ch_search_connections

Find train connections in Switzerland between stations using real-time data. Get departure times, duration, platforms, and transfer information for planning journeys.

Instructions

Search for train connections in Switzerland between two stations. Uses transport.opendata.ch API to provide real-time connection data including departure times, duration, platforms, and transfers.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`origin`	Yes
`destination`	Yes
`limit`	No
`date`	No
`time`	No
`is_arrival_time`	No

Implementation Reference

tools/ch.py:20-61 (handler)

The main handler function implementing ch_search_connections. It validates station names, builds API parameters for date/time/arrival, and fetches JSON data from the Swiss transport API (transport.opendata.ch/connections). Handles TransportAPIError.

async def ch_search_connections(
    origin: str,
    destination: str,
    limit: Optional[int] = 4,
    date: Optional[str] = None,
    time: Optional[str] = None,
    is_arrival_time: Optional[bool] = False
) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """
    Search for train connections between Swiss stations.

    Args:
        origin: Departure station name (e.g., 'Zürich HB')
        destination: Arrival station name (e.g., 'Basel SBB')
        limit: Max number of connections (default: 4)
        date: Date in format YYYY-MM-DD
        time: Time in HH:MM format
        is_arrival_time: Whether time refers to arrival (True) or departure (False)
    """
    origin_clean = validate_station_name(origin)
    destination_clean = validate_station_name(destination)

    params = {
        "from": origin_clean,
        "to": destination_clean,
        "limit": limit or 4
    }

    if date:
        params["date"] = date
    if time:
        params["time"] = format_time_for_api(time)
    if is_arrival_time:
        params["isArrivalTime"] = "1"

    try:
        logger.info(f"Searching connections: {origin} → {destination}")
        return await fetch_json(f"{CH_BASE_URL}/connections", params)
    except TransportAPIError as e:
        logger.error(f"CH connection search failed: {e}")
        raise

tools/ch.py:16-19 (registration)

The @mcp.tool decorator registers the ch_search_connections function with the MCP server instance, specifying the tool name and description.

@mcp.tool(
    name="ch_search_connections",
    description="Search for train connections in Switzerland between two stations. Uses transport.opendata.ch API to provide real-time connection data including departure times, duration, platforms, and transfers."
)

tools/ch.py:139-144 (registration)
The register_ch_tools function returns a list including the ch_search_connections tool object for further use (e.g., logging total tools).
```
return [
    ch_search_connections,
    ch_search_stations,
    ch_get_departures,
    ch_nearby_stations
]
```
server.py:49-52 (registration)
In the main server.py, register_ch_tools(mcp) is called to register the CH tools, including ch_search_connections, with the FastMCP server instance.
```
# Register tools (UK only if keys exist and not disabled)
ch_tools = register_ch_tools(mcp)
be_tools = register_be_tools(mcp)
no_tools = register_no_tools(mcp)
```

tools/ch.py:28-38 (schema)

Docstring providing detailed input schema descriptions for parameters, used for tool schema validation in MCP.

"""
Search for train connections between Swiss stations.

Args:
    origin: Departure station name (e.g., 'Zürich HB')
    destination: Arrival station name (e.g., 'Basel SBB')
    limit: Max number of connections (default: 4)
    date: Date in format YYYY-MM-DD
    time: Time in HH:MM format
    is_arrival_time: Whether time refers to arrival (True) or departure (False)
"""

mcp-server-public-transport