Start with a journey, not just two stations
The official starting tips suggest a direct bus link between nearby towns. Before choosing a larger train project, write down the journey you want to serve: an origin neighborhood, a boarding stop, the intercity service and a reachable destination.
Walking at either end is access to the service; changing to a second line is a separate transfer. If your immediate goal is a Connect Towns subsidy, use the transfer-free condition checklist before adding feeder lines.
Build and inspect one complete connection
- Choose two nearby towns and inspect their districts. Look at where people live and where the service could take them, rather than selecting the visually largest station site.
- Place passenger stops and verify access. The station's catchment display is more useful than a visual guess about distance. Passengers also need a valid pedestrian path.
- Create a line and inspect the outward and return journey. Make sure the intended stops are in the list and the displayed route reaches them. A vehicle cycles through its stop list; do not assume a circular list automatically creates the return service you intended.
- Assign vehicles that can reach the route. Use a compatible connected depot. Resolve line warnings before judging demand.
- Observe where passengers board and leave. Record which leg is empty and which destinations passengers are trying to reach. Change one access or route problem before buying more vehicles.
This is a diagnostic sequence, not a tested profitable opening. Terrain, year, demand and your difficulty settings all affect the investment.
Direct service or local feeders?
| Arrangement | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| One intercity line with useful town stops | Whether its stops reach the origin and destination neighborhoods. |
| Local feeder plus intercity service | Whether the complete journey remains usable at the interchange. |
| A larger out-of-town station | The access journey, waiting and travel time, not only the main line speed. |
Official tips suggest more town stops or local bus services when a single stop does not cover enough of the town. Use feeders to address a real access gap. They add another part of the journey to inspect, so a map with more lines is not automatically a better service.
If your passenger vehicles stay empty
- Check the service type. Passenger vehicles and passenger-capable terminals must match the intended task.
- Check access at both ends. Select the relevant station, then inspect coverage and pedestrian paths. Diagnose the destination as carefully as the origin.
- Inspect an individual resident. The official simulation manual describes a person window showing home, workplace, shopping destination and happiness. That is a better clue than assuming everyone wants to visit the other town.
- Compare the journey offered. Travel time and cost influence public-transport choice. A large detour or awkward wait can make a physically valid route unattractive.
- Read route warnings. If a terminal or segment cannot be reached, fix that connection first. Extra vehicles cannot repair it.
Once people use the service, review crowding and the end-to-end journey before expanding. Return to the beginner guide for cargo and growth priorities, or the signal guide if multiple trains share track.
Sources and version
Checked October 5, 2026: Tips and Tricks, Stations and Depots, Simulation Overview, and Lines and Vehicles. These are documented mechanics and editorial checks, not a first-hand benchmark.
