MCP National Rail vs Timetable API Node

In-depth architectural comparison of the MCP National Rail and Timetable API Node MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose MCP National Rail when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
• You have access to required keys: RTT_API_USERNAME, RTT_API_PASSWORD.
• Primary tools included: Get live departures from National Rail stations, Get live arrivals at National Rail stations, Retrieve departures by date.

Explore MCP National Rail Details

Choose Timetable API Node when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
• You have access to required keys: SENTRY_DSN, NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	MCP National Rail lucygoodchild Travel & Transportation	Timetable API Node vbhjckfd Travel & Transportation
Summary	An MCP server for UK National Rail trains service, providing train schedules and live travel information, intergrating the Realtime Trains API	Real-time Lviv (Ukraine) public transport: stop arrivals, live vehicle positions, route geometry, and nearby stop discovery. No API key required.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lucygoodchild-mcp-national-rail": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smithery/cli"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RTT_API_USERNAME": "YOUR_RTT_API_USERNAME_HERE",
        "RTT_API_PASSWORD": "YOUR_RTT_API_PASSWORD_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vbhjckfd-timetable-api-node": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SENTRY_DSN": "YOUR_SENTRY_DSN_HERE",
        "NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY": "YOUR_NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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