Train Sim World® 4 news & patch notes

The Story So Far...

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/31c2c54d4d04088bbc33200624fd83fc6d3f4f92.jpg If you’re just joining us and are learning about Train Sim World 5 for the first time... welcome! There’s a lot to catch up on! Over the last few weeks we’ve been showcasing all the new content available, from routes, to locomotives and the new features. Here’s a summary of everything we’ve put out so far!

Dovetail Direct – The Big Announcements!

• Train Sim World 5, Out Now
• Train Sim World VR: New York, Wishlist Now
• Train Sim World Tycoon, Coming Soon

Train Sim World 5: West Coast Main Line

• Focus Article
• First Look
• Livestream

Train Sim World 5: San Bernardino Line

• Focus Article
• First Look
• Livestream

Train Sim World 5: Frankfurt - Fulda

• Focus Article
• First Look
• Livestream

Train Sim World 5: All You Need to Know

How to Download?

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/f55b31f41fc95fba08cf1c6678793b77b307aa1c.jpg Our FAQs also have information for new and existing players on how to download Train Sim World 5 on each platform. We also have this in handy video format for Steam, Epic, PlayStation and Xbox players. Here, you can also find technical information about how profile transfers work, how to continue use of the PC Editor (beta) and information about achievements and Creators Club content.

Launch Times

Full Launch for all Editions of Train Sim World 5 begins at the following times:

• 1600 BST for PlayStation and Xbox players
• 1800 BST for Steam and Epic players

There’s also a Day One Patch releasing today. Read the full Patch Notes.

Compatible Content

Downloadable across all platforms

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/8a35001b68557814f46b419b1e3c5bea4ccd925c.jpg All players can today begin downloading their Compatible content for use in Train Sim World 5. You can learn more about how to access Compatible content in our FAQs. Add-ons will be available for download from 1600 BST (Xbox / PlayStation) and 1800 BST (Steam / Epic Games Store). Steam players who were granted Early Access should already be able to access their Compatible Content.

Free Starter Pack - Out Today

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/f627fe6aa4b6871ad8c3b08f97605f7b741cb7c4.jpg Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack launches today on all platforms for both new players who want to try out Train Sim World for the first time and for players of previous TSW titles, who want to bring their existing collection over to the latest version of the game. No new routes are included in the Starter Pack, but selected new features like the upgraded Live Map and Fast Travel are, along with the 8F Steam locomotive, Class 66 diesel locomotive, BR 146 electric locomotive and Class 323 EMU. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/8601baf644032bf0184d7f381777fb2741e8a2bb.jpg Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack is available to download until 17th October 2024. Once downloaded, it's yours to keep forever! If you'd like to then play one of the latest Train Sim World 5 core routes, you can purchase one of the available bundles. You can also purchase future Train Sim World 5 Add-ons, such as the forthcoming MBTA Commuter or West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle route Add-ons. Players of TSW2020, TSW2 and TSW3 can also use the Free Starter Pack to upgrade selected route Add-ons in their collection to the Remastered versions, including Dresden-Riesa, West Somerset Railway and Cathcart Circle Line. If you’re a PlayStation player that’s making the jump from TSW2020, TSW2 or TSW3, we have specific instructions on how to switch over to Train Sim World 5.

Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition

If you pre-ordered Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition, on any platform then you can now download and play!

Train Sim World 5: Regional Editions

German, USA & UK Regional Editions

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/cdcfa4e431167a8f04e837429f669ed5ed8e6739.jpg If you're looking to dive into Train Sim World 5 via one of the three Regional Editions, you can now do so. The Regional Editions contain the Training Center and a choice of one core route Add-on:

• German Regional Edition (Frankfurt-Fulda)
• USA Regional Edition (San Bernardino Line)
• UK Regional Edition (West Coast Main Line)

Deluxe Edition loco Add-ons

FlixTrain Vectron & Avanti West Coast Pendolino

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/2f242af3917954c572ddd8259c824c02dd7052ac.jpg If you did opt for Standard Edition and would like to get into the cab of either the FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron, or Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino, you can do so with separate loco Add-ons that are now available on all platforms. The FlixTrain Vectron brings additional services to Frankfurt-Fulda, but could be used on a variety of German route Add-ons in Free Roam, whilst the iconic Avanti West Coast Pendolino adds more services to West Coast Main Line, as well as AI traffic to players with both the Cathcart Circle Line & ScotRail Class 380 Add-ons.

Train Sim World 5: Boxed Edition

We can confirm that a boxed copy of Train Sim World 5 will be coming to consoles in early 2025.

Play Now! 10 Things To Try in Train Sim World 5:

1: Learn to Tilt! Drive New Trains

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d9c34eda1bc4d9d2c733be5b46b8dec87124df52.jpg The ICE-T and Avanti West Coast Pendolino are the two standout additions to the Train Sim World fleet, with Training Center tutorials available for the first time you enter the cab! Though many of the buttons, systems and the cab layout may be similar to other trains in the series, getting to grips with the speed and braking is a must for all players and where better to do this than our dedicated Training Center. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d9159149fa032471a5cafaee8c34457098e47367.jpg You’ll need to learn the tilting functions of both trains to achieve higher permitted speeds. This is manually operated using the GNT safety system in the ICE-T and on West Coast Main Line, there is a Scenario which requires the Pendolino’s TASS function to be disabled. The DB BR 114 and MP36PH-3C might also be new for many players, with slight variations in operation from similar locomotives seen from previous Train Sim World Add-ons.

2: Tickets please! Try Conductor Mode

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c666f8807e64002efa12a1ff3bcf535d5bca534d.jpg Conductor Mode is a brand-new feature in each of the Train Sim World 5 core routes, and features as part of service mode, rather than in specific set Scenarios. Operate the door controls, notify the driver / engineer and begin checking those tickets! You’ll also have to move pesky baggage out of the aisles and keep an eye out for your next station stop. Conductor Mode is available on the following trains:

• Class 350 EMU in West Coast Main Line
• DB BR 114 and Dostos in Frankfurt-Fulda
• Metrolink MP36PH-3C / F125 and bi-level coaches in San Bernardino Line

3: Route Hop and continue your session

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/09f6506f1220e857790935de4ccae128b82872da.jpg Route Hopping is a new feature allowing you to hop between routes from your collection that share a common location without going back to the main menu. In Train Sim World 5: Deluxe / Special Editions, you’ll be able to do this from the get-go between San Bernardino Line and Cajon Pass at San Bernardino. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/817de8fcb025c7cf4c9f358b50563ca7b634e6cf.jpg Special Edition players can also do this at Fulda and continue their journey to Kassel or Würzburg or at Queens Park / Harrow & Wealdstone on West Coast Main Line and run the rest of the Bakerloo Line.

4: Cheat! Use Fast Travel to grab Collectibles

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/657573e2a81d54813087af57692db3d4115aeffa.jpg The new Fast Travel feature is perfect for those that quickly want to see what’s going on elsewhere with the route they are playing. This might be useful for when you’ve ended a service and want to start from the other end of the route again, or perhaps run a different kind of service from elsewhere, without returning to the main menu. But! We know people like to speedrun grabbing those collectibles, including the adorable delivery bots from WCML shown above. With plenty scattered about all three core routes, Fast Travel is an open door for quickly mopping them up. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d26fd712a2d504ccc19d55d6d02eec0df356aa36.gif Using Fast Travel also introduces you to the new-look Live Map! This now shows a handy legend, signal aspect direction and useful live information on trains travelling round the route. Exploring, pathing and observing the rails around you is now much easier and more interesting, with more detail than ever before.

5: Submit your Photos with #TSWRailShots

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/455d41c4a185607b53de6dd2a63c1487fb70e9d5.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto Photo Mode has had an upgrade! You can now pause the action, change the weather, time of day and get creative with camera options and settings to create true masterpieces showing trains at their best. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/69f8bfb569d1fb7b1667bad713182130e2cfcb5d.jpg From 17th September (1800 BST) to 24th September, we’ll be looking for the best Photo submissions across Social Media and our Forums. That means you’ve got 5 whole days to hone your skills! The winner will receive a printed version of their railfan shot, signed by members of the Train Sim World 5 Development Team. For more details, keep an eye on our socials. Links are at the bottom of the article.

6: Get Colourful with Creators Club!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/ad9c41f8fa5ec2b30bb8134cce4c7359b0bb07b4.jpg If you really want to stretch your creative legs, Livery Designer, Scenario Planner and Formation Designer are all available for you to chop and change your trains and run them in a variety of ways, colours and formations – your way! If that sounds like too much effort, there’s already thousands of creations available to download from Creators Club. From wacky space-age liveries, to ‘alternate reality’ timetables and formations that aren’t available in timetable mode. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0c9a3e300d0bd01157b211760ea6c1281f3b55a7.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0d72144d3b13088051192b35e982e489a58f6d52.jpg New Decals are also available use in Livery Designer, so get designing and show them off on your favourite locomotives. If you’re an ambitious PC player and want to begin making your own Train Sim World content, the PC Editor (Beta) will continue to be available for Train Sim World 5. We have more information about how this works and how to make use of it if you’re coming from Train Sim World 4 in our FAQs. Alongside the upcoming launch of TSW5, we’ve made some improvements to the TSW5 PC Editor, which includes the key fixes we wanted to address. Additionally, we’ve introduced some core changes to TSW5 itself that will better support the loading of mods.

7: Operate both Vectron variants!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/ae74f65e72c4ae45df90064f618cd2fb74ccee1e.jpg Deluxe / Special Edition contains the striking, green FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron for hauling passenger services across Frankfurt – Fulda. But the DB BR 193 Vectron is also included for freight services, meaning both red and green variants, with slightly different cab layouts, can be run along the same route.

8: Refamiliarise yourself with Free Roam

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/bc2529e1ba68b1b026cd2dcc96c14c63a925a6af.jpg Free Roam was the most significant new feature in Train Sim World 4 and still offers a fresh, flexible way to play in Train Sim World 5! In timetable mode, spawn in trains and set paths wherever you like, mixing in amongst the traffic and operating services not covered in the base timetable. Head into a siding, run round in a platform, head out of the map or insert a service of your choice. Be prepared though! You might come across unexpected signal aspects, unusual pathing options and trains blocking your way if you haven’t quite pathed your trains correctly. If you’re stuck, no worries! Just delete the train in front of you and continue on your way.

9: Relax. Railfan. Ride the rails.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9e18b5eb00f28f26d9a98519b335a5acb5a40ab0.jpg If you’re after a slower pace of play, take to the routes on foot and explore the environment at leisure! Find those collectibles, jump on a train or railfan at your favourite spot and watch the timetable unfold. There are unique dioramas to observe, stunning scenery to admire and even the odd easter egg to find! But we’ll leave the exploring up to you. You might even spot one of our newly licensed Airbus aircraft flying overhead and of course, our diverse passengers. Commuters with briefcases, coffee addicts and others glued to their phones can all be bumped into across the core routes. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/dd7d3968bb1846c331878f2f05f13e869cc5806b.jpg If you have Special Edition, with additional back catalogue routes from the collection, you’ll see extra trains moving around and will be able to play additional services too. Players with existing back catalogue routes will be able to download their collection on Steam, with other platforms releasing this content on full launch (17th September).

10: Complete Mastery Challenges

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/5767700b481ea2152030e134c0bb653d581e7658.jpg Mastery Challenges require you to perform certain tasks on a route, like completing certain Scenarios or travelling a certain number of miles in a specific locomotive. Tier 1 Challenges unlock Decals for use in Livery Designer. Tier 2 Challenges unlock toggleable Scenery Tiles. The Scenery Tiles for the core routes range from adding some artificial wildlife in Milton Keynes, to an airshow taking place at Gelnhausen. Travel the distances, complete Scenarios and work the timetables to unlock them!

What’s Next? - Future Routes and Content

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/31890e14e60c2f74134fe48944e9065ab7e8a720.jpg If you’re keen to hear about what’s next for Train Sim World 5, head over to Part One and Part Two of our August Roadmap where we talk about some of the exciting new routes coming as Add-ons to Train Sim World 5. This includes first routes in both the Netherlands and Wales as well as MBTA Commuter and Just Trains’ West Coast Main Line: Preston – Carlisle. We’ll have more to share in our October Roadmap which will come on Tuesday October 8th!

Have questions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Our handy FAQs should give you all the information you need, along with the various information threads on our Forums. You can also follow us on socials to keep up to date with everything happening through launch and beyond! Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1853d444bd6a955290c6a02263541cc50048bc23.jpg 16th - 23rd September 2024 Toot toot! - All aboard for the next Steam Sale Fest! Steam's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Fest will drive you through all sorts of discounts on Train Sim World Add-ons. View the Full Sale: https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/2362300/Train_Sim_World_4/ If you're already into Train Sim World 5, then this is a great opportunity to add more routes, layers and locomotives into your collection!

How it works: Train Sim World 5 Compatible Entitlements

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/472bdf8f8674fc0538b4dd98441ba5ed76767d06.jpg This sale has the Train Sim World 4 Compatible versions of selected Add-ons on sale. Purchasing these means you can play them in Train Sim World 4 straight away, but Train Sim World 5 players will also be entitled to the Train Sim World 5 Compatible versions. These can be downloaded separately, so you play your chosen content in Train Sim World 5.

Highlighted Routes Add-ons on Sale

Add more gameplay to Train Sim World 5 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9396a48853cf25bc8f840ef5ba966e8b25eb7bd3.jpg Each of Train Sim World 5's core routes has timetables and features that can be added to with other Add-ons available from the Train Sim World back catalogue. This includes:

• Maintalbahn (40% off), adding DB BR 642 services to Frankfurt-Fulda
• Sherman Hill (50% off), adding Union Pacific trains to San Bernardino Line
• Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr (50% off), required for certain service layer combos in Frankfurt-Fulda
• Antelope Valley Line (50% off), unlocks Route Hopping at LA Union Station in San Bernardino Line

UK Route Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/683f3e7e032f7ed94b7657469bbbedcb447229f2.jpg Want to add new routes to your collection? If you're a fan of British trains and the UK's popular towns and cities, there's plenty to go at.

• Head back to the 1980s with the whimsical Class 142 Pacer in Blackpool Branches, now 51% off
• Get prepared for the Remaster of one of the earliest Train Sim World routes with Great Western Express, now 50% off
• Soak up the end of the British Seaside Summertime with the West Somerset Railway, now 50% off
• Run around Glasgow in Cathcart Circle Line, now 60% off

Remasters Available with Train Sim World 5

If you own Train Sim World 4, or Train Sim World 5 and add West Somerset Railway or Cathcart Circle Line to your collection, you'll get the upgraded, Remastered versions of these route Add-ons. Train Sim World 5 players going for Great Western Express will also receive the forthcoming Remaster of that route Add-on COMPLETELY FREE when it releases. You can read more about the Great Western Express Remaster in Part One of our August Roadmap

European Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d0edd424fb8cc60f40a85f33785998c9543d1c3a.jpg If you want to go continental, there's loads of German and European route Add-ons to peruse, including:

• Tharandter Rampe (70% off), perfect if you love tilting trains and want a different experience from Train Sim World 5's ICE-T
• Main-Spessart Bahn (60% off), covering the route from Aschaffenburg to Gemünden, located southeast of Frankfurt
• Berninalinie (50% off), covering the breathtaking line through Swiss mountains and into Tirano, in Italy
• Semmeringbahn (35% off), the first full Austrian route in TSW, required to unlock additional layers in Frankfurt-Fulda

USA Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/858fb1ecc9413e87679988111a40dec12a3e25b0.jpg And if you're looking for more American railroading experiences, there's a variety of USA routes offering different kinds of services to those seen in San Bernardino Line. These include:

• Harlem Line (70% off), set in the New York suburbs
• Northeast Corridor: Boston-Providence (60% off), set in Boston, MA and featuring a stretch of the high-speed Northeast Corridor
• Amtrak's Acela® (60% off), adding more services to Boston-Providence courtesy of Amtrak's 150 mph flagship train
• Peninsula Corridor (50% off), providing more California action between San Francisco and San Jose.

TSW5 Free Starter Pack, available 17th September - 17th October

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f627fe6aa4b6871ad8c3b08f97605f7b741cb7c4.jpg A reminder that if you're looking to upgrade all your existing content from an earlier Train Sim World game, the Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack is available from 17th September to 17th October to download and keep forever! This Starter Pack only contains the Training Center 'test track' route and adds some of the new Train Sim World 5 features to your existing collection, such as Live Map upgrades and Fast Travel. To learn more about these features and Train Sim World 5's core content, head over to our Launch article. Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

The Rails Are Yours from 1800 BST today! Early Access is here for Train Sim World 5: Deluxe & Special Editions and in this article, we’ll cover how you can get straight into the action. Missed out on pre-order? Fear not! You can still pre-order Deluxe and Special Editions and gain immediate access to Train Sim World 5 until full launch on 17th September.

