irail-cli

# irail-cli

CLI for Belgian railways (NMBS/SNCB) via [iRail API](https://api.irail.be/). No authentication required.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Station departures
irail liveboard Brugge

# Find connections
irail connections Brugge Leuven

# Check disruptions
irail disturbances
```

## Authentication

**None required.** iRail API is public and free to use.

## Core Rules

1. **Always use `--json`** when parsing output programmatically
2. **Station names are flexible** - accepts partial matches, quotes for multi-word
3. **Time format** - HH:MM (24-hour), date format YYYY-MM-DD
4. **Language options** - nl, fr, en, de (default: nl)

## Output Formats

| Flag | Format | Use case |
|------|--------|----------|
| (default) | Table | User-facing with colors |
| `--json` | JSON | Agent parsing, scripting |

Colors indicate: red = delays, yellow = platform changes.

## Workflows

### Liveboard (Departures/Arrivals)

```bash
# Departures from station
irail liveboard Brugge
irail liveboard "Brussel-Centraal"

# Arrivals instead of departures
irail liveboard Brugge --arrivals

# Specific date/time
irail liveboard Brugge --time 09:00 --date 2025-02-15

# JSON for scripting
irail liveboard Brugge --json

# Different language
irail liveboard Brugge --lang en
```

### Connections (Route Planning)

```bash
# Find routes
irail connections Brugge Leuven

# Specific departure time
irail connections Brugge Leuven --time 09:00

# Arrive by time (instead of depart at)
irail connections Brugge Leuven --time 14:00 --arrive-by

# More results
irail connections Brugge Leuven --results 10

# JSON for parsing
irail connections Brugge Leuven --json
```

### Stations

```bash
# List all stations
irail stations

# Search stations
irail stations --search bruss
irail stations --search gent

# JSON for scripting
irail stations --json
```

### Vehicle (Train Info)

```bash
# Show train information
irail vehicle IC1832

# Include all stops
irail vehicle IC1832 --stops

# JSON output
irail vehicle IC18...