Fetch connections

Use this action to fetch a list of upcoming connections for one of your configured Swiss public transport instances. Each instance represents a specific start and destination, so the action returns the next departures for that route.

This action returns its result in a response variable, which you can use in later steps of the same automation or script. For example, you can read out the next train departure on a dashboard or send it in a notification.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To fetch connections from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select Swiss public transport: Fetch connections.
6. Select the Instance to fetch connections for. Optionally, set a Limit for the number of connections to return.
7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. In the UI, you are not prompted to choose an area, device, entity, or label.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as swiss_public_transport.fetch_connections. A basic example looks like this:

action: swiss_public_transport.fetch_connections
data:
  config_entry_id: zurich_geneva
  limit: 3
response_variable: connections

This fetches the next three connections for the selected instance.

Options in YAML

Response data

The action returns a connections list. Each connection includes the following information:

• departure: The departure time of the connection.
• duration: The travel duration, in seconds.
• platform: The platform the connection departs from.
• remaining_time: The time remaining until departure.
• start: The name of the start station.
• destination: The name of the destination station.
• train_number: The train number of the connection.
• transfers: The number of transfers along the way.
• delay: The departure delay, in minutes.
• line: The line name of the connection.

Good to know

• When you do not set a limit, the action returns three connections.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.