Train Sim World 5: All You Need to Know

Launch Times

Early Access for Deluxe / Special Edition begins at the following times: 1800 BST for Steam players During Early Access you will have access to the full game, including everything in your chosen bundle (Deluxe/Special). For the first time, Steam players will have the opportunity to download their Compatible Content during Early Access. Players on other platforms can learn more about when they can access their Compatible content in our FAQs. Here, you can also find technical information about how profile transfers work, how to continue use of the PC Editor (beta) and information about achievements and Creators Club content. Upon Full Launch on Tuesday 17th September, the following Editions will release:

• Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition
• Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack (available to download until 17th October and yours to keep forever).
• Train Sim World 5: Regional Bundles (containing Training Center and your choice of one Core Route)
• Separate Loco Add-ons for the FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron and Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino

Train Sim World 5: How to Download?

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/f55b31f41fc95fba08cf1c6678793b77b307aa1c.jpg Our FAQs also have information for new and existing players on how to download Train Sim World 5 on each platform. We also have this in handy video format for Steam, Epic, PlayStation and Xbox players.

Play Now! 10 Things To Try in Train Sim World 5:

1: Learn to Tilt! Drive New Trains

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0d72144d3b13088051192b35e982e489a58f6d52.jpg The ICE-T and Avanti West Coast Pendolino are the two standout additions to the Train Sim World fleet, with Training Center tutorials available for the first time you enter the cab! Though many of the buttons, systems and the cab layout may be similar to other trains in the series, getting to grips with the speed and braking is a must for all players and where better to do this than our dedicated Training Center. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d9159149fa032471a5cafaee8c34457098e47367.jpg You’ll need to learn the tilting functions of both trains to achieve higher permitted speeds. This is manually operated using the GNT safety system in the ICE-T and on West Coast Main Line, there is a Scenario which requires the Pendolino’s TASS function to be disabled. The DB BR 114 and MP36PH-3C might also be new for many players, with slight variations in operation from similar locomotives seen from previous Train Sim World Add-ons.

2: Tickets please! Try Conductor Mode

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c666f8807e64002efa12a1ff3bcf535d5bca534d.jpg Conductor Mode is a brand-new feature in each of the Train Sim World 5 core routes, and features as part of service mode, rather than in specific set Scenarios. Operate the door controls, notify the driver / engineer and begin checking those tickets! You’ll also have to move pesky baggage out of the aisles and keep an eye out for your next station stop. Conductor Mode is available on the following trains:

• Class 350 EMU in West Coast Main Line
• DB BR 114 and Dostos in Frankfurt-Fulda
• Metrolink MP36PH-3C / F125 and bi-level coaches in San Bernardino Line

3: Route Hop and continue your session

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/09f6506f1220e857790935de4ccae128b82872da.jpg Route Hopping is a new feature allowing you to hop between routes from your collection that share a common location without going back to the main menu. In Train Sim World 5: Deluxe / Special Editions, you’ll be able to do this from the get-go between San Bernardino Line and Cajon Pass at San Bernardino. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/817de8fcb025c7cf4c9f358b50563ca7b634e6cf.jpg Special Edition players can also do this at Fulda and continue their journey to Kassel or Würzburg or at Queens Park / Harrow & Wealdstone on West Coast Main Line and run the rest of the Bakerloo Line.

4: Cheat! Use Fast Travel to grab Collectibles

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/657573e2a81d54813087af57692db3d4115aeffa.jpg The new Fast Travel feature is perfect for those that quickly want to see what’s going on elsewhere with the route they are playing. This might be useful for when you’ve ended a service and want to start from the other end of the route again, or perhaps run a different kind of service from elsewhere, without returning to the main menu. But! We know people like to speedrun grabbing those collectibles, including the adorable delivery bots from WCML shown above. With plenty scattered about all three core routes, Fast Travel is an open door for quickly mopping them up. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d26fd712a2d504ccc19d55d6d02eec0df356aa36.gif Using Fast Travel also introduces you to the new-look Live Map! This now shows a handy legend, signal aspect direction and useful live information on trains travelling round the route. Exploring, pathing and observing the rails around you is now much easier and more interesting, with more detail than ever before.

5: Submit your Photos with #TSWRailShots

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/455d41c4a185607b53de6dd2a63c1487fb70e9d5.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto Photo Mode has had an upgrade! You can now pause the action, change the weather, time of day and get creative with camera options and settings to create true masterpieces showing trains at their best. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/69f8bfb569d1fb7b1667bad713182130e2cfcb5d.jpg From 17th September (1800 BST) to 24th September, we’ll be looking for the best Photo submissions across Social Media and our Forums. That means you’ve got 5 whole days to hone your skills! The winner will receive a printed version of their railfan shot, signed by members of the Train Sim World 5 Development Team. For more details, keep an eye on our socials. Links are at the bottom of the article.

6: Get Colourful with Creators Club!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/ad9c41f8fa5ec2b30bb8134cce4c7359b0bb07b4.jpg If you really want to stretch your creative legs, Livery Designer, Scenario Planner and Formation Designer are all available for you to chop and change your trains and run them in a variety of ways, colours and formations – your way! If that sounds like too much effort, there’s already thousands of creations available to download from Creators Club. From wacky space-age liveries, to ‘alternate reality’ timetables and formations that aren’t available in timetable mode. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0c9a3e300d0bd01157b211760ea6c1281f3b55a7.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0d72144d3b13088051192b35e982e489a58f6d52.jpg New Decals are also available use in Livery Designer, so get designing and show them off on your favourite locomotives. If you’re an ambitious PC player and want to begin making your own Train Sim World content, the PC Editor (Beta) will continue to be available for Train Sim World 5. We have more information about how this works and how to make use of it if you’re coming from Train Sim World 4 in our FAQs.

7: Operate both Vectron variants!

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/ae74f65e72c4ae45df90064f618cd2fb74ccee1e.jpg Deluxe / Special Edition contains the striking, green FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron for hauling passenger services across Frankfurt – Fulda. But the DB BR 193 Vectron is also included for freight services, meaning both red and green variants, with slightly different cab layouts, can be run along the same route.

8: Refamiliarise yourself with Free Roam

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/bc2529e1ba68b1b026cd2dcc96c14c63a925a6af.jpg Free Roam was the most significant new feature in Train Sim World 4 and still offers a fresh, flexible way to play in Train Sim World 5! In timetable mode, spawn in trains and set paths wherever you like, mixing in amongst the traffic and operating services not covered in the base timetable. Head into a siding, run round in a platform, head out of the map or insert a service of your choice. Be prepared though! You might come across unexpected signal aspects, unusual pathing options and trains blocking your way if you haven’t quite pathed your trains correctly. If you’re stuck, no worries! Just delete the train in front of you and continue on your way.

9: Relax. Railfan. Ride the rails.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9e18b5eb00f28f26d9a98519b335a5acb5a40ab0.jpg If you’re after a slower pace of play, take to the routes on foot and explore the environment at leisure! Find those collectibles, jump on a train or railfan at your favourite spot and watch the timetable unfold. There are unique dioramas to observe, stunning scenery to admire and even the odd easter egg to find! But we’ll leave the exploring up to you. You might even spot one of our newly licensed Airbus aircraft flying overhead and of course, our diverse passengers. Commuters with briefcases, coffee addicts and others glued to their phones can all be bumped into across the core routes. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/dd7d3968bb1846c331878f2f05f13e869cc5806b.jpg If you have Special Edition, with additional back catalogue routes from the collection, you’ll see extra trains moving around and will be able to play additional services too. Players with existing back catalogue routes will be able to download their collection on Steam, with other platforms releasing this content on full launch (17th September).

10: Complete Mastery Challenges

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/5767700b481ea2152030e134c0bb653d581e7658.jpg Mastery Challenges require you to perform certain tasks on a route, like completing certain Scenarios or travelling a certain number of miles in a specific locomotive. Tier 1 Challenges unlock Decals for use in Livery Designer. Tier 2 Challenges unlock toggleable Scenery Tiles. The Scenery Tiles for the core routes range from adding some artificial wildlife in Milton Keynes, to an airshow taking place at Gelnhausen. Travel the distances, complete Scenarios and work the timetables to unlock them!

Full Launch Coming Soon: Tuesday 17th September

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/ddcc6344b942f7fad890dc71c04f71b299a83a7b.jpg On Tuesday 17th September, we’ll be updating this article to cover the full launch of Train Sim World 5. In addition to the information above, we’ll also be giving details on:

• Compatible Content Rollout for all platforms
• Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition
• Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack
• Train Sim World 5: Regional Bundles
• Separate Loco Add-ons for the FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron and Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino

Have questions? Feedback? Get in touch!

Matt and the Railfan TV team will be back to talk Train Sim World 5 and answer any questions during our next livestream on Full Launch Day Tuesday 17th September at 1800 UTC. In the meantime, our handy FAQs should give you all the information you need at this stage of Early Access, along with the various information threads on our Forums. Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Calling all passengers for Frankfurt! We’re going green in Train Sim World 5 as we bring one of Germany’s biggest cities to life, along with a new variant of one of Train Sim World’s most popular locomotives. In this article we’ll take a look at what makes Frankfurt – Fulda one of the busiest German routes yet, along with how the Vectron deals with passenger trains in its new FlixTrain guise. We’ll also talk more about some of the new and updated features that can be found in Train Sim World 5, such as the Live Map, Fast Travel and Track Shadow Rendering.

Early Access – Thursday 12th September!

A reminder that Deluxe / Special Edition players who’ve pre-ordered will be able to play Train Sim World for the first time later this week! If you’ve not pre-ordered yet and want to take part in the action, you can do so using the links at the bottom of this article.

Dev Diary 3

This week’s Dev Diary, our final one for Train Sim World 5, talks about what we do to bring some of the most innovative trains in the game. Lindsay and Adam discuss the nitty gritty of simulating the technical aspects of both the ICE-T and Avanti West Coast Pendolino.

The Route: Frankfurt - Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/333a9d3276841d7f3925b7549e8e78603ead45be.jpg As a vital commuter, regional and international hub, the massive Frankfurt (Main) Hbf is easily one of the most important stations in Germany. From here, traffic travels in all directions across the country, coming in many forms: Regional, Commuter and Inter-city Express trains. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/e84194d88d1ce9db371f4ea6608761da0629f58d.gif Bringing Frankfurt to Train Sim World has been a labour of love for much of the development team, particularly those based in Germany and Europe. Populating the scenery around the impressive station and recreating the endless network of tracks has been a careful process for those track laying and building up the environment. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/55aa4ab5db700bf9709746ab20ecb512ed67ffff.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Tom Fresco Beyond Frankfurt, the route heads northeast, beyond the suburbs that surround Frankfurt and out into the wider Hesse region via smaller towns and through verdant and open countryside. The route follows the course of the River Main as far as Hanau and then the Kinzig, which gives the line its name: Kinzigtalbahn. A total of 24 stations exist on the 103 km route, located at important locations and junctions along the line, with a number of branches and other main routes spurring from the route and heading out of the map. At Hanau, roughly 21 km from Frankfurt, a stretch of track still utilises semaphore signalling, which has been included in-game. At the end of the route is Fulda, which lies part way between Kassel and Würzburg from the route previously featured in Train Sim World 3. Players that own this route will be able to use Train Sim World 5’s new Route Hopping feature to transition at Fulda and continue playing from there.

Licensed Airbus Aircraft

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c873e1ac962e06d317a997706af416f2f35bea7c.jpg Screenshot by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto As mentioned in our August Roadmap (Part One), for the first time we have been able to secure licensed aircraft in Train Sim World in the form of the Airbus A321LR and the Airbus A350-1000 XWB. For Frankfurt - Fulda, this allows us to bring the skies above cities to life in all new ways, giving you something to look out for while on the move, providing it’s not Cloudy! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/57a9ca9422f6e1170fca00fc3ad357bb73d85133.jpg As well as Frankfurt - Fulda, you will also see aircraft above the skies of San Bernardino Line’s Los Angeles for LAX patterns, as well as in the forthcoming Great Western Express remaster for Heathrow patterns. Adding to the aircraft theme in Frankfurt – Fulda is the Mastery Tier 2 Scenery Tile, which shows activity and more planes at Gelnhausen in the form of an Airshow!

The Trains

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/b232059b34b36137c5313d014bc9aaea6e3f89e4.jpg A total of 5 different locomotives and units, including the ICE-T, feature in Frankfurt – Fulda, with the FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron being an additional locomotive as part of Train Sim World 5: Deluxe & Special Editions.

DB BR 411 ICE-T

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/78ea26f9549322f05dc4afeeab8660699fe3999e.jpg New to Train Sim World’s ICE fleet is the DB BR 411 ICE-T, complete with its impressive GNT tilting technology! ICE-T units have been in service across Germany since 1999, adding a different style of train to that of the ICE 1. The ICE-T's tilting function, which can reach a maximum of 8 degrees, allows them to travel at higher speeds that conventional trains. Like the Avanti West Coast Pendolino in West Coast Main Line, a separate system in place to monitor this and needs to be enabled in order for the tilting to take place. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/10b0dcd55c6fc934ec03b7e6e0cf45a4bc7f3bd5.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto This system, GNT, works with other safety systems like PZB, LZB and Sifa to ensure safe operation across the Frankfurt–Fulda route. The GNT system needs to be turned on in order for tilting to work. This is a manual process done by the player. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/040bae8df232e213ab01c6b7789417eafae5d6d4.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Gavin Smith Sounds for the ICE-T were sourced directly from the train during a research trip to Germany. Whilst other ICE trains have also had their audio sourced directly from the train by people ‘on the ground’ in Germany, this was the first opportunity that our development team had to go out and record an ICE train first-hand.

FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron + Talbot Coaches

Available in Train Sim World 5: Deluxe & Special Editions

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/72831e055906313f3e67e3247b035496de8a8db1.jpg Players of Train Sim World 5: Deluxe & Special Editions will also be able to take control of the FlixTrain Vectron and Talbot Coaches! Evolved from the previous EuroSprinter family and entering service in the early 2010s, the Siemens’ Vectron family of locomotives were designed as a modular platform to suit the needs of any rail operator in Europe, available in both DC and AC electric, diesel and dual mode options. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/3b1516877df1b947eaefbb20755938feaaa85389.jpg Collectively, over 2000 Vectrons have been ordered for use by more than 50 different companies across Europe. This makes the family a well-known and familiar sight for all railfans, even if design specifications differ, everyone knows the Vectron! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0fc831d999ead355ae39c3280d51dff6048966e5.jpg FlixTrain, a brand-new partner not just in Train Sim World but for Dovetail Games as a whole, was founded in 2018 as a private long-distance passenger rail provider in Germany and is part of the travel tech company Flix, known for its global FlixBus brand. FlixTrain operates a fleet of 140 vibrant green, fully refurbished Talbot coaches which are leased from an external asset company. Being as versatile as they are, the Vectrons make for a good fitting with FlixTrain operations and are used across their whole network. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/f66f5b9d5eb71d34688575ea5a36898f40b7cef6.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto Though existing players may be familiar with the Railpool Vectron loco Add-on from Train Sim World 4, its operations on the Dresden – Riesa and S-Bahn Vorarlberg routes were focused primarily on freight services. The FlixTrain Vectron will instead haul passenger services across the Frankfurt – Fulda route. Players will also be able to make use of FlixTrain Vectron across other German routes by spawning in timetable mode.

DB BR 193 Vectron

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/98baf7954135b5d609540da967ae545f32f0c4e3.jpg Frankfurt – Fulda also features the DB Vectron in the classic red livery seen across the German network. Like the Railpool variant, this one hauls freight trains across the route and can be substituted into freight services on other route in your collection where the Railpool Vectron appears.

DB BR 114

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/8f3c69331899125f753a5ddceed084ff3c44ccf7.jpg Also new to Train Sim World is the DB BR 114. This classic electric locomotive sits within a family that’s already been represented in previous Train Sim World routes with the BR 143 and BR 112, therefore completing the set! The main difference between each locomotive is the permitted top speed, though a number of model changes have also been made over the 143 and 112 too, such as the headlight cluster. The 114 will also support suspension updates. Passenger trains formed of Dostos hauled by this locomotive will also have the Conductor Mode feature available.

