SEPTA Train View Scraper
Pricing
from $7.50 / 1,000 results
SEPTA Train View Scraper
Collects real-time SEPTA Regional Rail train data from the public Train View feed. Returns each active train as a flat row with line, destination, coordinates, speed, and next stop. Optional line name filter.
Pricing
from $7.50 / 1,000 results
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0.0
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ParseForge
Maintained by CommunityActor stats
0
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2
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1
Monthly active users
11 days ago
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SEPTA Train View Scraper
Scrape real-time SEPTA train positions, speeds, and next stops from the public Train View feed. Every train comes with its line, destination, lat/lon coordinates, and service status. No API key or authentication required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
SEPTA's official Train View API provides live train locations across the Philadelphia region, but raw access requires parsing a streaming feed with no built-in filtering. This Actor reads the public Train View endpoint directly, filters by line name if you choose, and returns each active train as a clean, flat row. You get real-time situational awareness without writing a single line of integration code.
| Who uses it | What they scrape SEPTA for |
|---|---|
| Transit app developers | Building a real-time regional rail tracker for commuters. |
| Operations analysts | Monitoring on-time performance and service gaps across lines. |
| Data journalists | Investigating SEPTA service patterns and delays for a story. |
| Hobbyist makers | Powering a home dashboard or LED map of live train positions. |
What it does
This Actor collects live SEPTA train data from the public Train View feed and returns each active train as a flat row with its line, destination, coordinates, speed, and next stop.
- 🚂 Live train positions: latitude, longitude, heading, and speed for every active train.
- 🏷️ Line filtering: optionally restrict results to a specific line like Paoli/Thorndale or Trenton.
- 📊 Fixed schema: every row has the same columns, ready for analysis or a database.
Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.
What you can do with SEPTA data
🚉 Build a commuter dashboard.
A transit app developer runs the Actor every 30 seconds, filters for the Paoli/Thorndale line, and displays live train positions on a map for riders.
📈 Monitor service performance.
An operations analyst collects all trains every minute for a week, then calculates headway adherence and delay patterns by line and time of day.
🗞️ Investigate transit stories.
A data journalist scrapes the full feed during a service disruption, correlating train positions with official statements to verify what happened.
Why choose this scraper
| What you get | |
|---|---|
| No API key | The public Train View feed requires no registration or authentication. |
| Real-time data | Positions update every few seconds from SEPTA's own feed. |
| Flat output | Every train is one row, no nested JSON to unpack. |
| Line filtering | Target a single line or collect every active train in the system. |
How it compares
No other Store actor targets SEPTA the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.
| SEPTA Train View Scraper | Build it in-house | By hand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run it now, zero config | Days of engineering | None, but hours per pull |
| When SEPTA changes | Maintained for you | You fix it | You re-learn the page |
| Proxies, retries, anti-bot | Built in | Your problem | Browser only |
| Output | Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export | Whatever you build | Copy-paste |
| Cost | Pay per result | Engineering time | Analyst hours |
Configure the run
Drive the Actor with an optional line name filter and a maximum item count, and filtering runs as each train is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.
A first run with the defaults:
A larger pull:
Pricing
Pay-per-result: $0.0085 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.
| Results collected | Approximate cost |
|---|---|
| 100 results | $0.85 |
| 1,000 results | $8.50 |
| 10,000 results | $85.00 |
New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.
Free users
Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.
Run it
- Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
- Open the SEPTA Train View Scraper.
- Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
- Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.
Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.
Use with AI agents (MCP)
Give an AI agent live access to SEPTA through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:
Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.
Troubleshooting
Why am I getting zero trains?
SEPTA may have no active trains at that moment, especially late at night or during service suspensions. Try running during peak hours. Also check that your line filter substring matches an actual line name like 'Paoli' or 'Trenton'.
The line filter is not returning the trains I expect.
The filter is a case-insensitive substring match. 'thorndale' will match 'Paoli/Thorndale'. If you see no results, verify the exact line name spelling on SEPTA's website and try a shorter substring.
My run timed out.
The Train View feed is usually responsive, but SEPTA's server can occasionally be slow. Increase the Actor's timeout in the run settings, or reduce maxItems to collect fewer trains per run.
The coordinates look wrong or are missing.
SEPTA occasionally reports trains with stale or zero coordinates when a train is in a tunnel or has started its run. These rows are still included. Filter them out in post-processing if needed.
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How often does the data refresh? | The Actor reads SEPTA's public Train View feed, which updates every few seconds. Each run captures a single snapshot of all active trains at that moment. Schedule frequent runs for continuous monitoring. |
| Does this cover buses, trolleys, or the Market-Frankford Line? | No. The Train View feed covers only Regional Rail trains. Buses, trolleys, the Market-Frankford Line, and the Broad Street Line are not included. |
| Can I filter by train number or destination? | The input schema supports filtering by line name substring only. You can further filter by destination or train number in your own code after the data is collected. |
| Is an API key or SEPTA developer account required? | No. The Train View feed is publicly accessible with no authentication, registration, or API key. |
| What area does this cover? | It covers the entire SEPTA Regional Rail system, including lines serving Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, and Chester counties, plus service to Trenton, New Jersey and Wilmington, Delaware. |
| How many trains can I collect per run? | You set the maximum with the maxItems input. SEPTA typically has fewer than 200 Regional Rail trains active at once, but the Actor supports up to 1,000,000 rows per run. |
| What format is the output? | The Actor returns a flat dataset you can export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform. |
| Can I run this on a schedule? | Yes. Use Apify's built-in scheduler to run the Actor every minute, every 5 minutes, or on any cron schedule you need. |
Related actors
Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.
🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.
⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.
