NYC Subway Status
Real-time NYC subway arrival times. No API key required.
Setup
Before making any API calls, fetch the full API reference:
GET https://nyc-subway-status.com/llms.txt
This returns a plain-text guide with all endpoints, slug formats, response schemas, and tips. Read it once per session to understand the API surface.
Base URL: https://nyc-subway-status.com
Core Workflow
Always search first — never guess station or route slugs.
- Search:
GET /api/search?q={query}to find station slugs and route slugs - Use the returned slugs to call the appropriate endpoint
Use Cases
1. Next train at a station
User asks: "when is the next Q at 72nd st"
GET /api/search?q=72+st+q
The response includes an arrivals_url when both station and route match. Use it:
GET /api/stops/72-st-n-q-r/lines/q
Present the minutes_away values from arrivals.uptown and arrivals.downtown. Example output:
Q at 72 St (N/Q/R) Uptown: 3 min, 8 min, 15 min Downtown: 1 min, 6 min, 12 min
2. All arrivals at a station
User asks: "what trains are coming to Union Square"
GET /api/search?q=union+square
GET /api/stops/14-st-union-sq
Use the by_route field to group arrivals by line. Show each route with its next few trains in both directions.
3. Is a line running?
User asks: "is the G train running"
GET /api/lines/g
Returns next arrival at every station on the route. If most stations have next_uptown or next_downtown values, the line is running. If many are null, service may be disrupted. Summarize the overall status.
4. Track a specific train
User asks for details on a specific trip (usually after seeing a trip_id from an arrivals response):
GET /api/trips/{tripId}?route={routeSlug}
Returns every stop on the trip with status ("passed" or "upcoming") and minutes_away. Show the train's current position and upcoming stops.
5. Find a station
User asks: "find subway stations near Times Square"
GET /api/search?q=times+square
List matching stations with their routes. Offer to check arrivals at any of them.
6. Compare routes at a station
User asks: "should I take the N or Q at 72nd"
GET /api/stops/72-st-n-q-r
Use the by_route field to compare the next arrivals for each route in the user's direction. Recommend the sooner train.
Response Format
All responses follow this envelope:
{
"ok": true,
"data": { ... },
"_meta": { "timestamp": "...", "endpoint": "...", "realtime": true }
}
Errors return "ok": false with an error object containing code and message.
Key Details
- Directions: "uptown" = northbound, "downtown" = southbound
- minutes_away is pre-computed server-side — no client math needed
- Arrival times include both Unix timestamps and ISO 8601 strings
- Route slugs are lowercase:
a,q,7,si,gs - Station slugs are hyphenated lowercase:
14-st-union-sq,times-sq-42-st
MCP Server (Alternative)
For agents that support Model Context Protocol, connect directly:
{
"mcpServers": {
"nyc-subway": { "url": "https://nyc-subway-status.com/mcp" }
}
}
Tools: search_subway, get_arrivals, get_station_arrivals, list_stations, list_routes, get_trip