# Wmata [Health: Active]

**Category:** 🚆 Travel & Transportation  
**Repository:** https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-wmata  
**GitHub Stars:** 0  
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**Directory Page:** https://allmcps.com/mcp/wmata

## Description
Washington Metro real-time + static rail/bus data. Free key required.

## Tools
Capabilities this server exposes over MCP:

- **All**

## Claude Desktop Quick Installation
Install path detected from listing signals. Uses `npx` (confidence: high):

```json
"mcpServers": {
  "wmata": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y","@pipeworx/mcp-wmata"],
    "env": {
      "PLATFORM_WMATA_KEY": ""
    }
  }
}
```

**Requires environment variables:** `PLATFORM_WMATA_KEY` — the values above are empty placeholders; fill in real credentials before running (see the repository for what each one is for).

## Documentation

## What Wmata MCP server does

The Wmata MCP server gives MCP-compatible clients access to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority data. Its tools cover both rail and bus services, combining network reference information with operational data such as train predictions and current incidents.

Rail tools can list lines, find stations across the system or on a selected line, return details for a station, retrieve next-train predictions, and report rail incidents. Bus tools list routes, provide route details for an optional date, search for nearby stops using latitude, longitude, and radius values, return arrival predictions for a stop, and report bus incidents.

This makes the server suitable for questions such as which stations belong to a line, when trains are expected at selected stations, which bus stops are nearby, or whether WMATA has reported a service problem.

## How it works

The server retrieves data from the WMATA API and presents the available operations as MCP tools. Rail prediction requests accept comma-separated station codes, including `All` for system-wide results. Bus arrival requests use a stop ID, while nearby-stop searches accept optional geographic parameters.

You can use the Pipeworx pack endpoint at `https://gateway.pipeworx.io/wmata/mcp`. That endpoint lists the WMATA tools along with shared Pipeworx meta-tools, including routing and discovery functions. The gateway can also expose the full Pipeworx catalog. Alternatively, the local package communicates over stdin and stdout and exposes only the WMATA tool set.

The gateway also provides HTTP tool invocation. For example, a client can send a POST request to `/v1/tools/rail_lines` with a JSON body. The gateway documentation states that initial calls do not require an account.

## Setup and configuration

For a hosted connection, add the WMATA endpoint to an MCP client using its URL. Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf are named as supported client examples in the project documentation.

For local use, run the package with:

```bash
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-wmata
```

A local MCP configuration uses `npx` as the command and `-y @pipeworx/mcp-wmata` as its arguments. This mode does not require a Pipeworx account or a gateway round trip.

Authentication uses a free WMATA API key. The gateway supports the `PLATFORM_WMATA_KEY` configuration, while requests can also provide a key through the `_apiKey` query parameter. The documented API allowance is 5,000 requests per day.

## Tools and capabilities

- `rail_lines()` lists rail lines.
- `rail_stations(line_code?)` lists stations, optionally filtered by line.
- `rail_station_info(station_code)` returns station information.
- `rail_predictions(station_codes)` returns train predictions for selected stations or the whole system.
- `rail_incidents()` reports current rail incidents.
- `bus_routes()` lists bus routes.
- `bus_route_details(route_id, date?)` returns route details, optionally for a date.
- `bus_stops(lat?, lon?, radius?)` searches for nearby bus stops.
- `bus_predictions(stop_id)` returns bus arrival predictions.
- `bus_incidents()` reports current bus incidents.

## Limitations and notes

The Wmata MCP server depends on WMATA API access and a valid free key. Hosted pack connections include Pipeworx shared meta-tools in addition to the WMATA tools, so the tool list is larger than the nine transit operations above. The local stdio mode does not include those shared tools.

The repository describes the data as real-time and static, but returned availability and accuracy depend on the upstream WMATA API. Prediction and incident tools are operational queries; line, station, route, and stop tools provide network reference data.

_Full upstream README: https://allmcps.com/mcp/wmata/readme_