DB BR 146.2

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/75a09e9717b75d8a9c7eb0626476b141e760d419.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto Further passenger services can also be operated by the BR 146.2, as previously seen in the Dresden – Riesa and Main-Spessart Bahn route Add-ons. These more modern electric locomotives will add yet more variety to Kinzigtalbahn’s timetable and an alterative setting in which operate passenger trains. The DB BR 146.2 electric locomotive is included in Train Sim World 5’s Frankfurt - Fulda Kinzigtalbahn route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.

DB BR 423

Also included for busy commuter S-Bahn traffic is the DB BR 423 EMU, previously seen as a loco Add-on for the Köln - Aachen route Add-on and as a train included in Hauptstrecke München – Augsburg. The DB BR 423 EMU is included in Train Sim World 5’s Frankfurt - Fulda Kinzigtalbahn route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.

Timetable, Layers & Gameplay

An extensive and complex timetable has been implemented into Frankfurt not only to make full use of the variety of trains from within the route, but also those from the wider German content back catalogue. This includes layering using multiple Add-ons. The types of services available to operate in Frankfurt – Fulda include:

• ICE-T will run ICE services the full length of the route between Frankfurt and Fulda.
• DB BR 114 and 146 locomotives with Dostos will run RE and RB passenger services between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Fulda. Some services originate from locations beyond the map, such as Würzburg and Bamberg. At peak hours, some RE50 services will be top and tailed. Empty stock movements are also available to operate.
• DB BR 193 Vectron freight services with Sggmrss, Habbiins and Kijls wagons
• DB BR 423 S-Bahn services. S8 and S9 services are playable for part of their journey. Other S-Bahn services are AI only.

Additional Service Layers and Layer Selector

Train Sim World 5’s new layer selector feature will allow players to see what additional services are available from other Add-ons both in their collection or those that they have yet to purchase. This new feature also allows layers to be toggled on and off as desired. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/54df16d020bc9a15d8b756d1e39817a2182e784a.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Federico Di Liberto An overview of Additional Service Layers is as follows:

• FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron passenger services available for players of Train Sim World 5 Deluxe & Special Editions, or the additional loco Add-on that will release on launch.
• Playable ICE 1 and ICE 3 services from the Kassel-Würzburg route Add-on. This Add-on also unlocks Route Hopping at Fulda where AI Kassel-Würzburg services can be seen heading in and out of the map.
• Playable IC services using the DB BR 101 loco Add-on.
• AI trains representing NJ services, formed of IC coaches, Laaers wagons and hauled by ÖBB 1116 locomotives. Semmeringbahn, S-Bahn Vorarlberg and Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr route Add-ons are all required to unlock these.
• Mostly AI DB BR 425 services from Bremen-Oldenburg route Add-on. These can be seen at Frankfurt Hbf, Frankfurt Sud, Hanau and Schlüchtern. A small number of playable services are available.
• Playable and AI DB BR 628 DMU services from Niddertalbahn route Add-on. These appear in the DB red livery.
• Some playable DB BR 642 services from the Maintalbahn route Add-on
• DB BR 103 rail tour services from the Linke Rheinstrecke route Add-on
• Shunting services at Steinau using the DB BR 363 and stock from the Ruhr Sieg Nord and Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr route Add-ons

As is typical of German routes in Train Sim World, playable locomotive substitutions for both freight and passenger services are available for players with additional content in their collection. This includes the Railpool Vectron, PRESS BR 155, MRCE locomotives and more. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/fa7ea4ae7c70a83f311152109df4b0e4ab5476cd.jpg Screenshot taken by Beta Tester Gavin Smith Freight stock from other Add-ons will also layer into to create a variety of consists for freight trains. These include:

• Laaers wagons from S-Bahn Vorarlberg
• VTG Eanos wagons from Kassel-Würzburg
• Roos-T wagons from Maintalbahn
• Uacns 82 wagons from Ruhr Sieg Nord
• Zacns wagons from Dresden-Riesa

Similarly, the DB BR 193 Vectron from Frankfurt – Fulda will substitute into freight services on other European route Add-ons and the DB BR 114 will do likewise for passenger services. Notable additional AI traffic can also be seen:

• DB BR 642 DMU traffic at Frankfurt, Hanau, Gelnhausen and Fulda from the Maintalbahn route Add-on
• Trains heading out of the map to Aschaffenburg in and around Hanau, including ICE and freight trains
• Kassel-Würzburg services heading in and out of the map at Fulda.
• DB BR 442 trains at both Frankfurt and Fulda from Kassel-Würzburg route Add-on
• Static locomotive from the DB BR 218 loco Add-on

8th Generation Console Services

After reviewing performance on previous-generation consoles, we've amended the timetable to provide a suitable experience for these players (Xbox One and PlayStation 4). Timetable services included for these consoles are formed of DB BR 114 + Dostos (RB51, RE51, RE50, RE54 and RE55 services) and ICE-T services, with additional FlixTrain Vectron layers for owners of Deluxe / Special Edition. Other locomotives included in the route, such as the DB Vectron, will be available to operate by spawning them into the timetable.

West Coast Main Line Timetable

In addition, further amendments have been made to the timetable of West Coast Main Line for 8th Generation Console players. The timetable will now consist of Class 350 and Class 377 services, with additional Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino services available for Deluxe / Special Edition players. Other trains included in the route, such as the Class 66 and London Underground stock, will be available to operate by spawning them into the timetable.

New and Updated Core Features

Live Map 2.0

With so many available services to operate in and out of Frankfurt, Train Sim World 5’s updated Live Map feature will be invaluable to players wanting to understand the operations around them and, if using Free Roam’s path-setting function, plot your way along the tracks between other trains moving around the route. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/01e7afcea0439a52705cc4b40a480e3d56c7d07d.jpg The introduction of a more detailed legend, highlighting signal aspects and direction, stations, speed limits, objectives and more will make the route much more navigable for players unfamiliar with the real-world routes and make plotting paths a much simpler process. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d26fd712a2d504ccc19d55d6d02eec0df356aa36.gif The maps crucially also displays live information about the trains in and around you on the route. Wondering why one train has priority over you coming into Frankfurt? Hover over it to find out. It’s an express train! That explains it. Where is that train going ahead of me? Will I have to follow it for long? No, it’s a regional service heading out of the map. Knowing this information will help you feel part of the network and timetable you’re working to and ensure you don’t miss anything exciting coming or going around your current location.

Fast Travel

The map also allows for the new Fast Travel feature, whereby players can choose to relocate themselves within a route. This is particularly useful for once you’ve completed a service and want to explore other parts of the route or different services at another location... you can even go back to where you came from and start again with a completely new train! ...and, you didn't hear this from us, but we've heard it's a fantastic way to pick up all those lovely route collectibles too! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/699407299e09bb159cf99abe2cdc9cb31e8d095b.gif You won’t be able to teleport just anywhere along the map, there are specific locations markers which come up for major yards, sidings and stations and in other preset locations, and can be found in the Live Map. This feature will function work across compatible content where existing spawn points are already included, so get ready to jump into Train Sim World 5, and get to the action as you find it. The combination of both Fast Travel and the Live Map updates may bring new gameplay opportunities and extensions to your sessions. After running into Frankfurt with an ICE-T, you might see an interesting service taking place elsewhere, perhaps waiting to depart back at Fulda! Hover over the train, find out what it is, Fast Travel over there and operate it!

Track Shadow Rendering

Available on selected route Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/433d9d3c4182f609e73d79cd26db92de42f260fc.gif If you missed the reveal in our Roadmap Article, we’ve also been able to improve the rendering draw distance system for shadows on the tracks, so you will no longer see a harsh cut of shading following ahead of the train as you drive. As a reminder, in additional all Train Sim World 5 routes and future Add-ons, this feature will be implemented into the following back catalogue routes:

• Salzburg-Rosenheim
• Nahverkehr Dresden
• S-bahn Vorarlberg
• Kassel-Würzburg
• Maintalbahn
• Linke Rheinstrecke
• Bremen-Oldenburg
• Niddertalbahn
• Semmeringbahn
• LIRR Commuter
• Antelope Valley Line
• Cajon Pass
• Boston Sprinter
• East Coast Main Line
• London Overground Suffragette line
• Southeastern High Speed
• Glossop Line
• LGV Méditerranée

Route Hopping

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/494f64fc1527ee9aa49876dcbb449056ea3e5c89.jpg We covered Route Hopping in more detail in our San Bernardino Line article, but as a reminder, players with selected routes in their collection will be able to jump between routes that share a common location without returning to the main menu.

Livestream: Frankfurt - Fulda Route Preview

You can view a preview of the Frankfurt – Fulda Kinzigtalbahn route, featuring both the ICE-T and FlixTrain Vectron locomotive this Wednesday September 11th with the Railfan TV team from 1800 UTC on YouTube and Twitch.

Pre-order Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition

Train Sim World 5 launches for Early Access this week for those who’ve pre-ordered Deluxe or Special Editions! You’ll be able to jump straight in on 12th September at 1600 BST / 1800 BST depending on which platform you’re playing on. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/3284370e89e14241ae7b8933199c2facb7cc04e3.jpg Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/6ef21958f8892dc5681312d1a9d591fe6ba47c00.jpg Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c88b78d312bbc0aea1256b2029340c6d6d6bad66.jpg Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/78e1e6559b74ef1fb80aa0d9ef989b8b6a87305a.jpg Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

In this article, we’ll go into detail on this city-centric, desert dicing route and talk more about Route Hopping – a new feature in Train Sim World 5 that will allow you port between routes that share a common location! Train Sim World 5: Deluxe & Special Edition players will be able to make use of this eagerly awaited feature from the get-go between San Bernardino Line and Cajon Pass!

TSW5 Dev Diaries: Episode 2

Before we kick off, hear more about some of the new and improved Core features on Train Sim World 5 through the second in our Dev Diary series. In this episode, Lindsay, Chris and Matt talk about Route Hopping, Fast Travel and the improved Live Map.

The Route: San Berardino Line: Los Angeles - San Bernardino

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/dfd5e62e3d24cecd908f31d0191776802b1037d2.jpg Bustling city to barren desert. That’s how it goes down in California as trains embark on journeys out of LA Union Station. In San Bernardino Line, Metrolink trains power through the LA suburbs and out along the east-west route to San Bernardino via 57 miles of track and 15 stations (16 total). At LA, trains pass by the freeway and run effectively alongside the road traffic, before branching out of the city. Built up residential areas and industry fade out into a landscape of smaller towns served by Metrolink’s commuter services, passing by Kaiser Mill and the Auto Club Speedway station, which only serves passengers on race days! At San Bernardino, both the depot and the station see passenger and freight trains meet. It also forms the location of the brand-new Route Hopping feature, which you can read more about below (available for players with Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition or the Cajon Pass route Add-on). In our August Roadmap (Part One), one of our Artists, Sam, explained a little more about the variety of locations players can enjoy along the way. Like the previously released London Overground Suffragette line Add-on, certain stations along the San Bernardino Line will feature working lifts! Below you can see some comparison shots shared by Kevin, a member of the Beta Testing Team, showcasing the incredible work done by the Art and Environment Teams in order to recreate some of the locations along the route. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/bd514b0ab7b66b968be700d4ceae6ffbe2402018.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/e821e2c238b64a69944ec8d2eecbb5a7fac0e7c7.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/44e95e16b7f64a42068565ebff231c0d27be1c03.jpg

The Trains

Metrolink MPI MP36PH-3C Diesel Locomotive

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/5d3557bef9f91e93f3dafd2a807d010c6c7cf59a.jpg Newly liveried in Metrolink colors is the sleek MPI MP36 diesel locomotive, often dubbed the ‘Baby Bullet’. These powerful machines haul travelers, commuters and shoppers out of LA using a sustainable biofuel that’s 100% renewable and made from recycled natural oils! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/d8d2d1bc894535853d7c3058be6f6f1d648060be.jpg Though this type of locomotive has been seen in Train Sim World before as a loco Add-on for the Peninsula Corridor route, for San Bernardino Line it has been largely rebuilt by our vehicle artists and reflects the changes both inside and outside that differentiate the Caltrain and Metrolink variants. Metrolink EMD F125 Diesel Locomotive {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/678351076002017aadf83ee8ee7534bdd33591ce.jpg Joining the action is the F125 ‘Spirit’ locomotive, seen in the previously released Antelope Valley Line route. Unique to Metrolink, the F125 is a relatively recent addition to the USA’s wide variety of diesels, being built between 2015 and 2021. Like the MP36, its streamlined nose reflects the need to whisk passengers between stations on the line at speeds of up to 79 mph, rather than the sharp angles seen on most freight-hauling diesel locomotives. The Metrolink EMD F125 diesel locomotive is included in Train Sim World 5’s San Bernardino Line route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train. The audio for both of these locomotives were captured during last year’s audio recording trip to Los Angeles, as featured in our Dev Diary series! Adam explains more about how the team were able to utilise a non-revenue train that was arranged especially for Dovetail Games to capture everything they needed to recreate the audio in-game.

Bombardier Bi-level & Hyundai Rotem Commuter Cars

Plus Conductor Mode! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/aafb2830c9595cee5963c4e007e95d1f9c08fc39.jpg Accommodating Metrolink’s passengers are two styles of Commuter cars. This is also where you might be spending a lot of time in Train Sim World 5’s new Conductor Mode feature, allowing you to take on the role of Conductor in service mode for the first time. The Bombardier Bi-level coaches will be familiar to commuter rail users across other parts of the USA and feature in variants forms across other Train Sim World route Add-ons such as Peninsula Corridor. In San Bernardino Line, these will come in two liveries. Passengers can choose to admire the views from upstairs or stay cool in air-conditioned comfort down below. In the vestibules, the Conductor panel features buttons required to operate the doors as part of Conductor Mode. These buttons ‘flip’ round when they are unlocked. As mentioned in our previous UK focussed article, notifying the engineer of the all clear is done by blowing the Conductor’s whistle by pressing the horn key / button. The main difference with these Metrolink variants is the absence of a cab car. Whilst the cab remains physically in the car, they’ve been sealed off, as they are in reality and cannot be used in operation on this line. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9e18b5eb00f28f26d9a98519b335a5acb5a40ab0.jpg Instead, these sets have the Hyundai Rotem Cab Car, which was first introduced to Train Sim World with the Antelope Valley Line. These allow for push-pull operation with both of the diesel locomotives. Cab cars as a concept are more popular in the US and Europe than they are in places like the UK and allow for the engineer to operate the locomotive from the opposite end of the train.

BNSF ES44C4 & SD40-2 locomotives

Available with Deluxe / Special Edition and for previous owners of Cajon Pass {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/08463f4504f708ee11042386911f0a818c0098a9.jpg The Cajon Pass route Add-on brings freight to the scene with bright orange BNSF locomotives making use of an additional 85 miles of track between San Bernardino and Barstow as well as additional service layers on the San Bernardino Line. Cajon Pass sees the landscape become barren and daunting with challenging gradients and twisting curves. The route tests both the horsepower and stopping power of long, heavy freight trains in a style of operation very different to that of Metrolink’s stop-start passenger trains. Cajon Pass and BNSF locomotives are included in Train Sim World 5: Deluxe / Special Edition or are available to players that previously owned the Cajon Pass route Add-on.

Timetable, Layers, Scenarios & Gameplay

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9d83a2de48f1c903d2f30905f89efd07434bbb34.jpg The types of services available to operate in service mode include:

• Metrolink MP36PH-3C and F125 locomotives, hauling eastbound services out of LA Union Station
• Cab car-controlled services leading westbound services from San Bernardino Downtown
• Non-revenue trains within both the Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) and Eastern Maintenance Facility (EMF)

Players will be able to choose from two timetables in the main menu: a Weekday Timetable and a Weekend Timetable. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/32c048202e0cbb0d6dcc114bfbf0f61c35961096.jpg The Weekday Timetable will focus on the running of regular passenger services. Many of these services will run the full length of the line, though certain services have been ‘split’ into two separate services in-game, to allow for short gameplay sessions. Services will end part-way along the line, whereby players can continue to operate the remainder of the service or allow the AI to takeover. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/75c5c42c87f46af7dbd2222ab714c16fbc479dfc.jpg The Weekend Timetable utilises service layers from Cajon Pass to shift the focus to freight, with less passenger services than the Weekday Timetable. Of the passenger trains that do run, some are the race day services to Auto Club Speedway. Both timetables will feature non-revenue Metrolink services at CMF and EMF, as well as switching services using Cajon Pass layers at both San Bernardino and Kaiser Yard.

Additional Service Layers

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/33c70ad9a073813d19e3b251d50e0eadf33c33a6.jpg Freight and switching services are playable for those that own the Cajon Pass route Add-on, which is available separately or as part of Train Sim World 5 Deluxe & Special Editions. Union Pacific locomotives at LATC Intermodal Yard will be available for players with the Sherman Hill route Add-on. There will also be an AI rail tour service visible for players that own the Santa Fe F7 loco Add-on.

