SGR Public Trip Search API Documentation by Isaiah Nyalali

Introduction

This documentation provides a technical deep-dive into the unofficial public-facing API endpoint for querying trip schedules and seat availability on the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

The information herein is derived from empirical analysis and is intended for developers and system architects building applications that integrate with the SGR ticketing system.

Important: This is not official documentation. All endpoints and data structures are subject to unannounced changes by TRC.

Live Seat Availability Checker

Test the API in real-time by checking seat availability for your desired route.

From

To

Travel Date

Passengers

Overview

Endpoint

POST /TICIDIS/api/v1/Public/SearchTrip

Authentication

Not Required

Content Type

application/json

Base URL

sgrticket-api.trc.co.tz

Use Cases

Mobile Applications

Build native iOS or Android apps that allow users to check train schedules and seat availability on the go.

Web Portals

Create web-based booking systems or information portals for travel agencies and customers.

Chatbots & AI Assistants

Integrate with messaging platforms to provide real-time train information through conversational interfaces.

Analytics & Monitoring

Track seat availability trends, pricing patterns, and route popularity for business intelligence.

Requirements

HTTP Client

Any HTTP client capable of making POST requests (fetch, axios, curl, etc.)

JSON Support

Ability to serialize and deserialize JSON payloads

Date Handling

Support for ISO 8601 date format (YYYY-MM-DD and timestamps)

Error Handling

Robust error handling for network failures and API changes

How It Works

1

Send Request

POST JSON payload with search parameters to the API endpoint

2

API Processing

Server validates parameters and queries the SGR database

3

Data Retrieval

System fetches available trips and seat information

4

Receive Response

JSON response with trip details and seat availability

Step-by-Step Instructions

1

Prepare Request Headers

Set Content-Type and Accept headers to application/json

2

Build JSON Payload

Include all required fields: boarding/landing station IDs, date, passenger count, etc.

3

Format Dates Correctly

Use YYYY-MM-DD for date field and ISO 8601 UTC timestamp for departureDate and returnDate

4

Send POST Request

Make the HTTP POST request to the API endpoint

5

Parse Response

Extract trip data and aggregate seat availability by class type

6

Display Results

Present the information to users in a clear, organized format

Code Examples

cURL Example

bash

curl -X POST https://sgrticket-api.trc.co.tz/TICIDIS/api/v1/Public/SearchTrip \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "boardingStationId": 1,
    "landingStationId": 12,
    "date": "2025-09-25",
    "isOneWay": true,
    "passengerCount": 1,
    "departureDate": "2025-09-25T00:00:00.000Z",
    "returnDate": "2025-09-25T00:00:00.000Z",
    "isReservation": false,
    "loginType": 2
  }'

JavaScript (Fetch API)

javascript

async function searchSGRTrips(fromId, toId, date) {
  const payload = {
    boardingStationId: fromId,
    landingStationId: toId,
    date: date,
    isOneWay: true,
    passengerCount: 1,
    departureDate: `${date}T00:00:00.000Z`,
    returnDate: `${date}T00:00:00.000Z`,
    isReservation: false,
    loginType: 2
  };

  const response = await fetch(
    'https://sgrticket-api.trc.co.tz/TICIDIS/api/v1/Public/SearchTrip',
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Accept': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify(payload)
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  return data;
}

Python (Requests)

python

import requests
import json

def search_sgr_trips(from_id, to_id, date):
    url = "https://sgrticket-api.trc.co.tz/TICIDIS/api/v1/Public/SearchTrip"
    
    payload = {
        "boardingStationId": from_id,
        "landingStationId": to_id,
        "date": date,
        "isOneWay": True,
        "passengerCount": 1,
        "departureDate": f"{date}T00:00:00.000Z",
        "returnDate": f"{date}T00:00:00.000Z",
        "isReservation": False,
        "loginType": 2
    }
    
    headers = {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Accept": "application/json"
    }
    
    response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

Request Parameters

HTTP Headers

Header	Value	Required	Description
`Content-Type`	`application/json`	Yes	Specifies request body format
`Accept`	`application/json`	Yes	Expected response format

Payload Parameters

Field	Type	Required	Description	Example
`boardingStationId`	Integer	Yes	Origin station ID	`1`
`landingStationId`	Integer	Yes	Destination station ID	`12`
`date`	String	Yes	Travel date (YYYY-MM-DD), within 7-day window	`"2025-09-25"`
`isOneWay`	Boolean	Yes	Must be true	`true`
`passengerCount`	Integer	Yes	Number of passengers	`1`
`departureDate`	String	Yes	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp	`"2025-09-25T00:00:00.000Z"`
`returnDate`	String	Yes	Same as departureDate (API quirk)	`"2025-09-25T00:00:00.000Z"`
`isReservation`	Boolean	Yes	Must be false	`false`
`loginType`	Integer	Yes	Public user type (static value)	`2`

