Case Study All Work

TRMNL plugin: Metro North Status

My TRMNL showing the next trip from Grand Central Station.
My TRMNL showing the next trip from Grand Central Station.
TRMNL plugin store page for Metro North Trip Status.
TRMNL plugin store page for Metro North Trip Status.
Settings for the plugin to allow user to customize their train route.
Settings for the plugin to allow user to customize their train route.

A plugin for the TRMNL e-ink terminal that displays upcoming Metro North train departures, including trips that require a transfer — something the existing plugin in the TRMNL store didn’t support.

  • Role: Solo developer — API, plugin, design
  • Timeline: About 3 days
  • Stack: PHP, TRMNL Plugin API
  • Links: TRMNL Store · API

What it does

The plugin shows the next available trains for a regular commute, highlighting which departure you can still catch. It supports trips with transfers, which the existing TRMNL transit plugin didn’t handle.

The plugin is actually two projects. The first is an API I built and host that queries Metro North schedule data and returns structured trip information. The second is the plugin itself, built within the TRMNL platform, which consumes that API and renders the display for the e-ink screen.

Why it matters

This is a small project, but it’s a clean example of how I work: I saw a tool that almost solved my problem, identified what was missing, and built the version I actually needed. The API is live, the plugin is free in the TRMNL store, and I use it every day.