BARTstop - TRMNL Plugin

A TRMNL e-ink display plugin that shows real-time train arrivals at any BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station.

Features

• Real-time arrivals for any BART station
• Train line indicators showing destination abbreviations (RICH, MLBR, DUBL, etc.)
• Smart filtering - filter by direction and/or specific train lines
• Customizable badges - show platform, bike availability, delays, and cancellations (full and half_vertical layouts)
• Multiple layout options for different TRMNL screen sizes
• Zero infrastructure - no backend server required, calls BART API directly

Layouts

Choose from 4 responsive layouts:

Full (4-column grid)

Best for: Full-screen displays showing up to 12 trains

• Large time display
• Detailed train info with customizable badges (platform, bike, delay, cancel)
• Shows first train for each unique line, then fills remaining slots

Half Horizontal (2x2 grid)

Best for: Horizontal half-screen displays showing up to 4 trains

• Compact horizontal layout with destination and times
• Sans-serif time display for clarity
• Smart filter display in titlebar

Half Vertical (2-column grid)

Best for: Vertical half-screen displays showing up to 6 trains

• Vertical stack with customizable badges
• Optimized for tall, narrow displays
• Same badge options as Full layout

Quadrant (vertical stack)

Best for: Quarter-screen displays showing 2 trains

• Clean horizontal card layout (destination left, times right)
• Sans-serif time display
• Maximum 2 train cards to fit small space

Installation

Automated Installation (Recommended)

1. Visit the TRMNL recipe page (when available in store)
2. Click "Install" on the BARTstop plugin
3. Select your preferred layout template
4. Configure your station and filters (see Configuration below)

Manual Installation

For custom setups or if not yet in the TRMNL store:

1. Log into your TRMNL dashboard

2. Create a new private plugin

   • Navigate to Plugins → Create Private Plugin

3. Configure the polling strategy

   • Strategy: polling
   • Method: GET

4. Set the polling URL

   Copy this URL structure and paste into the "Polling URL" field:

   {% if bart_direction and bart_direction != '' and bart_direction != 'Any' %}\r\nhttps://api.bart.gov/api/etd.aspx?cmd=etd&orig={{ bart_origin_station }}&dir={{ bart_direction }}&key=MW9S-E7SL-26DU-VV8V&json=y\r\n{% else %}\r\nhttps://api.bart.gov/api/etd.aspx?cmd=etd&orig={{ bart_origin_station }}&key=MW9S-E7SL-26DU-VV8V&json=y\r\n{% endif %}
   

5. Add form fields from settings.yml

   Copy the custom_fields section from settings.yml (lines 11-112) to configure:

   • BART Origin Station dropdown
   • Direction filter (optional)
   • Train Line Filter (optional, multi-select)
   • Badge Visibility (optional, multi-select)

6. Select your layout template

   • Choose from: full.liquid, half_horizontal.liquid, half_vertical.liquid, or quadrant.liquid

7. Set refresh interval

   • Recommended: 30 minutes

Configuration

BART Station (required)

• Select your station from the dropdown (all 50+ BART stations supported)
• Uses official BART station codes (12TH, EMBR, MONT, etc.)

Direction (optional)

• Leave blank for all trains
• Select North for northbound trains only
• Select South for southbound trains only
• Filters appear in titlebar when active

Train Line Filter (optional, multi-select)

• Default: No filters (shows all train lines)
• Select specific lines to show only those trains (RICH, MLBR, DUBL, etc.)
• Filters display in titlebar only when actively filtering trains
• Combine with Direction filter for precise control

Badge Visibility (optional, multi-select, full and half_vertical layouts only)

• Default: All badges enabled (platform, bike, delay, cancel)
• Platform: Shows platform number (e.g., "PLAT 1")
• Bike: Shows if train allows bikes (highlighted when available)
• Delay: Shows if train is delayed (highlighted when delayed)
• Cancel: Shows if train is cancelled (highlighted when cancelled)
• Select No badges to hide all badges

3. Refresh Interval

Default: 30 minutes (recommended)

• BART API updates every 15 or 30 minutes
• Faster refresh = more current data, but more API calls

Filtering & Display

Smart Filter Display

Filters only appear in the titlebar instance when they're actively filtering trains:

• Direction only: Shows "North" or "South"
• Lines only: Shows line abbreviations (e.g., "RICH,MLBR")
• Both: Shows both separated by · (e.g., "North · RICH,MLBR")
• No filters/All trains shown: Shows only direction (or nothing if no direction set)

This smart display ensures you always know when filters are active without cluttering the interface.

Available Badges

For full and half_vertical layouts, choose which information badges to display:

Badge	Description	When Highlighted
Platform	Shows platform number	Always shown (e.g., "PLAT 1")
Bike	Bike availability	When bikes are allowed on train
Delay	Train delay status	When train is delayed
Cancel	Cancellation status	When train is cancelled

Note: Badges are not available on quadrant and half_horizontal layouts due to space constraints.

Technical Details

API Integration

• Endpoint: BART Real-Time ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) API
• Format: JSON
• Authentication: Public API key (MW9S-E7SL-26DU-VV8V)
• Rate limiting: Respectful polling every 30 minutes per view

Code Quality

• Inline styles: 2-3 per template (well under TRMNL's 6-style limit)
• Framework: TRMNL v2 with utility-first CSS classes
• Templating: Liquid (Shopify template language)
• Responsive: Adapts to 1-bit through 4-bit e-ink displays

Data Processing

• Converts PST/PDT timezone automatically
• Shows platform numbers and direction when available
• Indicates bike-friendly trains (full/vertical layouts only)

Error Handling

If no trains are available:

• Displays ⚠️ warning emoji
• Shows "No trains available" message
• Automatically recovers when service resumes

License

Public Domain - feel free to modify and distribute

Credits

• Created by jetsharklambo
• Inspired by BARTcom-TRMNL
• BART API provided by Bay Area Rapid Transit
• Built for TRMNL
• Icon by Jamison Weiser

Support

For issues or feature requests, please open an issue on GitHub: https://github.com/jetsharklambo/BARTstop/issues

Version History

v1.2.0 (2026-03-29)

v1.1.0 (2026-01-23)

• Added smart train line filtering (filter by specific lines)
• Added customizable badge visibility (platform, bike, delay, cancel)
• Moved filters to titlebar instance for cleaner display
• Updated quadrant and half_horizontal layouts to horizontal card design
• Changed half_horizontal to 2x2 grid layout
• Unified time fonts to sans-serif across layouts
• Smart filter display (only shows when actively filtering)
• Improved direction field (North/South instead of n/s)

v1.0.0 (2025-11-25)

• Initial release
• 4 responsive layouts (full, half_horizontal, half_vertical, quadrant)
• Real-time train arrivals with line indicators
• Direction filtering support
• Store-ready optimization (≤6 inline styles per template)