8th Generation Console Services

After reviewing performance on previous-generation consoles, we've amended the timetable to provide a suitable experience for these players (Xbox One and PlayStation 4). As a result, the following gameplay will not be available for the route:

• A selection of playable freight service layers
• AI freight services
• Santa Fe F7 AI Railtour

All available freight services will also be shorter in length.

Scenarios & Gameplay

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9e52859522c5446011c16248832386eca22c623c.jpg A total of 5 Scenarios are available in San Bernardino Line. These are:

• Raceway, featuring race day at Auto Club Speedway
• Depot Days, featuring depot movements
• Eye of the Storm, where severe weather has caused damage to infrastructure
• Rescue At the Ranch, which involves rescuing another service
• Graduation Day, which requires moving passengers at Cal State LA Station

The proximity of the racetrack at Auto Club Speedway and the station that is served on race days can be filled out by unlocking the Scenery Tile as part of this route’s Mastery Challenges! Mastery Challenges require you to perform certain tasks on a route, like completing certain Scenarios or travelling a certain number of miles in a specific locomotive. Tier 1 Challenges unlock Decals for use in Livery Designer. Tier 2 Challenges unlock toggleable Scenery Tiles.

NEW Feature: Route Hopping

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c76eed21a393a29e89c1cb8e9e9cfa185cf18f69.png At San Bernardino, players with Train Sim World 5: Deluxe / Special Edition or Cajon Pass will be able to use a brand-new feature: Route Hopping! A visible portal will be available at San Bernardino Depot Station that players can interact with to instantly travel between the two routes. Time of day and weather are preserved, enabling players to continue their journey as seamlessly as possible, without having to go back into the main menu. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/7914e6b75fb924735fdd47dea682f4a10115a886.jpg As part of the Core updates and features in Train Sim World 5, we have also enabled this function across as many back catalogue routes as we can, including Antelope Valley Line. This means that players with all three Californian routes across Los Angeles and San Bernardino County can operate services from Lancaster, through to Los Angeles and out to San Bernardino by using the portal at LA Union Station and then continue onwards using freight services from San Bernardino to Barstow... a total of over 200 miles without returning to the main menu screen! There’ll also be a portal at the Central Maintenance Facility (CMF) to allow Route Hopping between San Bernardino Line and Antelope Valley Line (for players that own it). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/63d8b0cfc2c462646967efcbd25be17b8f292ff8.jpg Other USA Route Hopping locations available for players with previous Train Sim World routes are also available, including:

• Grand Central Terminal
• Penn Station

We’ll also be exploring other Route Hopping locations with future content, including MBTA Commuter, which was announced in our latest Roadmap.

UK / EU Route Hopping locations

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/494f64fc1527ee9aa49876dcbb449056ea3e5c89.jpg Players of Train Sim World 5 that own routes from the Train Sim World back catalogue will also be able to make use of Route Hopping, with future portals also planned for some of our recently announced route Add-ons. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/4e5e06674d8e05819f1140bdb6caca7addcd5933.jpg

Livestream: San Bernardino Line Route Preview

You can view a preview of the San Bernardino Line, featuring both the MP36PH-3C and F125 Metrolink locomotives this Thursday 5th September with the Railfan TV from 1800 UTC on YouTube and Twitch.

Pre-order Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/3284370e89e14241ae7b8933199c2facb7cc04e3.jpg Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/6ef21958f8892dc5681312d1a9d591fe6ba47c00.jpg Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c88b78d312bbc0aea1256b2029340c6d6d6bad66.jpg Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/78e1e6559b74ef1fb80aa0d9ef989b8b6a87305a.jpg

One of the most requested trains comes to Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition layering into the busy West Coast Main Line, along with plenty of other trains and services. In this article we’ll dive deep into the WCML South’s timetable, outline all the trains you’ll get and opportunities for layering from other Train Sim World Add-ons. We’ll also take a look at a brand-new mode of gameplay in Conductor Mode! TSW5: Dev Diaries: Episode 1 Before we jump into the West Coast Main Line action, take a look at the first of our three Development Diaries, where we hear from the team about how they bring features, trains and routes into Train Sim World. In Episode 1, we hear more about the recording trip Adam and the team took to Los Angeles in 2023 as well as from Matt and Chris about bringing some of Train Sim World 5's highly-requested new features to players for the first time.

The Route: West Coast Main Line South: London Euston – Milton Keynes

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/0d88357cf212c3fd53aa2a53decc889f08376ccb.jpg Train Sim World has gone from East to West! Following on from the inclusion of a stretch of the East Coast Main Line in Train Sim World 4, this time we’ve moved over to the equally impressive, historic and intensive West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes. This arterial route connecting some of Britain’s major cities to London has seen plenty of action from its initial opening through to today’s services, with numerous amendments and redevelopments of stations along the way, as well as the ever-changing rolling stock that use it. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/9979a135c930fc31df218c93fe3b2be6d4da2c86.jpg It’s existence is formed from a number of different railway lines that were built and then merged during the mid-19th century. 100 years later between the 1950s and 1970s, the route was modernised and electrified to accommodate more advanced rolling stock, including some of the first tilting trains to operate in the UK. This technology eventually saw the introduction of Pendolino trains in 2002. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/b1ccdc3306cbebefa718fd6dabad8dd08dab467c.jpg At its southern end, London Euston adds yet another London terminus to Train Sim World. This important station has itself seen major changes throughout its history and like other stations in the capital sees the main line railway mix with the flow of Underground and Overground passengers. It plays host to over 30 million passengers a year. Players with previous route Add-ons featuring London termini will be able to use Train Sim World 5’s new Route Hopping feature to ‘hop’ between them. The routes where this is possible include:

• Southeastern Highspeed (St Pancras International)
• London Underground Bakerloo Line (Paddington)
• London Commuter (Victoria)
• Great Western Express (Paddington)

Bakerloo Line players will also be able to Route Hop between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone, which are stations shared across both routes. We’ll talk more extensively about Route Hopping, including all of the possible ‘hopping’ locations across all routes, in next week’s USA focussed article. Beyond London, many stations within the Greater London area exist to accommodate the local and regional services heading out of Euston, before heading further north to towns that were massively impacted by the arrival of the railways. On the horizon landmarks like the BT Tower and Alexandra Road Estate will be seen. The Wembley area sees many of the different types of railway lines meet, all overlooked by the iconic Wembley Stadium to the north. Nearby Wembley Central and Stonebridge Park play host to Underground and Overground services (the latter playable for owners of the Suffragette line route Add-on) and Wembley Yard stables rolling stock ranging from long freight trains to Class 390 Pendolinos. Between Cheddington and Leighton Buzzard is the inconspicuous Bridgego Bridge (sometimes referred to as Mentmore Bridge) which infamously became the location of the Great Train Robbery in 1963. At the northern end of the in-game route is Milton Keynes Central, where passengers are introduced to one of the Britain’s post-war ‘New Towns’ that in real life features a rare American grid system of roads and a fresh, contemporary take on the British suburban lifestyle.

The Trains

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/e33628c14b9cfa83c676ce2d3ae34df3ae933e32.jpg A fleet of trains both new to Train Sim World 5 and those seen in previous Train Sim World routes are included in the West Coast Main Line route, with Deluxe Edition players also being able to operate the sleek and modern Avanti West Coast Pendolino. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/a643a13ad138a7fba20f770589b264bcf7741a39.jpg New to Train Sim World is the Class 350 EMU, adding yet another member of the larger Desiro family of trains to the game. First introduced in 2005, these trains operate various services from Euston either beyond the map to locations such as Northampton and Birmingham or to stations within the confines of the route such as Tring or Milton Keynes Central. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/991e2f6adda5195a1bc6a7b9e2c4b248b6cda0bd.jpg Though not enabled for third-rail use, these units can be adapted to work via this method. On all WCML services they are operated with overhead AC electric power. Guard controls are available through the train, enabling easy access for players utilising Train Sim World 5’s Conductor Mode in service mode! We’ll explain more about this feature further down. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/73b9d7e94313779c6f3e91023441e575090c074d.png The Class 350 will also make use of the Digital Display Enhancements. Interactive screens have become increasingly common on newer trains being introduced into Train Sim World making their ease of use vital to the gameplay experience. Players will be able to zoom into the display by clicking on it, located awkwardly in the top-right of the cab, and interact with the options such as lighting and view important information like Braking and Driving Force. Both speed and brake pressure are measured using traditional manual gauges.

Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino EMU

Deluxe / Special Edition only {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/e3398651e983d232c7f5f025cc76019dc3685c15.jpg Running regional, high-speed services throughout the WCML is the much-requested, sleek, tilting marvel that is the Class 390 Pendolino. Born from the innovative tilting technology of ground-breaking test trains, these modern units have long been seen powering their way out of London and down to Britain’s key towns and cities in the Midlands, North and all the way to Scotland. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/a1017376f5142a0bec9c3294e532fcc099f50476.jpg Avanti West Coast, a new operator in Train Sim World, are the current custodians of these iconic trains, which are available for players of Deluxe and Special Editions of Train Sim World 5. Additional services will bulk out the platforms of London Euston amongst the Class 350s and give players a totally different experience passing through many of the intermediate stations at high speed. The trains will come in both 9 and 11-car formations and will also make use of the Digital Display Enhancements to better view the screen located bottom-left of the driver’s desk. Like the Class 350, both speed and brake pressure are measured using manual gauges. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/7848b5ecfb95644437c4d0d3413c8b4fe0410277.jpg The Class 390 also comes equipped with Tilt Authorisation and Speed Supervision (or TASS) which is a system unique to the West Coast Main Line. This system monitors the speed of tilting trains and allows them to travel slightly faster than non-tilting trains on certain sections of track. Accompanying this are the EPS boards mentioned in the August Roadmap. They show speeds that apply only to trains with tilting enabled.

Southern Class 377/2 EMU

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/05f57567d2129c14c4fbd51a4c9af039ba1be6af.jpg Also included in the West Coast Main Line route are Class 377/2 units operated by Southern. Unlike their contemporaries found on the previous London Commuter route Add-on, these utilise overhead AC electric for power and can be switched to third-rail for use on other areas of the national network. The Class 377/2 is included in Train Sim World 5’s West Coast Main Line route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.

DB Cargo Class 66 Diesel Locomotive

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/e0e4d69872c35f4cbe156c4b89c845684fe5878b.jpg For a change of traction to something bigger and noisier, the ubiquitous Class 66 is included and operates a series of freight services. Though this locomotive has not changed much beyond improvements made from previous Train Sim World Add-ons, it does come in a new variation of livery: DB Cargo adding a red flavour to the trains pallette on what it otherwise dominated by green shades of EMU! The DB Cargo Class 66 locomotive is included in Train Sim World 5’s West Coast Main Line route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.

London Underground 1972 Mark 2 Stock

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/47b47931bdd27c0256286e889e3c54cc65dd2701.jpg An important aspect of the West Coast Main Line is its parallel running with a 7-mile stretch of the above-ground London Underground Bakerloo Line including stations at Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone. The London Underground 1972 Mark 2 Stock is included in the route, allowing players to play along a short stretch of the Bakerloo, even if they don’t own any previous content. This provides a unique opportunity to drive trains with very different styles along the same route and adds more in-game traffic to what is one of the busiest stretches of line in the country. These trains will have updated lighting and rain effects for their use on this route. The London Underground 1972 Mark 2 Stock is included in Train Sim World 5’s West Coast Main Line route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.

Timetable, Layers, Scenarios & Gameplay

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/4a6ccdedc63b3ea13d9736dfca0c3506c9205b42.jpg With so many trains operating many different styles of services and stopping patterns, a robust timetable has been created reflecting the amount of traffic that this busy stretch of the West Coast Main Line receives. As we mentioned in our Roadmap article, this has been one of the more complex areas of development, with so many trains interacting with one another from a signalling and pathing point of view. The types of service available to operate in service mode include:

• Limited-stop Class 350 services to the likes of Crewe, Rugby, Birmingham New Street and Northampton (all ending in-game at Milton Keynes)
• All-stop Class 350 services to Bletchley, Tring and Milton Keynes Central
• Class 350 ECS movements between Bletchley sidings and either Tring, Bletchley or London Euston, as well as between Camden sidings and London Euston.
• London Underground Bakerloo Line services between Harrow & Wealdstone and Queens Park, as well as some ECS moves at Stonebridge Park.
• Class 66 freight services. These arrive from off the map using the Willesden relief lines and are then playable until they reach Milton Keynes. These are all formed of intermodal trains.

Note: Freight services will not be available for players of 8th Generation Consoles (PlayStation 4 & Xbox One). Additional Service Layers include:

• Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino services for Deluxe / Special Edition players: to Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street (all ending in-game at Milton Keynes)
• Class 390 ECS movements between Wembley sidings and London Euston
• Class 710 London Overground services (for players that own the Suffragette line Add-on) along the entire length of the Lioness line from London Euston to Watford Junction.
• Class 710 ECS movements between Willesden Yard and London Euston / Watford Junction.

Pendolino services that do not stop at Milton Keynes will be included in the timetable as AI services.

AI Layers for Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/6c91b5e50dcfa85bd2b51718763bfa416bff5959.jpg Train Sim World 5 players that own the recently Remastered Cathcart Circle Line and the Class 380 EMU Add-ons (which contains its new timetable) will see layered in Class 350 EMUs at Glasgow Central to represent a time that these trains were leased for use there. The Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino will also appear for players that own Deluxe / Special Edition or the loco Add-on that will release on launch day. These Cathcart Circle Line layers for the Class 380 timetable are all AI services.

NEW Feature: Conductor Mode (Guard Mode)

New to Train Sim World 5 is the full Conductor Mode feature, which for the benefit of British players of British routes we may occasionally refer to as Guard Mode. This brand-new way to play in timetable service mode has stemmed from feedback on our Guard / Conductor Scenarios introduced into the previous Glossop Line and LIRR Commuter route Add-ons, which became some of the most-played Scenarios ever in Train Sim World. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/da58f0499749e1ce88f6a7136191ddeee0f9d4b4.png From the Main Menu, players will be allowed to select ‘Guard’ as a playable mode, whereby the train is driven by the AI and the tasks required relate to those representative of a member of train crew across selected trains on the route. Players will be able to stand in the Conductor / Guard position by any of the doors with a Guard’s Panel and operate the controls to open and close doors, notify the driver / engineer that all is clear as well as check passengers’ tickets and clear the aisles of intrusive baggage. On West Coast Main Line, this includes using the Guard’s Buzzer on both the Class 350 and Class 390 to notify the driver when ready to depart. Similar tasks are in place for Conductor Mode on both San Bernardino Line and Frankfurt – Fulda. On San Bernardino Line, notifying the engineer comes in the form of blowing a whistle which is done by pressing the horn key / button. In West Coast Main Line, Guard Mode is available on the Class 350. Coaches on San Bernardino Line will have Conductor Mode available, as will the BR 114 + Dostos sets in Frankfurt – Fulda. We’re also exploring opportunities for implementation on other routes, including those announced for future release and will provide further information in a future update.

Scenarios & Gameplay

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/2caa83d954ea40a82e5c8f811b822f22733fbbb0.jpg There will be a total of 8 Scenarios available to play on West Coast Main Line. 5 of these involve the Class 350, with 3 available for players with the Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino Add-on included in both Deluxe and Special Editions of Train Sim World 5. The Class 350 Scenarios are:

• Service Savior, where you’re required to step in to drive the 350 in the absence of a driver.
• Football Frenzy, involving the movement of passengers from the Wembley area
• Back in Service, requiring a coupling procedure to another Class 350 unit
• Heavy Traffic, an ECS service
• Carriage Collector, a service involving movement in a depot

The Class 390 Pendolino Scenarios are:

• Refreshing Refurb, an ECS service
• Watford Bypass, which required your service to be diverted along slow lines
• Pend-No-Lean-No (...), which involves a service with the TASS disabled

There’ll be a series of collectibles to go and hunt down across the route, including defibrillators and posters. On top of that, there are some little delivery bots that seem to have lost their way! These can sometimes be seen roaming the streets of Milton Keynes in real life, but may have snuck onto station platforms in Train Sim World for players to find! Players might also find some Dovetail FC football scarves to pick up that have been discarded by Wembley-goers! Mastery Challenges require you to perform certain tasks on a route, like completing certain Scenarios or travelling a certain number of miles in a specific locomotive. Tier 1 Challenges unlock Decals for use in Livery Designer. Tier 2 Challenges unlock toggleable Scenery Tiles. The key art for West Coast Main Line (as shown earlier in this article), featuring the Class 377 and 350 EMUs, has some bovine railfans observing the trains as they mooo-ve along the tracks. The unlockable Tier 2 Mastery Tile for this route also features these friendly field-dwellers at Milton Keynes but not in the form you might expect!

