADULT") -- used when no traveler_names given
• reduction_card ("HALF_FARE" | "GA" | "NONE", default: "HALF_FARE") -- used when no traveler_names given
• traveler_names (string[], optional) -- SwissTrip traveler names for family tickets (requires SWISSTRIP_TOKEN)

save_profile

Save the user's travel profile locally so future sessions can apply the correct reduction card and age-based pricing automatically. Stored at ~/.sbb-mcp/profile.json (or synced from SwissTrip when SWISSTRIP_TOKEN is set).

Input (all optional — supply what the user provides):

• first_name (string) -- First name (for ticket booking)
• last_name (string) -- Last name (for ticket booking)
• date_of_birth (string) -- YYYY-MM-DD (for age-based pricing)
• reduction_card ("HALF_FARE" | "GA" | "NONE") -- Halbtax, GA, or none
• reduction_card_valid_until (string) -- YYYY-MM-DD card expiry

Example: "I'm Fabian Weinhappl, born 1989-06-14, I have a Halbtax until 2027-03-01" → profile saved for future price calls.

get_profile

Read the saved travel profile. Useful to call before get_prices / get_ticket_link so the right reduction card is applied without re-asking the user. Returns guidance to call save_profile when no profile exists.

Example: "What's my reduction card on file?"

list_travelers

List all travelers in the user's SwissTrip account (self, partner, kids). Each traveler has their own reduction card. Requires SWISSTRIP_TOKEN.

Example: "Who are my travelers?" → shows all saved travelers with their reduction cards

Prompts

plan_journey

End-to-end journey planning prompt. Searches connections, compares prices, and provides ticket links.

Input:

• from (string, required) -- Origin station
• to (string, required) -- Destination station
• date (string, optional) -- Travel date

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
SMAPI_CLIENT_ID	Yes*	OAuth 2.0 client ID from SBB Developer Portal
SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET	Yes*	OAuth 2.0 client secret
SMAPI_SCOPE	Yes*	OAuth scope
SMAPI_CONTRACT_ID	Yes*	SBB business contract ID
SMAPI_ENV	No	int (default) or prod
SMAPI_TENANT_ID	No	Azure AD tenant (defaults to SBB tenant)
SWISSTRIP_TOKEN	No	SwissTrip auth token for cloud profiles and multi-traveler support
SWISSTRIP_URL	No	SwissTrip API base URL (defaults to https://swisstrip.ch)

*Without SMAPI credentials, the server runs in mock mode with realistic demo data.

SwissTrip Integration (Optional)

Set SWISSTRIP_TOKEN to connect sbb-mcp to your SwissTrip account. This enables:

• Cloud-synced profiles -- your travel profile (name, DOB, reduction card) syncs from SwissTrip instead of local ~/.sbb-mcp/profile.json
• Multi-traveler pricing -- add your partner, kids, or travel companions on SwissTrip and get per-person pricing with correct reduction cards
• Family tickets -- pass traveler_names to get_prices and get_ticket_link for group pricing

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sbb": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "sbb-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "SMAPI_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-secret",
        "SMAPI_SCOPE": "your-scope",
        "SWISSTRIP_TOKEN": "your-swisstrip-auth-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without SWISSTRIP_TOKEN, sbb-mcp uses local file-based profiles as before -- no SwissTrip account required.

Available on

• npm
• Official MCP Registry
• Smithery
• ChatGPT custom connector at https://mcp.swisstrip.app/mcp (Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise — rich widgets)

Also available under these alias names on npm (all forward to sbb-mcp): swiss-rail-mcp | sbb-cff-ffs-mcp | swiss-train-mcp | swiss-railways-mcp

Not affiliated with SBB. sbb-mcp is an independent, community-maintained MCP server built on SBB's public Swiss Mobility API (SMAPI). It is not affiliated with or endorsed by SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen).

About

Built on the official SBB Swiss Mobility API (SMAPI) with OSDM-compliant journey planning and pricing. Covers the entire Swiss public transport network including SBB, BLS, SOB, and regional operators. Weather data powered by swiss-weather-mcp (MeteoSwiss + Open-Meteo).

SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen) / CFF (Chemins de fer federaux suisses) / FFS (Ferrovie federali svizzere) -- Swiss Federal Railways operates one of the densest rail networks in the world with over 10,000 daily connections.

Changelog

v0.4.2 — Repository metadata

• Point repository, homepage, and bugs fields at the monorepo source of truth (Fabsbags/swisstrip-web, directory packages/sbb-mcp) so npm and MCP registries link to the active code. No runtime or API changes.

v0.4.1 — Apps SDK widgets

• Five Preact widgets registered as ui://widget/*.html resources: stations list, connection list, trip details, prices table, ticket card.
• Tool responses now include structuredContent + _meta["openai/outputTemplate"] so ChatGPT renders rich UI instead of plain markdown.
• Hosted endpoint live at https://mcp.swisstrip.app/mcp for use as a ChatGPT custom connector.
• Widget bundle built separately via Vite under web/ (single IIFE, inlined CSS, ~25 KB total).
• Server rendering is unchanged for non-Apps-SDK clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.) — they see the same markdown output as before.

v0.4.0 — Multilingual

• Every tool now accepts an optional language parameter (de | fr | it | en | es | pt | ru | ar | zh).
• Labels, date/time formatting, and the SBB ticket-buy button text are translated.
• Accept-Language is passed to SBB SMAPI so station names come back in the requested language where supported (de/fr/it/en).
• save_profile stores a preferred language; later tool calls default to it when language is omitted.
• Breaking: default output locale with no profile and no tool arg is now en (was implicitly de-CH). Set a profile or pass language: 'de' to restore the old behavior.
• Translations shared with the WhatsApp/Telegram bots via the new sbb-i18n package.

v0.3.0 — Destination weather

• Automatic weather forecast appended to search_connections results via swiss-weather-mcp.

License

FSL-1.1-MIT -- Functional Source License. Free to use for any non-competing purpose. Converts to MIT after 2 years. See LICENSE for details.