a-nach-b

Apps & Automation

Austrian public transport (VOR AnachB) for all of Austria. Query real-time departures, search stations/stops, plan routes between locations, and check service disruptions. Use when asking about Austrian trains, buses, trams, metro (U-Bahn), or directions involving public transport in Austria.

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VOR AnachB - Austrian Public Transport API

Query Austrian public transport for real-time departures, route planning, and service disruptions using the HAFAS API.

Quick Reference

Script	Purpose
`search.sh`	Find stations/stops by name
`departures.sh`	Real-time departures at a station
`route.sh`	Plan a trip between two locations
`disruptions.sh`	Current service disruptions

API: HAFAS (Hacon Fahrplan-Auskunfts-System)
Endpoint: https://vao.demo.hafas.de/gate

1. Search Stations/Stops

Find station IDs by name:

./search.sh "Stephansplatz"
./search.sh "Wien Hauptbahnhof"
./search.sh "Linz"
./search.sh "Salzburg Hbf"

Returns station names, IDs (extId), and coordinates.

Response fields:

name: Station name
extId: Station ID for use in other queries
type: S (Station), A (Address), P (POI)
coordinates: WGS84 coordinates (lon/lat in 1e-6 format)

2. Real-Time Departures

Get next departures from a station:

./departures.sh <station-id> [count]

# Examples:
./departures.sh 490132000        # Wien Stephansplatz, 10 departures
./departures.sh 490132000 20     # Wien Stephansplatz, 20 departures
./departures.sh 490060200        # Wien Hauptbahnhof
./departures.sh 444130000        # Linz Hbf
./departures.sh 455000100        # Salzburg Hbf

Response fields:

line: Line name (U1, S1, RJ, etc.)
direction: Final destination
departure: Scheduled departure time
delay: Delay in minutes (if any)
platform: Platform/track number

3. Route Planning

Plan a trip between two stations:

./route.sh <from-id> <to-id> [results]

# Examples:
./route.sh 490132000 490060200        # Stephansplatz → Hauptbahnhof
./route.sh 490132000 444130000 5      # Wien → Linz, 5 results
./route.sh "Graz Hbf" "Wien Hbf"      # Search by name (slower)

Response fields:

departure: Departure time
arrival: Arrival time
duration: Trip duration
changes: Number of transfers
legs: Array of trip segments with line info

4. Disruptions

Check current service disruptions:

./disruptions.sh [category]

# Examples:
./disruptions.sh            # All disruptions
./disruptions.sh TRAIN      # Train disruptions only
./disruptions.sh BUS        # Bus disruptions only

Common Station IDs

Station	ID
Wien Stephansplatz	490132000
Wien Hauptbahnhof	490134900
Wien Westbahnhof	490024300
Wien Praterstern	490056100
Wien Karlsplatz	490024600
Wien Schwedenplatz	490119500
Linz Hbf	444116400
Salzburg Hbf	455000200
Graz Hbf	460086000
Innsbruck Hbf	481070100
Klagenfurt Hbf	492019500
St. Pölten Hbf	431543300
Wiener Neustadt Hbf	430521000
Krems a.d. Donau	431046400

Tip: Always use ./search.sh to find the correct station ID.

Transport Types

Code	Type
ICE/RJ/RJX	High-speed trains
IC/EC	InterCity/EuroCity
REX/R	Regional Express/Regional
S	S-Bahn (suburban rail)
U	U-Bahn (Vienna metro)
STR	Tram/Straßenbahn
BUS	Bus
AST	Demand-responsive transport

API Details (for advanced usage)

The scripts use the HAFAS JSON API. For custom queries:

curl -s -X POST "https://vao.demo.hafas.de/gate" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "svcReqL": [{
      "req": { ... },
      "meth": "METHOD_NAME",
      "id": "1|1|"
    }],
    "client": {"id": "VAO", "v": "1", "type": "AND", "name": "nextgen"},
    "ver": "1.73",
    "lang": "de",
    "auth": {"aid": "nextgen", "type": "AID"}
  }'

Available methods:

LocMatch - Location/station search
StationBoard - Departures/arrivals
TripSearch - Route planning
HimSearch - Disruptions/service messages
JourneyDetails - Details of a specific journey

Tips

Find station IDs first: Always use search.sh to find the correct station ID before querying departures or routes.
Station vs Stop: Major stations have multiple platforms - the main station ID covers all platforms.
Real-time data: Departures include real-time delays when available.
Austria-wide: This API covers all Austrian public transport, not just Vienna.
Cross-border: Some routes extend to neighboring countries (Germany, Czech Republic, etc.).