Livestream: West Coast Main Line Route Preview

You can view a preview of the West Coast Main Line, featuring both the Class 350 and Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino on Thursday 29th August with the Railfan TV team from 1800 UTC on YouTube and Twitch. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/3284370e89e14241ae7b8933199c2facb7cc04e3.jpg Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/6ef21958f8892dc5681312d1a9d591fe6ba47c00.jpg Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/c88b78d312bbc0aea1256b2029340c6d6d6bad66.jpg Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/45157374/78e1e6559b74ef1fb80aa0d9ef989b8b6a87305a.jpg Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/cc83ea6e067a127871193b0cf9ef2c10562e4db5.png Read our Full Train Sim World 5 Roadmap - Part 2 Roadmap Article on our website!

Train Sim World 5 – New Features and Tools

Welcome back to the Train Sim World Roadmap, our chance to share with you all the exciting content we're working on at Dovetail for all of you at home. In this second part we’re exploring the brand new features we’ve implemented and improved coming with Train Sim World 5 in more detail and checking in with brand new announcements from our third partner partners. When we started to compile the list of features we’d be developing, we kept players in mind, using community requested features, data-driven surveys, Q&A threads and general day-to-day feedback we see across the online spaces that you’ve sent us to help guide what we work on. If you’ve missed our recent Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024 event, you can catch back up on our Train Sim World YouTube channel or read the details and information in the first part of our Train Sim World 5 Roadmap. And just a reminder we have an extensive TSW5 FAQ page that details all of the new features, new routes and bundles available, as well as much more, all ready to ready on our website. Let’s explore the new features! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a9d9fefd57bd48984262f8be95b241ad5a9531b9.jpg

A New Way To Play: Conductor Mode

One of the highest scoring features on our last few player surveys was the Conductor Mode (also known as Guard Mode), which has seen interest and appeal grow rapidly since we released this new way to play TSW across a couple of scenarios on Glossop Line and LIRR Commuter. Conductor mode is back in full swing for Train Sim World 5! Using the feedback from the community to focus on improvements, we’ve decided to make this a full experience across TSW5 routes and selected trains, whilst introducing new scoring and objectives! In a contrast to how you normally experience driving trains, players will be able to enjoy the role of a conductor, inspecting passengers' tickets, moving passengers' bags out of the walkway and operate train doors in time with departures and arrivals. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3fa5787af773ab2e42788bae022deff93a4dc48a.gif This mode will be included in all the three new core routes coming with Train Sim World 5; the Class 350 on West Coast Main Line, the Rotem cars and Bombardier bi-level coaches on San Bernardino Line and the DB BR 114 + Dostos for Frankfurt-Fulda. Once the Great Western Express remaster releases in the near future, it will also include the mode for the HST/Mk3's and the Class 166. A key highlight of Conductor mode is that from one region to another, and one loco to the next – the experience will vary. On San Bernardino, you will need to radio the driver before setting off, however this differs when riding the Class 350 on West Coast Main Line as you’ll use two buzzes, and with the DB BR 114 on Frankfurt Fulda you have a whistle instead. As the protocol in the real world, you’ve now got multiple ways you can experience being a conductor across these routes in Train Sim World 5. As these procedures differ from one country to another, setting up this feature is not as simple as enabling it across all our content equally, so we’ve chosen the routes and locos we think players will be able to utilise most and get the best experience when playing as a conductor. As a note from launch, this won’t be something that the ICE-T and the Pendolino will have enabled. Our teams focussed on the 350 and 114 first due to the higher stopping frequency better suiting the gameplay of conductor mode. We are looking at implementation for these locos as a post-release improvement, but it’s also really key that we are growing this mode with your continued feedback, so please let us know what you think when you get to try it from September!

Live Map 2.0

One of the biggest areas we've heard your feedback on is the usability of the Live Map, which in Train Sim World 5 is seeing a new face-lift – improving the experience and providing more information for you to review whilst in a game session. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/40d8448fddc00bd516aeb47328343327c9aac498.gif New Legend markers and a Legend chart will help identify everything happening around you, and across the route you are playing. From physical locations such as platforms, stations, cities, towns, to locations of tutorials and spawn points, which can be accessed via Fast Travel. New tool tips will also give you specific information based on what you are selecting, such as a Signal to give you information on Route Speed and current status, or an AI service that details the current speed and service ID.

Route Hopping

Immersion is a massive part of Train Sim World, and the new Route Hopping feature is a great way to extend your adventures in a single session and minimise the need to move between UI menus as much as possible. Players will be able to interact with a point on foot across specific stations and jump between like-for-like locations to find other installed routes that share a similar link and continue their experience in the game, exploring a different timetable or taking a journey across a new route. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f220035f1c83c8db6390b4d42be318df66e2aac4.gif For example, London Commuter and East Coastway both share a station at Brighton, so you’d be able to start a service on one of these routes, and once you’ve reached Brighton, quickly switch over and continue across the new route, whilst maintaining the same time of day, month of year and current weather conditions. Chain routes together and explore the world in TSW without being constrained to the main menu to find your next adventure! From launch, route hopping will be compatible with a range of TSW routes, and you’ll be able to find a breakdown of all the hopping combination on our Route Hopping FAQ Guide.

Fast Travel

Similar to Route Hopping, Fast travel empowers you to explore the world happening around you, in this case giving you the ability to move around the current route you’re playing using the new Live Map 2.0. While on foot, you will be able to access the Live Map and navigate to various jump points instantly. Whether you’ve spotted some action on the timetable at another part of the map, or you’ve missed your train at the current platform, using fast travel will allow you to catch back up! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/db9d347ddf366a41d282b349c22cdc8cc9008820.gif You won’t be able to teleport just anywhere along the map, there are specific locations markers which come up for major yards, sidings and stations and in other preset locations, and can be found in the Live Map. This feature will function work across compatible content where existing spawn points are already included, so get ready to jump into Train Sim World 5, and get to the action as you find it. Combine this with the new functions in Photo Mode - which we’ll talk about shortly - and you’ll truly be free to play how you want!

Photo Mode Enhancements

Coming with Train Sim World 5 is a new update for Photo Mode, which will allow you to take even more breathtaking screenshots with new quality of life additions and filters that to help you snap the perfect shot, any time of day, under any circumstance. First up – get your magical abilities ready, with these improvements you’ll be able to control the time of day, month of year, and alter the weather instantly, all within Photo Mode, which will allow you to make your shots look just the way you want and leaving your current service completely untouched by the changes. Change Weather {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/352b91b29d49cf6d7391ec4d422e48454773a513.gif If you’ve ever hit pause too early whilst getting ready to capture the perfect screenshot, we’ve added an option just for you – With the updated Photo Mode, you’ll be able to advance the train forward for a few frames on the track to help you perfectly line up the screenshot, just how you planned. Advance Time {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7214a22c9c8060e50e631f23917731a29d18b28c.gif Whilst we’re speaking of aligning the best shot, the photo mode camera is now also unlocked from its set orbit around the train, so you can enter and explore with a no-clip style approach around the trains, and even into the interiors, to push your screenshot capabilities to the limit. In addition, we’ve added new filtering options, including a Sepia filter that will appear to age your photos so they seem older, a new motion blur setting, as well as a Graininess slider which will allow you to add some roughness to the screenshots you take, and together all of these tools will provide creative new ways to have endless fun and show off your trains and routes in Train Sim World 5!

Track Shadow Rendering Draw Distance

A surprise hiding in the shado- Okay I'll stop with the puns, but as teased in our roadmap yesterday, we’ve been able to improve the rendering draw distance system for shadows on the tracks, so you will no longer see a harsh cut of shading following ahead of the train as you drive! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/433d9d3c4182f609e73d79cd26db92de42f260fc.gif We know this has been a key request from the community to improve, and our teams have managed to add this without impacting your performance across our routes. This will be a feature for all Train Sim World 5 content as standard, and we’ve also implemented it across a range of Train Sim World compatible routes, which includes:

• Salzburg-Rosenheim
• Nahverkehr Dresden
• S-bahn Vorarlberg
• Kassel-Würzburg
• Maintalbahn
• Linke Rheinstrecke
• Bremen-Oldenburg
• Niddertalbahn
• Semmeringbahn
• LIRR Commuter
• Antelope Valley Line
• Cajon Pass
• Boston Sprinter
• East Coast Main Line
• London Overground Suffragette Line
• Southeastern High Speed
• Glossop Line
• LGV Méditerranée.

We know this is another big improvement to the immersion that you've been asking for, and our teams will look at opportunities to bring this to more of our compatible collection in future.

Digital Display Screens

As we introduce more and more trains with interactive display screens into Train Sim World, we’ve wanted to implement a feature that will aim to improve the accessibility of using and viewing these screens, to support a whole range of people who engage with our titles. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b74dbcdd4bff01a18d4a5134c11a15e22227b616.gif You will be able to zoom a digital screen to fit your entire window without any motion shaking, and you will be able to navigate this much more easily with dpad controls to move around the screen, without the need for a joystick or finer inputs. This will be a standard feature across all content in TSW and will function across all our back catalogue of compatible content. We always take opportunities to help improve our accessibility so that we can welcome everyone into our simulators, please feel free to provide our teams with any feedback for this new development via our Player Feedback Forum which will be set-up once Train Sim World 5 launches.

Tutorials, Guides & Training Center

Oh, and did you notice the new style? One of the first things you’ll see when opening Train Sim World 5, is an updated UI across all our menus. This year, we’ve also taken the opportunity to add new functions within our UI that support text, images and videos. Train Operations {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/61a73715f6586c6921c2ab17def2a7bed65a3bd0.gif Within the menues, you will find a new Train Operations section which will support brand-new tutorial guides you can find to help learn, directly available from the main menu or the pause menu mid-session for easy, instant access. We’ve taken feedback from new players coming into Train Sim World and used this to help improve the tutorial flow and adjust our difficulty levels in our training modules to provide a better experience when starting out. BR 146.2 & Dostos in Training Center {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/cf0021dd63e098129af0597d187997561c4ebfa6.gif Additionally, we’ve also added the BR 146.2 & Dostos to the Training Center for help all players when learning German locomotives, and everyone who joins us with the Free Starter Pack will be able to enjoy these too!

Additional Changes

Xbox Audio Improvements With the release of Train Sim World 5, all Xbox consoles will now support improved audio compression to increase the quality of sound effects across all content to address sound artifacting which were negatively impacting players on the platform. We appreciate the community patience on this, and we hope you’re able to enjoy the improved experience coming in September. How have achievements changed in Train Sim World 5? We also wanted to touch briefly on achievements - we have heard player feedback and understand that repeating the same achievements you unlocked in the previous game is not fun. For this reason, Train Sim World 5 will start with a clean slate, introducing a brand-new set of achievements that are only applicable to new content. New Layer Selector Functionality Bringing more QoL to timetable mode directly from community suggestions, you can now find a 'Layers' button where you can select / deselect options based on applicable compatible content that works with the route. You’ll see both add-ons you have installed and add-ons that aren’t currently owned so you can get a better view of what extra content is available. This should give you more control on what layers you want to see appearing on routes, which can be useful to disable any non-prototypical layers that you may not want to appear, or for users on 8th generation consoles (Xbox One, PS4) to help support performance by limited the layers. Japanese Localisation – Coming soon! Later in the year we’ll be added to our list of supported languages with Japanese.

Third Party Partners

Athena Simulations – Welcoming a new partner to the TSW family!

We are delighted to welcome a new developer to the Train Sim World family, as Athena Simulations unveil their first content for Train Simulator World 5. The name may be new, but the team is composed of developers with a rich pedigree of TSW content! Athena: “We’ve been working on a new gameplay pack - ECML Diesel Railtours - bringing exciting new content, both for the East Coast Mainline route and TSW5 as a whole. Highlights of the pack include a brand new Class 47 locomotive, modelling what is often regarded as the most iconic member of the Class, 47484 Isambard Kingdom Brunel. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1741257413387543bee926671a0ec65fcad98d14.jpg The locomotive, featured in its special edition livery was often used on numerous railtours and hauled the Royal Train, from its base at Old Oak Common shed. Utilising the latest in modelling techniques in TSW5, the locomotive features custom 3D nameplates and 3D number plates plus a highly detailed model. The team have even gone so far to recreate the variations in each cab end, after the real locomotive was rebuilt after accident damage! The pack also brings a range of Mark 1 coaches, in BR blue and grey livery as much requested by the community! We are also thrilled to announce the inclusion of 10 custom scenarios for East Coast Mainline, with new features such as complex depot movements, the opportunity to run around your train and coupling double headed formations for very special railtours between Doncaster and Peterborough. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4f8f6cbe031049dd502aaa2bd0043678d7428bf5.jpg We’re grateful to welcome Athena Simulations to Train Sim World, and we can’t wait to announce more details of their first release coming soon!”

Rivet Games – Update on Fife Circle Leven Branch

Rivet Games are very busy adding the recently opened Leven branch to our Fife circle route, and are expecting to release this in the early autumn. They’re not quite ready to start sharing screenshots but thought that some readers may be interested in some of the research they’ve been gathering. Rivet: “Ordinarily we use a wide range of reference material for making routes including cab ride videos, track and signalling diagrams along with photographs gathered on research trips. Due to the newness of the branch line, one of our normal references, Google Earth images, are not available (the images in Google are a few years old - when the railway was still disused) and so we had to improvise. Fortunately, we were able to arrange a flight in a light aircraft and survey the new route from 1200’ – a couple of the reference images are shown below. Our flight track is shown on the map, in blue.” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b0542644488b079d02cfd04ea145dae5c336be07.jpg

Skyhook Games – Scotrail Class 158 Levenmouth Rail Link livery

The teams at Skyhook Games are also working hard on further improvements to the Scotrail Class 158, and this month, we’ve been able grab a few in-development screenshots for a new custom livery they’ve creating – the Levenmouth Rail Link livery. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d7e2b2a1f9c95ae965b57da5722a004e3395a205.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/285d3a127001cd7062345364292c198cbf7174cf.jpg This will also come with improvements to the Fife Circle line route, with new gameplay and a new Fife Circle timetable to take full advantage of the upcoming Leven branch expansion. We look forward to sharing more with you soon on the developments for both Fife Circle and the Class 158. More Cargo Line is on the way! As a final mention, Skyhook wanted to confirm that they are currently developing new Cargo Line volumes to continue the series!

• Cargo Line Vol.3 Intermodal — New FCA twin spine wagon with new containers.
• Cargo Line Vol.4 Military — New KWA well wagon with custom cargo.

We look forward to sharing more details and screenshots of these in future!

An update from Alan Thomson Simulation

We’ve reached out to Alan Thomson Simulation, who are excited to tease more details for their first route in TSW, which is in the final stages of development. ATS: “For those who are not aware of us, Alan Thomson Simulation or ATS for short, is made up primarily of railway and sim enthusiasts and was setup in 2018 to bring together some of the finest individual train sim talents and to create a new community hub for fans alike. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/df95d9957a10797a1d2f76539f1019dda87e8200.jpg Over the past two years, some of this core team, amongst a host of new members, consisting of train drivers, guards, engineers and various others, have in our spare time learnt and trained to become game developers using the Unreal Engine editor. Since the turn of the year, ATS has worked extensively, to develop its first Train Sim World route. Our 3D artists have now finished sculpting all of the fantastic artwork that this route has to offer, from the ultra-slick and modern, to the classical Victorian architecture, the various stations, bridges and signal boxes that have been carefully crafted for this route, offer an incredible amount of detail to ensure the most authenticity. Alongside this, our Environment Artists are putting the finishing touches in to this urban metropolis, capturing every detail, with a host of new assets to ensure the most in-depth & accurate route detail. Whilst ATS can't unveil the route at this moment in time, you will see much more to come in the coming weeks as we welcome Train Sim World 5, until then, here's a sneak peak at early testing, can you guess where it is....” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/394330d99f115bd9bd317974ce8aa8d6aa6f9890.jpg

Roadmap Livestream

Be sure to join Executive Producer of Trains Matt, and Senior Community Manager Alex, who will be live tonight to discuss the entirety of both roadmaps in full, alongside the other details from the Dovetail Direct, and answer your questions live. The stream will begin from 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on our YouTube and Twitch channels, and we can’t wait to see you there! If you’ve got any questions you want to ask us, please add them into our Train Sim World 5 Q&A thread ahead of the event tonight! Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3fa4f86d4d446a3d7d050c41238c8e8a2d4cd998.jpg Read our Full Train Sim World 5 Roadmap - Part 1 Roadmap Article on our website!