Station Reference

ID	Station Name
`1`	Dar Es Salaam
`2`	Pugu
`3`	Soga
`4`	Ruvu
`5`	Ngerengere
`6`	Morogoro
`7`	Mkata
`8`	Kilosa
`9`	Kidete
`10`	Gulwe
`11`	Igandu
`12`	Dodoma

Response Structure

Root Object

Key	Type	Description
`ok`	Boolean	true for success, false otherwise
`code`	Integer	HTTP status code (typically 200)
`message`	String	Status message (e.g., "GNRL100 - Success.")
`data`	Array	Array of Trip objects (empty if no results)

Trip Object

Key	Type	Description	Example
`tripId`	Integer	Unique trip identifier	`88`
`tripName`	String	Service name	`"DAR - DOM / ORDINARY LINE"`
`date`	String	Departure date with timezone	`"2025-10-02T00:00:00+03:00"`
`startTime`	String	Departure time (HH:mm:ss)	`"18:55:00"`
`endTime`	String	Arrival time (HH:mm:ss)	`"23:01:00"`
`tripsPrice`	Float	Base fare amount	`31500.0`
`tripsPriceCurrency`	String	Currency code	`"TZS"`
`railwayCars`	Array	Array of Railway Car objects	`[...]`

Railway Car Object

Key	Type	Description	Example
`railwayCarId`	Integer	Car model ID	`19`
`typeId`	Integer	Class type ID	`151`
`typeName`	String	Class name (Royal/Economy)	`"Royal Class"`
`capacity`	Integer	Total seat capacity	`44`
`emptySeats`	Integer	Available seats (0 = full)	`24`
`hasSeat`	Boolean	Has assignable seats	`true`
`standardSeatCapacity`	Integer	Standard seat total	`44`
`disabledSeatCapacity`	Integer	Accessible seat total	`0`
`emptyStandardSeats`	Integer	Available standard seats	`24`
`emptyDisabledSeats`	Integer	Available accessible seats	`0`

Errors & Troubleshooting

Common Errors

Empty Response (ok: true, data: [])

Causes:

No trips available for the selected route and date
Date is outside the 7-day booking window
Invalid station ID combination

Solution: Try different dates or verify station IDs

400 Bad Request

Causes:

Missing required fields in payload
Invalid date format
Incorrect data types (e.g., string instead of integer)

Solution: Validate all payload fields match the specification exactly

Rate Limiting / Timeouts

Causes:

Too many requests from the same IP
Server-side issues or maintenance

Solution: Implement exponential backoff and respect reasonable polling intervals

Pro Tip: Always implement comprehensive error handling and logging in production applications to track API changes and issues.

Important Notes

Data Aggregation Required

A single train may have multiple cars of the same class. You must iterate through all railwayCars and sum emptySeats by typeName to get accurate availability.

7-Day Booking Window

The API only returns results for dates within the next 7 days. Requests beyond this window will return empty results.

returnDate Field Quirk

Even though isOneWay is true, the returnDate field is mandatory. Use the same value as departureDate.

API Volatility

This is an unofficial endpoint. Field names, structure, and even the URL may change without notice. Build with defensive coding practices.

Backend Implementation

For production use, proxy API calls through your backend to avoid CORS issues and protect against client-side rate limiting.

Timezone Awareness

Times are in East Africa Time (EAT, UTC+3). The date field includes timezone offset (+03:00).

Changelog

v1.1 January 07, 2026

Updated documentation with latest empirical findings
Added comprehensive station reference table
Clarified returnDate field requirement
Enhanced error handling guidelines

v1.0 January 01, 2026

Initial documentation release
Documented core endpoint functionality
Provided basic code examples

Disclaimer

This is unofficial documentation derived from empirical analysis of the Tanzania Railway Corporation's public API endpoints.

This documentation is not endorsed, maintained, or supported by Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) or any official government entity.

Use at your own risk:

The API endpoint, data structures, and behavior may change without notice
There is no guarantee of availability, accuracy, or stability
Applications built on this endpoint should implement robust error handling
For official booking and information, use sgrticket.trc.co.tz

The author and contributors assume no liability for any issues arising from the use of this documentation or the API it describes.

Author

Isaiah P. Nyalali

Software Developer & Technical Writer

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If you find this documentation helpful or have suggestions for improvements, feel free to reach out. Contributions and feedback are always welcome!