Identical trains, evenly spaced, with equal passenger flow in both directions. Without targets, the model uses one train at the selected utilization. With a target flow, utilization becomes an upper limit and a whole fleet is chosen according to the flow and interval policy. Actual utilization and transfer times adjust to the requested demand. At each terminal, all passengers leave before the next group boards. Each leg starts from rest; constant braking is included. Platform penalties, traffic and variable waits for late passengers are excluded.
Distance is shared with the race chart. An hour means 3,600 simulation seconds.
Passenger handling: 1 capacity/s per multiplier unit, in both directions. Total rate = base rate × sum of the contributing vehicle multipliers. Rail braking uses the calibrated 2.5 m/s² rate; fixed delays to 6 seconds per terminal (2 before unloading, 2 before loading, 2 before departure). The extracted loading speeds are summed; zero-speed power cars are excluded, and visual sections within one articulated model count once. Empty mass is used; passenger load showed no visible acceleration effect.
This model assumes enough passengers to sustain the chosen utilization, regardless of journey time. Very long journeys can reduce demand in the game. The Handcar’s very low maintenance can therefore make it the theoretical winner here, while its slow service may attract too few passengers on long routes. Demand is not modelled, so this ranking is not a complete recommendation for a real line. Deselect the Handcar to compare the other trains.
Infrastructure and compositions
Rail service uses the lower of the vehicle and each segment’s infrastructure speed limit. Numeric limits span 10–350 km/h; 100, 160 and 350 are presets. Coupled identical multiple units add capacity, length, loading speed and running costs proportionally; mass, power and traction also scale together, so acceleration is unchanged. Coupling is considered only with both a target rate and a target frequency. Choose the closest achievable frequency at one-second display precision, then the lowest fleet running costs. The At most policy remains a hard maximum interval. A platform length limit excludes overlong trains entirely; no loading penalty is modelled. Identical rail trainset coupling and proportional performance have been verified.
Service targets
Our target rate is passenger journeys per game year (1,460 simulation seconds) per direction, with the same target in both directions. Frequency is expressed as the interval between trains, as in the game. At most chooses enough whole trains to respect a maximum interval at each station. Closest to target chooses the achievable interval nearest to the requested one, while still serving the required passenger flow; its interval can exceed the target. Enabling only frequency assumes enough demand to maintain the selected utilization. Station congestion, bunching and platform capacity are not modelled. With a fixed flow, maintenance cost includes spare capacity in the chosen fleet; integer train counts can create steps in cost curves.
Understanding the results
A stop includes unloading, loading and fixed delays. Travel includes braking to rest. Both directions count as passenger journeys; utilization can represent an average. Maintenance per journey divides the game’s maintenance cost by journeys provided in 1,460 simulation seconds. Lower values need less maintenance for equal throughput. It excludes fares and purchase costs.
Reading the graphs
The distance axis ends at your selected route distance, shown by the vertical marker. Hover a curve to identify its train. Log scale crops values below the displayed minimum.
Phase focus expands leadership phases and compresses the final phase. Marks on the distance axis show scale changes. The displayed window starts at the lesser of 100 m and one tenth of your selected route; no claim is made beyond that distance. A single leadership phase keeps a uniform scale.
All crossovers gives equal space between every ranking change, including changes among non-leading trains. The search begins at the lesser of 100 m and one tenth of your selected route. The chart ends at the selected route distance.
Compare your saved railway freight compositions on a two-stop A–B–A line. Each leg starts and ends at rest; acceleration, braking and the track speed limit are included. Empty mass is used in both directions, consistent with the loaded/empty comparison.
Freight handling is 0.0625 cargo units/s per aggregate multiplier. A terminal and a warehouse each double handling at their own stop. Pauses are 2 seconds before each active transfer and 2 seconds before departure: 4 seconds per stop for an empty return, 6 for a loaded return. A loaded return assumes the same utilization in both directions; deliveries count both legs. Transfers are sequential.
Target rate is total cargo units delivered per game year (1,460 simulation seconds). Whole trains satisfy the requested rate and interval policy; utilization becomes a ceiling. Compositions retain their chosen vehicles and are never automatically coupled. Traffic, queues, mixed cargo, purchase costs, infrastructure costs and revenue are excluded. Numeric fleet changes and crossovers are sampled.