# Trainline Scraper — European Train Routes & Prices (`studio-amba/trainline-scraper`) Actor

Scrape train routes, schedules, operators, and prices from Trainline (thetrainline.com). Covers European rail travel across 40+ countries.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/studio-amba/trainline-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Studio Amba](https://apify.com/studio-amba) (community)
- **Categories:** Travel
- **Features:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 29 total users, 5 monthly users, 71.9% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.00 / 1,000 result scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Trainline Scraper

Scrapes train timetable and route information from Trainline (thetrainline.com). Returns departure/arrival times, duration, price, operator, and number of changes for European rail routes. No login or cookies required.

### Why use this actor?

Trainline is Europe's leading train and coach booking platform, covering 270+ rail and coach operators across 45 countries. This scraper extracts timetable data, prices, and operator information -- perfect for travel comparison platforms, commuter tools, and market research into European rail pricing.

### How to scrape Trainline data

1. Create an Apify account (free tier available)
2. Open the Trainline Scraper actor page
3. Add one or more train route URLs (e.g. `https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris`)
4. Click "Start" to begin scraping
5. Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel when the run finishes

You can also call the actor via the Apify API or schedule recurring runs for automated timetable monitoring.

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
|-------|------|----------|-------------|
| `startUrls` | Array | No | Train times page URLs, e.g. `https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris` |
| `maxResults` | Integer | No | Maximum routes to return (default: 100) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Object | No | Proxy settings for large-scale scraping |

Default: scrapes London to Paris route.

### Output

Each result contains:

| Field | Type | Example |
|-------|------|---------|
| `origin` | String | `"London"` |
| `destination` | String | `"Paris"` |
| `departureTime` | String | `"07:01"` |
| `arrivalTime` | String | `"10:17"` |
| `duration` | String | `"2h 16m"` |
| `price` | Number | `49.00` |
| `currency` | String | `"EUR"` |
| `operator` | String | `"Eurostar"` |
| `changes` | Number | `0` |
| `url` | String | Full route page URL |
| `scrapedAt` | String | ISO 8601 timestamp |

### Example output

```json
{
    "origin": "London",
    "destination": "Paris",
    "departureTime": "07:01",
    "arrivalTime": "10:17",
    "duration": "2h 16m",
    "price": 49.00,
    "currency": "EUR",
    "operator": "Eurostar",
    "changes": 0,
    "url": "https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-03-16T10:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Price monitoring** -- Track train ticket prices over time to find the cheapest days to travel
- **Travel comparison** -- Feed Trainline data into your travel comparison platform
- **Commuter tools** -- Build timetable applications for specific routes
- **Market research** -- Analyze pricing patterns across European rail operators
- **Deal alerts** -- Get notified when prices drop on specific routes

### Popular routes

London to Paris, London to Amsterdam, Paris to Brussels, Berlin to Munich, Barcelona to Madrid, Amsterdam to Berlin, Rome to Florence, Zurich to Milan.

### Data sources

The scraper tries three extraction strategies in order:

1. JSON-LD `ItemList` with TrainTrip items
2. HTML timetable rows (departure time, arrival time, duration columns)
3. Embedded `__NEXT_DATA__` JSON with journey objects

It also discovers links to related routes on the page and can follow them.

### Integrations

Connect Trainline Scraper results to your existing tools:

- **Google Sheets** -- Automatic export after every run
- **Slack / Email** -- Get notified when ticket prices drop
- **Webhooks** -- Push timetable data to your own API endpoint
- **Zapier / Make** -- Connect to 5,000+ apps without code

### Cost estimate

HTTP-based scraper, no browser needed. Roughly **$0.20 per 100 routes**.

### Limitations

- Trainline's results pages are heavily JavaScript-rendered. The HTTP scraper captures static timetable data from `/train-times/` pages, but real-time search results may require a browser-based approach.
- Route names are parsed from the URL slug (e.g. `/london-to-paris`).
- Data is scraped from the public website and may change without notice.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Trainline route pages to scrape. Example: https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of routes/journeys to return.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. Recommended for large runs to avoid blocking.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris"
    }
  ],
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris"
        }
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("studio-amba/trainline-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris" }],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "GB",
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("studio-amba/trainline-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.thetrainline.com/en/train-times/london-to-paris"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
  }
}' |
apify call studio-amba/trainline-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,studio-amba/trainline-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/Nbu7kzBLJ7IABIJkM/builds/dkuNJknAADbCTBCbw/openapi.json