Metra Skill

Chicago Metra commuter rail — real-time train arrivals, vehicle tracking, service alerts, and schedule info for all 11 Metra lines serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Use when the user asks about Metra trains, Chicago commuter rail, or specific Metra lines and stations.

Brian Leach@brianleach

Install

openclaw skills install @brianleach/metra

Chicago Metra Commuter Rail

Real-time Chicago Metra commuter rail data — train arrivals (GTFS-RT protobuf), vehicle positions, service alerts, schedule info, and fare calculation for all 11 Metra lines serving the six-county northeastern Illinois region. Requires a free API key for all feeds.

When to Use

User asks about Metra, Chicago commuter rail, or commuter trains in Chicago
User asks "when is the next train" in a Chicago suburban context
User mentions specific Metra lines: BNSF, UP-N, UP-NW, UP-W, MD-N, MD-W, ME (Metra Electric), RI (Rock Island), NCS, HC (Heritage Corridor), SWS (SouthWest Service)
User mentions specific Metra stations: Union Station, Ogilvie, Millennium Station, LaSalle Street, Naperville, Aurora, Downers Grove, Evanston, Highland Park, etc.
User asks about Metra service alerts, delays, or construction
User asks about Metra fares, zones, monthly passes, Ventra
User asks about Chicago train schedules (distinguish from CTA "L" trains — Metra is commuter rail)

When NOT to Use

User asks about CTA trains (the "L"), CTA buses, or Pace buses — those are separate systems
User asks about Amtrak long-distance trains at Union Station

Data Sources

Metra uses standard GTFS-RT protobuf feeds served from a single base URL with Bearer token authentication. No proprietary extensions — clean standard GTFS-RT.

GTFS Realtime Feeds (Protobuf, requires `METRA_API_KEY`)

Get a free key at: https://metra.com/developers

Feed	Endpoint	Description
Trip Updates	`GET /gtfs/public/tripupdates`	Real-time arrival/departure predictions
Vehicle Positions	`GET /gtfs/public/positions`	GPS locations of active trains
Alerts	`GET /gtfs/public/alerts`	Service alerts, delays, construction notices

Base URL: https://gtfspublic.metrarr.com

Authentication: Authorization: Bearer {METRA_API_KEY} header.

Data updates every 30 seconds. No need to poll more frequently.

GTFS Static Feed

Feed	URL
GTFS Static (zip)	`https://schedules.metrarail.com/gtfs/schedule.zip`
Published timestamp	`https://schedules.metrarail.com/gtfs/published.txt`

Static schedule updates regularly (sometimes within 24 hours). New scheduled updates publish at 3:00 AM.

Important Notes from Metra

If realtime data is unavailable for a trip, assume the static schedule is correct
Vehicle positions may drop when trains are underground or at terminals (GPS loss)
Trip updates may be provided hours in advance for annulled or added trains
If an alert is in the feed, it's active; if it's not, it's no longer active (regardless of active_period)

Implementation

Script: `scripts/metra.mjs`

Main entry point. Supports these commands:

bash

# Train arrivals
node scripts/metra.mjs arrivals --station "Union Station"
node scripts/metra.mjs arrivals --station "Naperville" --line BNSF
node scripts/metra.mjs arrivals --station "Ogilvie"
node scripts/metra.mjs arrivals --station "Millennium Station" --line ME

# Vehicle tracking
node scripts/metra.mjs vehicles --line BNSF
node scripts/metra.mjs vehicles --line UP-N
node scripts/metra.mjs vehicles --line ME

# Service alerts
node scripts/metra.mjs alerts
node scripts/metra.mjs alerts --line BNSF
node scripts/metra.mjs alerts --line RI

# Routes and stops
node scripts/metra.mjs routes
node scripts/metra.mjs stops --search "downers grove"
node scripts/metra.mjs stops --line BNSF
node scripts/metra.mjs stops --near 41.8781,-87.6298
node scripts/metra.mjs route-info --line UP-NW

# Fares
node scripts/metra.mjs fares
node scripts/metra.mjs fares --from "Union Station" --to "Naperville"

# Schedule
node scripts/metra.mjs schedule --station "Naperville"
node scripts/metra.mjs schedule --station "Ogilvie" --line UP-N

# Maintenance
node scripts/metra.mjs refresh-gtfs

Setup: API Key

All Metra feeds require authentication:

Register for a free key at https://metra.com/developers
Set environment variable: METRA_API_KEY

Setup: GTFS Static Data

On first use, run node scripts/metra.mjs refresh-gtfs to download and extract the static GTFS data (routes, stops, schedules) to ~/.metra/gtfs/. Refresh periodically or when Metra updates their schedule.