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) Summary

Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024 – Catch up on our latest major announcements for TSW and more! Train Sim World 5 – Arriving September 17th 2024

• West Coast Main Line: London Euston – Milton Keynes
• Avanti Class 390 Pendolino
• San Bernardino Line: Los Angeles – San Bernardino
• Frankfurt – Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn
• FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron
• Free Starter Pack - A new way into TSW for everyone!

Future Route Announcements

• MBTA Commuter: Boston – Framingham/Worcester Line
• Great Western Express – Remaster
• Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern
• West Coast Main Line: Preston – Carlisle from Just Trains
• Cardiff City Network – TSW's first Welsh route!
• Spoorlijn Zwolle – Groningen – TSW's first Dutch route!
• Update on Tadami Line from Union Workshop – TSW's first Japanese route!

And More!

• Airbus Planes are coming to Train Sim World 5!
• Train Sim World VR: New York – Our first venture into VR on the Harlem Line!
• Train Sim World Tycoon – A new free-to-play title coming to Roblox this year
• City Transport Simulator: Tram – Details on the new 0.3 update

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5b7ad7c1382a3c21e33c85281772c1b2d7f295ef.jpg

The Train Sim World Roadmap

Whew, that was all rather exciting, wasn't it? Welcome to the Train Sim World Roadmap, it's great to have you with us. For those new to this, our Roadmaps are a dedicated space where our development teams will provide details and breakdown all the exciting new content coming with the release of Train Sim World 5 this September 17th! We’ll be covering this in more detail across two articles, our Part 1 today will focus on the new Routes and Locomotives you will find in Train Sim World 5, sharing more information about everything we announced in yesterday's Dovetail Direct, insights from the Dovetail development team, and - of course - all-new exciting screenshots to dive into before release. The Part 2 article, coming out tomorrow, will dive into all of the new core features we’ve implemented and improved in TSW5, and checks-in with our third-party partners for TSW on their upcoming projects. If you want all the information on Train Sim World 5, head to our TSW5 FAQs Master page. We will also be posting separate dedicated articles for each of the three new core routes, to explore the timetables, key route features and service/scenario specifics, which you can expect starting next week. Tomorrow, on Thursday August 22nd, we’ll be live on our YouTube and Twitch channels to talk you through the entirety of what’s coming with Train Sim World 5, and answer your questions live! Be sure to set your notification for this on our Train Sim World 5 Roadmap Livestream. But that won’t be all, join us each week until launch for a live showcase for each of the new routes and new features coming to Train Sim World 5. See what’s coming up with our Livestream overview: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0e2309f0615494523091f5055a645a8603cd48ec.jpg

Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024

If you’d prefer to catch all this information in video-form, make sure to check out our recent Dovetail Direct! You can find out all the upcoming information for Train Sim World 5, as well as all new announcements! As a fun bit of trivia, the passive sounds heard during the countdown were taken directly from San Bernardino station, and if you caught the sneaky hints of the new TSW5 main menu music at the stroke of each hour, then why not enjoy the full soundtrack from our masterful musician, Ben, available on our channel:

Train Sim World 5 - Routes and Locos

West Coast Main Line: London Euston - Milton Keynes

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/af6235ba77d6c2f111e1403b01a12cd11c06fa6f.jpg Let’s dive right in with maybe the most requested UK route to date – the West Coast Main Line! Get ready to be swept off your feet with commuter mayhem, operating semi-fast and commuter services between Euston and Milton Keynes all from the detailed cab of the Northwestern Class 350.  We’ve talked to our product marketing coordinator James, to share more details. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9c953dbc529df7e178bffb056451a657a83161ae.jpg Q: What makes the West Coast Main Line so requested? James: “The culmination of sheer variety that comes together in this route is a sight to behold. We’ve spoken among ourselves about the desire to go West for a long time, but the challenge was always, how do we get all the vastly different trains together? Well, thanks to the passage of time and many development efforts throughout Train Sim World’s history, we have:  

• The Class 377/2, a conversion of the 377/4 
• 1972 Stock from the Bakerloo line (which is included with updated lighting and rain effects!) 
• The ever-versatile Class 66, although now sporting its modern DB Cargo UK livery 
• The Class 710 layering in from the Suffragette line 

And then, all that was needed was the addition of the new Class 350 (and Class 390 in Deluxe!), and would we finally have all the pieces to bring the WCML to TSW with the variety it needed. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3b9de81cd0a992e6d6b645bb611a1e2cfaa8810f.jpg Q: What does a run look like from end to end? A run up or down the WCML, whether you’re in a stopping service or an express run, it’s just thrilling. From top to bottom, the whole route is never less than 4 tracks wide, and with the addition of TfL services in the Greater London area too, catch the right moment and trains can be either side of you. The 28 stations on the route are all served by different kinds of services and operators, it will take several different runs before you are able to visit them all, and everything has its purpose. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/80e9ade02ee4a34a73a43780e06557f04247ab23.jpg Q: Most challenging part of developing the route? As can be expected with a route of this size, the timetable represents perhaps the most complex and dynamic challenge. Unlike Brighton Main Line which was dozens of the same trains doing the same things, or SEHS with the busy-ness spread out across vastly different areas of the route, this is all crammed into one mainline. As such, getting the services to work together can prove troublesome. Why is a Bakerloo line train late? Oh because this Overground service is being held up at Euston by this 350 which was stuck behind a 377, itself lagging behind a 66… You get the idea!  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1a2ac5fb12184fd0289c6940876396995f1725d1.jpg Q: Points of interest on the route for players to look out for? It’s London so, of course there are buildings everywhere, but the highlight ones for me are the BT Tower, Wembley Stadium, and while curving out of Euston, the line is eclipsed by the pinnacle of Camden’s brutalist architecture, namely the Alexandra Road Estate, with its staggered concrete apartments almost overhanging the down fast line.  Away from London, and there’s still nice things to spot! The under-construction East-West rail line at Bletchley is a nice glimpse of the future, as is the work to build HS2 at Euston of course. But there’s also two things to point out near Cheddington; to the south of the station, you pass by the tranquil Pitstone Wharf Marina, complete with canal boats, and to the north, the WCML races over the very short but notable Bridgego Bridge, formerly known as Mentmore Bridge, but is more historically known as the sight of the Great Train Robbery.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/13385378a58e190e2f59d558bc33ccb8f368f7a8.jpg Q: Any unique features that the route offers? It’s primarily for the Pendolino, but the use of EPS (or Enhanced Permitted Speed) boards on the WCML is fairly unique among UK routes overall. Unlike traditional speed boards which can offer a blanket linespeed for all traffic, or reduced speed for locomotives and freight trains, EPS boards allow for a speed limit higher than that of the actual speed limit – with the caveat that it only applied to stock with tilt enabled. So just being in a 390 is not enough, if for any reason you have the tilting system isolated, you would be expected to follow traditional speed limits.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7b5b81fb59e735d39cd5b8269e4a3119dce519bd.jpg Q: What is your favourite part of the route? We were chatting with Daisy, who you may remember from her support on Birmingham Cross-City or scenery additions to Southeastern Highspeed, and her words on the matter very much reflected our own:  Daisy: “It’s got to be the approach to Euston, seeing the iconic Telecommunications tower on the skyline come into view as you enter the platforms at 25mph, one of the rare UK stations where the linespeed is so high entering a terminus station. Make sure to slow down well before the buffers though as TPWS will still get you if you're not approaching the buffers with care.” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/94086c2712b77264b52f82c1981c58044311a390.jpg But of course, it’s not the West Coast Main Line without… {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5291276b77d39a124ad9495217ba515e4e06f4d5.jpg …the iconic Class 390 Pendolino, in the Avanti West Coast livery! We’re checking in with insights from Tom Walters, our Lead Artist on Train Sim World who helped us re-create this heavily requested locomotive. Q: The Pendolino is finally in TSW! Why should everyone get excited? Tom: Avanti have been a very cooperative partner for us to work with, allowing our teams to source much of the labelling, branding and detail straight from source during our reference trips to Avanti in Wolverhampton and ensure the utmost accuracy when re-creating the loco. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a1017376f5142a0bec9c3294e532fcc099f50476.jpg The Class 390 will bring high speed operation to the WCML in Avanti's freshly refurbished train sets, available in both 9 and 11 car variants., as it races along the WCML at up to 125mph and providing a thrilling counterpart to compliment the stop-start commuter services offered by the Class 350. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b1ccdc3306cbebefa718fd6dabad8dd08dab467c.jpg And for a quick mention with Adam, our Senior Audio Designer: Adam: “Our audio teams were also able to use this opportunity to grab authentic recordings with a static 390, and for moving sounds we have used resources and support working with members across the community.” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5e37fda356919fbe9862cdff9cf61ddd8ae0efdd.jpg Q: What makes the Pendolino so special to the West Coast Main Line? Tom: You can't think of the WCML in modern times and not think of the Class 390 Pendolino! It has been plying its trade, ferrying commuters and travellers alike up and down the WCML, for the last 20+ years, with it showing no sign of slowing down any time soon (besides at scheduled stops, of course). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7848b5ecfb95644437c4d0d3413c8b4fe0410277.jpg Q: What unique features stand out for the Pendolino in Train Sim World? It goes without saying, but the Class 390 is equipped to tilt (hence the moniker of Pendolino). This allows it to handle the topography of the WCML without sacrificing speed, by means of tilting into curved sections of track. We've only scratched the surface with tilting trains in TSW previously, and so it's exciting to be able to introduce two new additions with the release of TSW5, with both the Pendolino and the ICE-T. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f654fb9589fce5696e9d8faeadaf0c3d8920de66.jpg Tune in to our West Coast Main Line and Avanti Pendolino preview livestream on our TSW channels, August 29th, 2024, where you can see them in action ahead of the launch!

San Bernardino Line: Los Angeles - San Bernardino

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b8ab5d0913f46d0302de3d5035994a64fa326605.jpg Let’s head over to the US and connect some of our most-played American routes with the San Bernardino Line! To give us more insight into what you can expect, we’ve asked our artist Sam, who worked closely developing some of the environment art across the line. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9daf23b0749849a5fe720834ffce3e214752c85f.jpg Q: What excites you most about San Bernardino? Sam: Lots of variety, hidden nooks and long sightlines make for a visual feast. San Bernardino has a little bit to offer everyone, from urban to rural, from passenger to freight. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/04cd5b965451841c66553d0d0750ae1c25a74c7d.jpg If you’re looking for something unique, a large section of the route has highways running parallel to the track, which can make for some very interesting screenshots in Photo Mode! Oh, and crossings. Lots and lots of crossings! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/309772824f888fc8baf142fdee2871f378c64b47.jpg I’m personally very fond of the Rialto area. It has a rural feel to it, and in that brings its own charms. The station has a wonderful old wooden building, with some ornate features like lamps and signage. Q: What does a run look like from end to end?  Head on out of the busy LA Union, saunter past the LA river, slowly leaving downtown behind and meandering on into the suburbs. Past the road chaos of Cal State, we travel onwards towards the small but unique stations that highlight this route. The likes of Hollywood inspired El Monte, the murals and wooden canopies of Baldwin Park, past the Speedway Station, with its racetrack, and onto pink slate canopies of Fontana and the old world feel of Rialto, with much, much more in between. Then we leave that all behind as we enter San Bernardino – large yards and sprawling city greet us, with the freight heavy San Bernardino Depot and the passenger terminus San Bernardino Downtown.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c491d58c17a8fba5ed955a302672805ac972890a.jpg Q: Do you have any areas on the route for players to look out for?

• Speedway Station – This is used only when race events are on, which is often quiet, but not too far from the track is the now Nascar-owned circuit. We also have a mastery tile linked with this location!
• Olive Pit Mining Quarry, Baldwin Park – the track runs alongside this mining quarry, and it is quite the spectacle to behold
• Freeway Spaghetti Junction – Cal State Station has a wonderful view of the intricate dance of the San Bernardino and Long Beach freeways 
• San Gabriel River Trail – The track crosses the meandering dried up riverbed between El Monte and Baldwin Park, home to a cornucopia of vegetation 

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8bd9f0a85dee3f88827f5c7086dd653810c6ab72.jpg Q: How have our teams gathered audio for the sounds of the MP36PH? Adam: “Metrolink have been incredibly kind to us, they put us on our own private train to record the mainline running sounds of the MP36 and the rest of their fleet. They even took us the full length of the line and it was just us on it - No public! We were very lucky, and it was definitely going above and beyond, which is a really memorable moment.” {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1926e6b5cff18eee55fbf58f8db96ddb037612a0.jpg Q: Most challenging part of developing San Bernardino? Sam: “Much of the route is flat, with long sightlines leading for large distances to scenic mountains. On top of that, there are a lot of sprawling, but dense cities and suburbs. This provides fantastic opportunities for screenshots in Photo Mode - particularly with some of its new features! (more on this tomorrow) - but it was a challenging combo where we wanted to capture these visuals, this essence, and keep the game performing smoothly. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/baa6d7a2541ae2eaeb7c22f11ae70823cbedd046.jpg Additionally, for those who pick up Train Sim World 5 Deluxe edition, you’ll also be given the Cajon Pass route add-on, a Californian route featuring BNSF operated stock, including the ES44C4 and SD40-2 locomotives, and this will perfectly link to the San Bernardino line via the new Route Hopping feature available at San Bernardino station, or hope over to the Antelope Valley Line via Los Angeles station. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/08463f4504f708ee11042386911f0a818c0098a9.jpg Watch a first peek of San Bernardino and Train Sim World 5 features on our livestream preview event, September 5th, 2024, on our TSW YouTube channel, ahead of our early access!

Frankfurt Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b671382eb197ae25a758400b3ff15b31331c2bb8.jpg Finally, let’s twist right into our newest German route with the Kinzigtalbahn, which packs a whopping 103km of track between Frankfurt and Fulda Hbf! Expected a whole host of variety and you turn and bank around the scenic Kinzig Valley aboard the tilting DB BR 411 ICE-T, shuttle along the line in the regional BR 114 + Dostos, and haul freight with the mighty DB Vectron. James is back to tell us more: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e56eed2ef69f4bf8ac6a5d733e8d97eb4eb88561.jpg Q: Why should players be excited?  James: “Germany’s 2nd busiest station” says it all – starting a route in Frankfurt has been a goal for a long time, especially for our producer Lukas who is very familiar with the railways in Hesse. Frankfurt is a great hub for all types of passenger services, but our focus will be the regional, intercity and ICE services which immediately turn 180 degrees and embark on the 100km run to Fulda, which you may know as the midpoint of Kassel – Wurzburg. This means there is something for everyone, 5 trains are included, with even more of your collection layering in.”  Our audio teams also went out to Germany for a recording trip to get sounds for the ICE-T and recorded them both statically and moving at specific speeds. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/152f3239c17e4e2b71bc443818d9471ad74c4241.jpg Q: What does a run look like from end to end? James: “That varies on the type of service you are running, but by far the most dynamic are the ICE-T services. As we will get into later, the GST tilting functionality is an immediate transformation of the experience, but it also keeps you engaged in the cab as there are multiple systems you will interact with; PZB and Sifa of course, but GNT plays a key role in the enhanced speed limits of tilting trains, and on top of that, there are also sections of LZB scattered about this route. You really get a sense of varied driving, all while passing regional and other intercity traffic, sections of the Frankfurt S-Bahn, and also interacting with freight along the way.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/98baf7954135b5d609540da967ae545f32f0c4e3.jpg Q: Any challenges when developing Frankfurt-Fulda?  Making 24 stations for a route like this is always a challenge, despite already having Fulda as a starting point, there were still half a dozen big stations to make, including Frankfurt Hbf of course, but also the ones in-between that get us to the total. And of course, no route this complex would be complete without authentic track, and ensuring all the curves and junctions are correct can be a very engaging and time-consuming task. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3b1516877df1b947eaefbb20755938feaaa85389.jpg Q: What should players on the route look out for as they drive?  The main highlight of the show is all the scenery around Frankfurt, from outskirts to financial hub skyline, it’s built up all the way between Hbf and Hanau. Bespoke buildings and thriving industry populate the ground, meanwhile we have also taken the time to fill out the route above the horizon, look out for aircraft (which we will get into later) following realistic flight paths and holding patterns all across the city.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/44a2c1413caa335985d8b887b1a1571adcb6e3de.jpg Q: Any unique features that the route offers?   While not unique in isolation, this is the first route which has the previously mentioned combination of LZB and GNT, meaning there will be moments of semi-automated speed supervision, as well as sections that allow the ICE-T to go faster than other trains – this means that even driving other ICE layers such as the ICE 1 differs compared to the ICE-T. There are also sections without either system. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a3a951fa24d25440f1ddcafbeffdc6dc5cb002d4.jpg Q: What is your favourite part of the route?  You might expect me to say Frankfurt, but that feels like it’s too obvious! I’m actually going to call out a short section just outside of Fileden station. To accommodate a diverging junction, there is a brief moment where the main running lines diverge, and then shortly after they diverge again and run into single-bore tunnels. That section is just something to marvel at, especially in the ICE-T; leaning round a single track section gives the route a fleeting rural feel, and that such modern trains don’t belong, but they do, and its one of the sections I look forward to on every run.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8f3c69331899125f753a5ddceed084ff3c44ccf7.jpg

FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron

For the second of our Deluxe edition locos, get ready for a verdant flavour to the Kinzigtalbahn with additional FlixTrain traction! Vectron and Talbot coaches wear neon green for iconic cross-country rail travel. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ade75ad11f8526a3228b781f9a849bab3e8c075e.jpg Q: Why should players be excited and what makes the FlixTrain so special?   James: For starters, it’s not red! It sounds simple but it’s always a fantastic opportunity to get additional operators for Germany in particular as it allows us to break up the constant flow of red and white trains, and you can’t get more contrasting than bright green. Operationally, FlixTrain also presents the chance to recreate long-distance services all across our German routes in Train Sim World; with Free Roam and Scenario Planner, the Verdant Vectron is at home on Köln-Aachen, Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr, Main-Spessart Bahn and Munich-Augsburg. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/118f3cb2830e1285a9ae691a29163f887622571a.jpg Q: How will this differ to other Vectrons? From a quick glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking all Vectrons are the same, but under the magnifying glass, subtle differences start to pop up. The outward appearance is in all fairness the same, a Vectron is a Vectron with that distinctive front end. Of course the liveries make all the difference and each one gives it a different feel.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/611bc8a836eb02808b2edcd002dfe57d5ffcde86.jpg The first thing one might notice, especially the panto police among you, the FlixTrain Vectron only has 2 pantographs rather than 4 like DB and Railpool. This represents one key configurable difference, not all Vectrons support the same electrification variety, and FlixTrain being exclusively for German operation, does not need setup for other countries, whereas DB Cargo and Railpool routinely make their way across borders on trans-Europe freight.  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3b054dee5417dd15ebe3de8811bad9af2f673c8a.jpg The way the light catches each loco also reveals a slight distinction in construction methods. Both DB and Railpool Vectrons share a subtly ribbed bodyside, with the metal skin slightly bowing between the internal structure. But this is not present on the FlixTrain Vectron, as you can see with the same perspective, the body is smooth throughout. You only notice if you’re looking for it, but these are the details that makes all the difference.  If anything, some of the more visible changes are actually in the cab. Different operators can spec the modular Vectron how they wish, and so certain screen locations can vary between variants. As a result, all 3 Vectrons which are now in TSW offer a different forward-facing view, and require looking in different places for the same information. Note also how the dedicated freight-only DB Vectron has no LZB. Q: Any key unique features of the loco? Aside from the aforementioned differences, the uniqueness of this Vectron is it’s primarily used for passenger services, and as such comes with its own set of new-to-TSW Talbot cars. These cars are a refurbished classic throughout Germany, the Interregio UIC-X type, so as much as they can be used on FlixTrain duties, with some livery and formation designer work, they would look just as authentic behind an orientrot BR 103!  {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/149d079897dff1447ddedd5eee125d6f38fec6d6.jpg

Get Onboard with The Free Starter Pack

We love being closely involved across the many TSW communities, and we’ve come to understand that for many players, there’s a growing desire for a more accessible entry point to jump into the latest version of Train Sim World. We’re very excited and proud to reveal that this year, we’re providing a free opportunity to get onto the newest release, across all our supported platforms, with our Free Starter Pack, that joins our roster of Train Sim World 5 bundles. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f3dabb37c19b3b0989b55469afbfa356128364ea.jpg What is the Train Sim World 5 Free Starter Pack?  The Free Starter Pack will give you access to the Training Center and the core feature set of Train Sim World 5 features (more on this tomorrow) that aren't tied to route-based content. This pack won’t provide you with any routes on its own, so if you’re interested in the new Train Sim World 5 content, you’ll find more value in our premium bundles that include the routes and locos we’ve covered, and you can find breakdowns within our TSW5 Bundle FAQs. However, if you already play Train Sim World on the same platform and account, you will be able to bring any compatible add-ons you already own into Train Sim World 5 and play them with the newest features. On top of being a fantastic way for new players to begin their TSW journey, this is also a good benefit to existing players. The Free Starter Pack allows you to: Access new add-ons released after the launch of Train Sim World 5, even if you have yet to purchase a core bundle. Update any previously owned compatible routes to their current remastered variants (West Somerset Railway, Cathcart Circle Line or the upcoming Great Wester Express remaster). Explore any TSW patches you have missed on your favourite routes if you weren’t on the most up-to-date version of Train Sim World. Once you claim the Free Starter Pack, it is yours to keep forever, but as an important note, this offer to claim the pack will only be available for 30 days after the launch of Train Sim World 5 and therefore will expire on the 17th October 2024, so be sure to share the word! If you have any more questions, be sure to head to our TSW5 FAQs where you can see details on the Free Starter Pack, and much more!

Future Roadmap Additions

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6a34a834efe862364ce93e0f7aae624db31cb611.jpg We hope you enjoyed the ‘Take A Ticket’ reveal show we featured on the recent Dovetail Direct, which announced six brand new routes (and two brand new countries!) coming to Train Sim World in the near future. We wanted to provide some additional detail and work-in-progress screenshots to further explain what you can expect from these announcements, and get you excited for the future beyond Train Sim World 5’s launch! With many of these new announcements, we’ve looked at pushing the world of Train Sim World further and wider to new countries or found opportunities that would tie these upcoming releases into the new core features of TSW5, with Route Hopping connections, or new gameplay in Conductor Mode. Please keep in mind that many of these add-ons are still heavily in-development and the information we’ve able to give at this stage may be fairly limited, but we will follow up with more news in our monthly roadmaps.

MBTA Commuter: Boston - Framingham/Worcester Line

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/31890e14e60c2f74134fe48944e9065ab7e8a720.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4ca9fdf3b39ad0905e36c632a826070e9b81cd63.jpg

Great Western Express – Remastered in Train Sim World 5

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/603b59b229c408336cefa0cd4800c1c0504c39bd.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3969e8deca85a45c5de581d32ca6bbfec92e3795.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ed3ee51a43bcc873a2619c0c1ab474199bf97644.jpg Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim - Kaiserslautern {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a1619c1d69fdf8da73f88c004d93de6371ea0953.jpg West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle from Just Trains {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b90e4b60aaa19f70a4a61309a064d2196564110d.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/969d015861c7a1aef6194821529e90747e655dc0.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f206f24cd3dbe42547df26e215fdef582a570b41.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6e2a2e7c52ed1832882333b3c501952bd1787835.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/95b1668aad39630f370bcd4d564b0ba39216ea42.jpg Cardiff City Network {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7711bdf1da06fa9ba301c7503079f55038ced946.jpg Spoorlijn Zwolle – Groningen {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ec1fbf92547a13161ed68a6b9f52c126db8a5629.jpg And... Airbus licensed planes! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/57a9ca9422f6e1170fca00fc3ad357bb73d85133.jpg View all details in our Roadmap article on our website (Steam news can only handle so much!) And check back for the Roadmap Part 2 tomorrow! Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7e56bec2a032ce8f6bcd5db98f91ea77be01e75d.png If you missed our Dovetail Direct livestream, we’re excited to announce the upcoming release of Train Sim World 5! Releasing on September 17th 2024 with a range of high value bundles, and including a Free Starter Pack that will allow both new players and existing players to get into Train Sim World 5 with Training Centre for free on launch and brining their TSW compatible collection along with them. You can pre-order Standard, Deluxe or Special Edition now: TSW5 on Steam

Dovetail Direct Summer 2024: What was revealed? {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/be9249b70c16d22c47baeb27c3cce6e68ca72ac4.jpg If you missed the event, quite a few things were covered in a condensed hour-long keynote. These included: Train Sim World 5: Available for pre-order and releasing September 17th

• West Coast Main Line, Frankfurt – Fulda & San Bernardino Line
• Conductor Mode, Route Hopping, Fast Travel & Upgraded Live Map
• Deluxe Edition which includes Avanti West Coast Pendolino, FlixTrain Vectron & Cajon Pass (with Route Hopping).
• Deluxe / Special Edition pre-order includes 5-day Early Access from 12th September
• Free-to-play starter pack available for 30 days from launch

Also announced: 6x Future Train Sim World route Add-ons Train Sim World VR: New York, a brand-new experience for Meta Quest players available to Wishlist now Train Sim World Tycoon, a brand-new experience on the Roblox platform developed by Talewind An update on City Transport Simulator: Tram, developed by ViewApp That’s quite a lot of stuff! Read on for a summary of each of these exciting releases. We kicked off with the full announcement of Train Sim World 5, coming to PC, PlayStation and Xbox Platforms on September 17th, with pre-order players of Deluxe and Special Editions able to gain Early Access 5 days early from September 12th. Train Sim World 5 brings 3 new routes into the franchise along with new trains, new operators and new features, including bringing Conductor Mode as a full game mode! A summary of new features can be found further down this article.

Routes and Locomotive Summary

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e496b1b91bc0374f79c30fb5cb055fa72659f61f.png The new route and locomotive content includes:

• San Bernardino Line: Los Angeles to San Bernardino
• Metrolink MP36 locomotive
• West Coast Main Line: London Euston to Milton Keynes
• Class 350/1 & Class 377/2 EMUs
• Frankfurt to Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn
• DB BR 411 ICE-T, BR 114 And DB BR 193 Vectron

Plus additional locomotives seen in previous Train Sim World Add-ons such as the Class 66, DB BR 146 and Metrolink F125 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0b0a2e44ddd641b915f259f72e39fc4b1f24bf73.jpg Deluxe / Special Edition players will also be able to operate:

• Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino EMU
• FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron and Talbot Coaches
• Cajon Pass, enabling Route Hopping (more on that later) at San Bernardino

Plus 5 additional back catalogue routes (Special Edition only) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/217018edcb4a0146a62cac37c934a88a29b29fa6.png We’ll be going into more detail on each of the routes and locomotives, including detail on the timetables, layering and more in articles, Dev Diaries and social media content published between now and release, so stay tuned! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/53212f92e35a7b0e1be9aa1d13afa14ff0388c7c.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2caa83d954ea40a82e5c8f811b822f22733fbbb0.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9daf23b0749849a5fe720834ffce3e214752c85f.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0fc831d999ead355ae39c3280d51dff6048966e5.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/78ea26f9549322f05dc4afeeab8660699fe3999e.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/96cf76e95a5440eed79a3b335653fa62f013b3ca.jpg New Features {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/cee798223bb00b5631a6879ad5b5fae8a0f44f0a.png As well as the new routes and locomotives, players of Train Sim World 5 will be able to take advantage of new and improved features, with some significantly developing the way in which sessions can be played across new and existing Train Sim World content. New and improved features include:

• NEW Conductor Mode, on new Core routes and future route Add-ons
• NEW Route Hopping, between routes that share a common location

• Including support for selected back catalogue route Add-ons

• NEW Fast Travel, allowing immediate travel within a route
• NEW Digital Screen Accessibility on relevant trains
• UPDATED Live Map, with icons, legend and train service information
• UPDATED UI and Menus
• UPDATED Photo Mode, including live weather / time of day changes
• UPDATED Track Shadow Rendering
• UPDATED Creators Club Tools
• UPDATED Training Center

• Including unbranded BR 146 + Dostos

Subsequent articles, videos and preview streams will do into more detail about some of these features.

Pricing

Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6ef21958f8892dc5681312d1a9d591fe6ba47c00.jpg Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c88b78d312bbc0aea1256b2029340c6d6d6bad66.jpg Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/78e1e6559b74ef1fb80aa0d9ef989b8b6a87305a.jpg

Pre-order and Loyalty Incentives

You can pre-order Train Sim World 5 now and take advantage of incentives and loyalty discounts across various platforms! 2x Decal Packs and 5-day Early Access when pre-ordering Train Sim World 5: Deluxe or Special Editions are available across all platforms. On Steam:

• 10% Loyalty Discount on Standard, Deluxe and Special Editions for owners of TSW4, TSW3, TSW2 or TSW 2020 available for 4-weeks from today.
• Players must be logged in to see the discount available.

All loyalty and pre-order discounts will expire when Train Sim World 5 launches on 17th September.

Compatible Content

Players will be able to continue playing their existing routes and loco Add-ons by downloading TSW5 Compatible versions of them. We have more details on the roll-out of Compatible content in our FAQs. Free Starter Pack – Available from Launch {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2060ef04d85857c46baf6d92764326038c6aae3e.jpg Train Sim World 5 also brings a host of new and improved features into the core game, which will be available FOR FREE to players in the form of a new Free Starter Pack, available from launch day through different ways to players of each platform. Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack will feature an updated version of the Training Center route, along with unbranded versions of the Class 66, 8F Steam Locomotive, Class 323 and BR 146 + Dostos As well as having the potential to bring new players into Train Sim World for the first time, this option also allows existing players to upgrade to the latest core game for free. The Free Starter Pack will only be available for 30 days from release, until 17th October 2024. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5e3c84aed4f406d81bcd745c1ca46ac2814fc18f.jpg Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition which includes all the new features and the 3 new core routes, will also be available for free to Xbox Game Pass players from launch day. Future Train Sim World route Add-ons {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f0b3a3f337077454c5dd64553ad906245623f1c9.png As part of the big Train Sim World 5 announcement, we also decided to reveal the names of 6 route Add-ons currently being worked on for release over the coming months. Whether you’re keen for a new country, the next Just Trains route, or even another Remastered route Add-on, we have you covered. The 6 route reveals were:

• MBTA Commuter: Boston - Framingham/Worcester Line
• West Coast Main Line: Preston – Carlisle, developed by Just Trains
• Spoorlijn Zwolle – Groningen
• Cardiff City Network
• Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim - Kaiserslautern
• GWE Remastered, which will be available for free to players of Train Sim World 5 that own the original GWE route Add-on

Stay tuned for our Roadmap articles and streams which will go into more detail on these releases! Part One of two mammoth Roadmap articles will be released tomorrow on Wednesday 21st August, focusing on the core routes, new trains and future roadmap for TSW5, with Part Two coming a day later on Thursday 22nd August to take you through the entire range of new features in-depth, and a check-in with our third-party partners. You can also join Alex and Matt for the Train Sim World Roadmap Livestream on August 22nd at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on YouTube and Twitch.

Train Sim World VR: New York, Wishlist now on Meta Quest

Our second new title reveal was the first standalone Train Sim World VR experience to come to Meta Quest. Train Sim World VR: New York, developed in partnership with Just Add Water, gives Meta Quest owners the chance to play a version of Train Sim World’s Harlem Line route as an immersive VR experience. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/010871b96155de84f2ccc21b0d82247ca6753b6d.jpg You’ll be able to immerse yourself in the cab of the M3A and M7A trains and accelerate above the streets of Park Avenue and through the Woodlawn suburbs, as well as navigate stations on-foot and feel the detail of this 24-mile line. Explore Meta Quest exclusive features, chill out in your New York apartment and see all your reports and training manuals, shelves filled with Railwayana collectibles, all while the Harlem Line rumbles by your city window view. You can Wishlist this now on the Meta Store! We’ll be give much more information on this as we get closer to release.

Train Sim World: Tycoon – coming to Roblox

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/28f50f02072b619dc2b5e76a244abfc3086df0ed.jpg As first hinted at earlier in the year, Talewind have been working on bringing an engaging Train Sim World experience into the Roblox universe: Train Sim World Tycoon. Talewind are mixing the joy of driving in Train Sim World with a genre that Roblox players love: the Tycoon. They’ll build and run their own stations, and then drive trains around a charming world that’s shared with friends. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/20c9e5669e8aef3eaf16ba5b04707bd105621f38.jpg The world we’re building is full of charm and character, so there’s always something to see out of your train window, and always something to aim for on the horizon. There are also characters to work in your station, ride on your trains, and run stations of their own — and all of them absolutely love trains! This is a world of people who love trains, for people who love trains. And we can’t wait for you to see it. We will have more to share on this very soon. Train Sim World Tycoon content shown is work in progress & subject to change. Train visuals not final.

