GBG Tram Tracker

GBG Tram Tracker is a physical PCB board that visualizes Gothenburg’s tram network with addressable RGB LEDs. Each stop lights up based on real‑time vehicle positions and arrivals fetched via Wi‑Fi from the Västtrafik APIs. The goal is an ambient, glanceable art piece. No screens required!

Notes from the build

This project started with learning KiCad from scratch to design the PCBs, and re‑learning the basics of electricity to size traces, resistors, and power delivery safely. An ESP32 microcontroller drives the addressable RGB LED chains and connects over Wi‑Fi to fetch live data from Västtrafik’s API.

While it doesn’t have great utility, the intent is primarily artistic. An ambient, physical representation of a living transit system.

Next steps could include supporting lines in both directions and expanding to multiple LEDs per larger hubs to show platform activity and interchange complexity.

Inspiration

This project is inspired by the excellent work from Traintrackr, adapted for Gothenburg’s tram system and Västtrafik data.