Metra Lines Reference

Line Code	Line Name	Color	Downtown Terminal	Outer Terminal
BNSF	BNSF Railway	Orange	Union Station (CUS)	Aurora
ME	Metra Electric	Teal	Millennium Station	University Park / South Chicago / Blue Island
HC	Heritage Corridor	Purple	Union Station (CUS)	Joliet
MD-N	Milwaukee District North	Light Green	Union Station (CUS)	Fox Lake
MD-W	Milwaukee District West	Light Green	Union Station (CUS)	Elburn / Big Timber
NCS	North Central Service	Gold	Union Station (CUS)	Antioch
RI	Rock Island	Red	LaSalle Street Station	Joliet
SWS	SouthWest Service	Dark Purple	Union Station (CUS)	Manhattan
UP-N	Union Pacific North	Dark Green	Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC)	Kenosha
UP-NW	Union Pacific Northwest	Blue	Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC)	Harvard / McHenry
UP-W	Union Pacific West	Blue	Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC)	Elburn

Downtown Terminal Stations

Chicago Union Station (CUS) — Zone 1 — BNSF, HC, MD-N, MD-W, NCS, SWS
Ogilvie Transportation Center (OTC) — Zone 1 — UP-N, UP-NW, UP-W
LaSalle Street Station — Zone 1 — RI
Millennium Station — Zone 1 — ME

Metra Fares Reference (4-Zone System, effective Feb 2024)

Ticket Type	Zones 1-2	Zones 1-2-3	Zones 1-2-3-4	Zones 2-3-4 (no downtown)
One-Way	$3.75	$5.50	$6.75	$3.75
Day Pass	$7.50	$11.00	$13.50	$7.50
Day Pass 5-Pack	$35.75	$52.25	$64.25	$35.75
Monthly Pass	$75.00	$110.00	$135.00	$75.00

Special Passes:

Saturday/Sunday/Holiday Day Pass: $7.00 (systemwide)
Weekend Pass (Ventra app only): $10.00 (systemwide)
Regional Connect Pass (with Monthly): $30.00 (adds CTA + Pace)
Onboard Surcharge (cash on train): $5.00

Monthly Passes are valid for unlimited rides on weekdays between selected zones and systemwide on weekends.

Tips for Users

Metra uses inbound (toward downtown Chicago) and outbound (away from downtown) for directions
Train numbers matter — Metra riders often know their train by number (e.g., "the 7:42 BNSF" or "Train 1252")
Different lines use different downtown terminals — always note which terminal
Peak trains run during rush hours; off-peak and weekend service is less frequent
If real-time data is unavailable, the schedule command shows static times
Use --line to filter by specific Metra line code (BNSF, UP-N, etc.)

Error Handling

If METRA_API_KEY is not set, all commands print a helpful message with the signup URL
Invalid station names show "No matching station found" with a suggestion to use stops --search
No real-time data available → fall back to static schedule with a note
Network errors produce friendly messages
GPS dropout for vehicle positions → note that train may be underground or at terminal

Response Formatting

When presenting transit info to the user:

Lead with the most actionable info (next arrival time, active alerts)
Show line name AND train number (e.g., "BNSF Train 1252 inbound")
Show times in 12-hour format with AM/PM
For arrivals: show both real-time ETA and scheduled time when available
Always note the downtown terminal for the line
If there are active service alerts for the line being queried, mention them

External Endpoints

Endpoint	Data Sent	Data Received
`gtfspublic.metrarr.com/gtfs/public/tripupdates`	API key (Bearer header, HTTPS)	Trip updates (Protobuf)
`gtfspublic.metrarr.com/gtfs/public/positions`	API key (Bearer header, HTTPS)	Vehicle positions (Protobuf)
`gtfspublic.metrarr.com/gtfs/public/alerts`	API key (Bearer header, HTTPS)	Service alerts (Protobuf)
`schedules.metrarail.com/gtfs/schedule.zip`	None (GET only)	GTFS static data (ZIP)
`schedules.metrarail.com/gtfs/published.txt`	None (GET only)	Schedule publish timestamp (text)

All API calls use HTTPS. The API key is passed as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. No other user data is transmitted.

Security & Privacy

API key required — All GTFS-RT feeds require a free developer key passed as a Bearer token in the Authorization header
No user data transmitted — Requests contain only the API key; no personal information
Local storage only — GTFS static data is cached locally at ~/.metra/gtfs/; no data is written elsewhere
No telemetry — This skill does not phone home or collect usage data
Input handling — Stop names and route IDs from user input are used only for local filtering, never interpolated into shell commands

Trust Statement

This skill reads publicly available transit data from Metra's official GTFS-RT feeds. The API key is used only for Metra API authentication. The skill does not access, store, or transmit any personal information beyond the API key configured by the user.