City Transport Simulator: Tram Update

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/175e32dd94c0bf190402096134f733d6be79975a.jpg We, along with developer ViewApp also gave an update on City Transport Simulator: Tram, which released for Early Access on Steam and Epic earlier this year. Daniel at ViewApp was excited to announce the biggest update yet – version 0.3! This latest update includes:

• The ability to advance to Level 50 (the highest) and finish Career Mode
• A NEW free map expansion, extending the northern tram network with two new stations.
• NEW Type D Tram from Vienna, available immediately in Sandbox Mode or from Level 40 in Career Mode
• 10 new livery options and new operation icons.

If you're a Train Sim World fan, there was also trains news! ViewApp have partnered with Deutsche Bahn to introduce real, licensed trains to the main station in Tramau, enhancing the realism in City Transport Simulator: Tram. With a railway running through the heart of the city, you'll see these trains in action throughout all your ring lines, adding an extra layer of authenticity to your transport network. You can find out more by following developer ViewApp on socials: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Phew! Still breathing? Need to sit down? We know we certainly do. Rest assured that we will begin to provide much more information on all these exciting, forthcoming releases over the coming days, weeks and months, starting with the Train Sim World Roadmap (Parts One & Two) published August 21st and 22nd. If you have any burning questions, check out our handy FAQs! And if you can’t wait to become part of the action, remember that you can pre-order Train Sim World 5 now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3284370e89e14241ae7b8933199c2facb7cc04e3.jpg Deluxe / Special Edition players can pre-order now to get 5-day Early Access and will receive the Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino, FlixTrain Vectron and Cajon Pass to enable Route Hopping from San Bernardino. Special Edition players will also receive additional back catalogue route Add-ons. You can also Wishlist Train Sim World VR: New York on the Meta Store! Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.

Today, we have a large core update to Train Sim World 4 that brings new suspension physics to a range of locomotives, formation designer is also joining the Creators Club and losing the beta tag, and finally we have some additional improvements and fixes to enhance your experience. Read on for a full list of changes. What is Suspension? In our July roadmap, we announced that the long-awaited Suspension improvements coming to Train Sim World 4 will be included in our Summer Core updates, and since then our development teams have been working hard to implement and test the suspension feature. Currently in Train Sim World, you experience motion as you drive the train along the tracks, with noticeable left, right, and backward movements as the train accelerates, decelerates, or goes around corners. However, something that we wanted to improve is the ‘up and down’ motion of the train as it goes over lifts or junctions. With this update, the suspension will be significantly improved to allow for a more realistic feel of the train moving over the tracks; the wheels will dip into junctions and players can get a feel of the cab rocking up and down, as they ride over junction joints. With this update, the improved suspension update will be added to the below locos:

• ECML – Class 801 Azuma
• ECML – Class 66
• ECML – FKA Wagons
• Vorarlberg – ÖBB 4024
• Vorarlberg – Habbins, Kjils, Laeers
• Maintalbahn – BR 624
• Maintalbahn – Eanos, Habbiins, Roos-t
• Rosenheim – BR 185.2
• Rosenheim – ÖBB 4024
• Rosenheim – Habbiins, Doppelstock
• Semmeringbahn – ÖBB 4024
• Semmeringbahn – Habbiins, U708
• Flying Scotsman Mk1 and Mk2 coaches
• Blackpool Branches – Class 08
• Blackpool Branches – Class 47
• Scotrail BR Class 380
• Training Centre – Class 323

The new suspension system will be integrated as a standard feature in future add-ons. We will also keep exploring ways to implement this system in more locomotives from our existing catalogue whenever possible, including trains from the Antelope Line and LIRR Commuter.

Formation Designer

Formation Designer is also making its way to Creators Club in this update, allowing compatibility to share your creations to the community, and download other submitted formations, amongst other improvements to help the new feature work as smoothly as possible. Alongside this update, we're also removing the Beta tag, as we've completed all the four phases we set out when implementing Formation Designer initially. Of course, we will continue to improve and update the system moving forward in future patches. This update should be available on all platforms from 13:00 UTC / 14:00 BST, please allow up to 24 hours for updates to come through.

Full Changelog

Core

• Added new Suspension physics to a range of locomotives (ECML, Vorarlberg, Maintalbahn, Rosenheim, Semmeringbahn, Blackpool Branches, Flying Scotsman, Scotrail Class 380 and the Training Center Class 323)

Formation Designer

• Added Creators Club functionality

Semmeringbahn ÖBB 1116

• Improvements to the 1116 that was struggling to drive with LZB enabled

ÖBB 4024

• Fix to the ÖBB 4024 not being able to be driven in Free Roam Mode
• Fix to allow you to take over services from AI ALP46

Vorarlberg

• Various localisation improvements

ÖBB 4024

• Fixed an issue in Free Roam where the player isn’t able to insert the brake handle after spawning.
• Nahverkehr Dresden
• (Xbox One) Fixed an issue during the ‘Ballast Boogie’ scenario where the player gets stopped at a red light at the last objective.

Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.

DB BR 101 Expert

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3eb32258014398200546bf125199d40436fa1e74.jpg If you’re new to the idea of an ‘Expert’ loco, this Add-on is a much more complex, challenging and detailed version of the previous DB BR 101 locomotive Add-on that was released in 2021. This has been in development by the TSG team for over a year, with details and insight of their progress being revealed over the last few Train Sim World Roadmaps. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fe0e19b2f6e80e31f7fff497b8c27d0ff251c337.jpg The Add-on features a level of interaction that requires considerable knowledge of the real-world locomotive’s systems and requires use of a Manual to understand some of the processes that are simulated. Additional tasks that players can conduct include:

• Cold Starting the locomotive
• Entering Train Data
• Managing Faults through a Fault Simulation and rectifying them accordingly

3 tutorials are included to introduce players to these processes, along with a 20-minute tutorial which introduces the Expert variant of the DB BR 101. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f4e08a7db1251b07fa3164b69716032173c578d6.jpg Minor features that add a further level of immersion to the gameplay include the windscreen fog simulation, that requires use of the demister and temperature dials to clear the view, as well as the finite lifespan of both the sander and the battery... they can both run out if used too much! An extensive Manual has already been provided by the TSG team and there options for an accessible mode which allow players to operate the new Add-on in less technical manner, as they would with other Train Sim World locomotives. As well as additional gameplay offered by deeper interaction with the BR 101’s systems, both sound and physics improvements have been made over the original loco Add-on, including new recordings to complement the original sounds. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5911308f61cb5959e26b0ff31b0da4bb47d4a69a.jpg Both MFA and MFD variants of the 101’s cab are available to operate, with train data input differing between two. The MFA cab sees this data entered via a manual panel behind the driver, whereas the MFD cab has this input within the left-hand interactive screen. Two liveries are also available: the IC white livery and DB red livery.

IC Steuerwagen / Cab Car

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1997eb479cc4dd6581ceaa100d1985874c8790cd.jpg Also included in this Add-on is the brand-new IC Steuerwagen cab car. This addition to Train Sim World’s DB fleet also comes with the additional detail of train inputs and fault finding found in the 101, but like the 101 can be operated in an accessible mode too.

Timetable & Scenarios

On release, the DB BR 101 ‘Expert’ will have (copied) timetable services on Nahverkehr Dresden and Bahnstrecke Salzburg – Rosenheim route Add-ons. The latter will also have 4 Scenarios available to play, 3 with the 101 and another with the Cab Car. Of course, players will also be able to utilise the locomotive on any Germany route Add-on by spawning into timetable mode or via Free Roam. Neither of the above routes are a requirement to do this.

Preview Steam Breakdown – all you need to know!

If you missed our preview stream of the DB BR 101 ‘Expert’, you can still head over to Youtube and Switch where Jan and Lukas take you through some of the finer details of this ‘Expert’ Add-on. Areas covered include (links are timestamped):

• Setting up the DB BR 101 from a cold start
• Sound improvements
• Physics improvements
• Question: How will future layers work?
• The kinds of faults that can occur
• Manual recreation of a fault and the resolution process
• First Look at the Manual
• Information about the GSMR
• IC Steuerwagen / Cab Car
• Randomly Generated Faults
• Closer look at the MDF version of the BR 101
• Windscreen fog, defrosting and temperature simulation
• DB White livery of the BR 101

Train Sim World® 4: Expert DB BR 101 & IC Steuerwagen Loco Add-On is available now for €35.99/£29.99/$39.99 Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Get ready for announcements galore! Our next Dovetail Direct event will be taking place on Tuesday 20th August 2024 and is set to be our biggest yet!

What is Dovetail Direct? What will be announced?

Dovetail Direct is our chance to talk to you about all the exciting things that we’re working on, not just on Train Sim World but on other games and titles too. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0d0362d91a75bf92d321baaff1d90c0ac0704f5e.png In our Summer 2024 Dovetail Direct, familiar hosts Matt, JD, Alex and Cat, as well as some new faces, will be back to talk about what we’ve working on within Train Sim World. We'll give more detail about some of the unnamed routes and locomotives mentioned in our recent July Roadmap infographic, including the 6 new routes that were added! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/175e32dd94c0bf190402096134f733d6be79975a.jpg We’ll have an update on the future of City Transport Simulator: Trams, which we released into Early Access on Steam and Epic in partnership with developer ViewApp. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2604480/City_Transport_Simulator_Tram/ The Talewind team have also sent across new information and gameplay for us to reveal on the upcoming Train Sim World Tycoon release, coming to the Roblox platform, that we mentioned briefly back in June. You can also expect another brand-new exciting project to be revealed that we've not shared publicly yet! That’s all we’re saying for now! Head over to our Youtube Channel and set a notification for when the event starts, or watch us live on Twitch when we kick things off from 14:00 UTC / 15:00 BST on Tuesday 20th August 2024. Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

*In an earlier version of this article, we mentioned suspension and formation designer being included in this update. Today's patch instead contained improvements and fixes, including the support of the upcoming Expert DB BR 101. We've amended the recently shared patch notes to reflect what you should expect to have received today. We hope you are still excited for the Suspension improvements coming shortly, they are almost ready, undergoing final testing, and we will keep you updated and confirm a timeline for when you expect this very soon.

Full Changelog

Patch Notes 101 DLC Core Free Roam

• Fixed an issue on the Class 150, Class 170 and Class 484 which prevented controller inputs from being able to use the reverser.
• Fixed an issue with the 1972 Stock MkII where the loco was unable to move after being spawned.
• Fixed an issue with the DB BR 406 not taking power after being spawned.

DB BR 218

• Improvements to smoke, audio and animations of AI 218s
• Multiple audio improvements to 218, including a fix to ensure SIFA and PZB warnings are audible from external camera view
• Fixed various issues during multiple scenarios which prevented completion due to red lights or objectives not being activated.
• Fixed to cab car to allow vehicles to be attached to it using Formation Designer.
• Various improvements to fix text typos
• Various texture improvements to the 218 and cab car

Schnellfahrstrecke Köln-Achen DB BR 442

• Fixed an issue to resolve the 442 not being able to run RE9 East Bound Services.

DB BR 628

• Improvements to snow textures on the unit.

New York Trenton Bilevel Cab Car

• Fix to the Alerter Toggle with A Controller
• Added Localisation to RailDriver Controls
• Fixed to PIS on AI Trains not working as expected

Semmeringbahn ÖBB 1116

• Fix to the ÖBB 1116 does not start driving with LZB on

ÖBB 4024

• Fix to the ÖBB 4024 to be able to be driven in Free Roam Mode
• Fix to allow you to take over service from AI ALP46

Vorarlberg

• Fixed an issue during the ‘International Rescue' scenario that caused an AI ÖBB 4024 to block the station at a red light.
• Various localisation improvements

ÖBB 4024

• Fixed an issue in Free Roam where the player isn’t able to insert the brake handle after spawning.

Nahverkehr Dresden Railpool BR 193 Vectron (Xbox One) Fixed an issue during the ‘Ballast Boogie’ scenario where the player gets stopped at a red light at the last objective. Scotrail BR Class 380

• Fixed an issue where PIS would fail to display when loading from a save.
• Fixed an issue to ensure the 2P02 service can achieve a platinum medal

Scotrail BR Class 158

• Fixed an issue with the GMSR not showing when turned on.

Salzburg Rosenhiem

• Fixes to Text on the PIS Boards during the Route Introduction

The Locomotive: DB BR 101

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/96ae3f3610218a37985c03e18b68a03688f14162.jpg Regular players of German Train Sim World content may already be familiar with the DB BR 101 locomotive, which released as an Add-on in 2021 for the Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr and has been layers / substituted into many German route Add-ons since then. These large, powerful electric locomotives arrived on the German network in the late 1990s to replace older express passenger locomotives like the DB BR 103. Its unique design is well known across the country hauling InterCity services between many of Germany’s major cities and destinations.

An Add-on for true Train Sim World Experts

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c84fc157b6a12e0fbaf08d58fc098c4296b926cf.jpg For this release, TSG team have dialled up realism and accuracy to the maximum along with the challenge of operating this locomotive in very fine detail. The cab comes in two variants: MFD and MFA, and features fully operational interactive screens to control and alter a myriad of options and settings for different aspects of operation. All of the screens and subscreens display information as they would in reality. Additional tasks that the player can undertake go well beyond those available in a standard Train Sim World locomotive. These include:

• An extensive fault simulation, with fault clearing required in order to keep the train moving.
• Realistic door operation with TB0 and SSTF door control systems
• Real train data input (PZB / LZB Data entry)
• GSM-R simulation, down to individual cell towers
• A Machine Room (Engine Room) modelled which players can enter

The Machine Room includes all breakers and valves that players can interact with and is important for both start-up procedures and fault finding, so you may find yourself spending quite a bit of time here preparing and maintaining the locomotive in operation!

Fault Finding

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/901dfc18967bf97113fdf4304a41251055db4ec2.jpg The fault-finding aspect to this release is unique among Train Sim World content. Quite often, faults are included in pre-prepared Scenarios, where players are required to act around them, using a set of instructions in game. A series of Scenarios and Tutorials will be able to guide the player through the fault-finding process, which includes having to read and use the interactive fault-finding screens, that correctly display the faulty component. This can range from traction motors failing, to PZB failures or even a cascade of failures if certain systems start to blow out others. A Manual will also be provided to assist players with this process and certain elements will require reading before embarking on services.

LZB / PZB Input

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b3991a9e54b24435c284a0bfc1b20f7a8526b137.jpg Developer and member of the TSG team Lukas explained this feature in our June Roadmap: “This feature requires entering Max Speed and Brake Rate values to simulate PZB/LZB on a higher level. The Brake Rate is calculated through the train’s maximum weight and describes its braking performance in the current configuration, considering current available systems. The ZDE Panel then sets the PZB mode from these values. There is no switch as in the previous BR 101”. The result of all of these additional features and complexities is that this locomotive will be an exciting, but rigorous challenge even for those who are very experienced with Train Sim World content and German locomotives currently in the game. This idea of an ‘Expert’ loco may be familiar to those who participated in our TSW Player Survey earlier this year. Currently we don’t have any others planned, but we’re excited to hear your thoughts and feedback, so please let us know if this is something you’d like to see more of!

Locomotive Improvements

In addition to the work done to make the locomotive super realistic to operate, many other improvements have been made over the initial BR 101 release. These include:

• Sound improvements, utilising new sound recordings and upgrading older capture
• Newly refined physics

The DB BR 101 ‘Expert’ comes in two liveries for this release:

• DB Red
• DB IC

For players wanting a more casual driving experience, an accessible driving mode will be available in the main menu setting, which reverts functionality to a level typical of other Train Sim World locomotives and enables players to experience the improvements made to this locomotive without hitting the higher difficulty level. Players that just want to experience the IC Steuerwagen can also use this feature. The original DB BR 101 loco Add-on will remain on sale (but requires the Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr route Add-on in order to operate).

Also Included: IC Steuerwagen / Cab Car

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d478ce1ca01b8b1ac709d2cdb28fbc9eb6ed4aab.jpg Included in this release is the much requested and eagerly awaited IC Steuerwagen, Bpmmbdzf 286.1 Cab Car and updated Bpmmz and Avmmz coaches. Cab cars are commonplace on passenger trains throughout Europe, with the earliest designs even dating back to the late 1800s. The concept was primarily used on regional or urban traffic, where top speeds were 140 km/h and quick turnaround times for trains were a necessity. It wasn't until the 1990s that cab cars were trialled for higher-speed, long-distance traffic. Tested up to 14cars and speeds up to 200 km/h, if successful, would allow for much greater flexibility of inter-city services throughout Germany. The tests were promising enough, that several batches of existing, but relatively new coaches were converted to have a cab retrofitted onto one end, and ballast added to increase their weight. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/76ae501a14926d2e273a586be5e3cde4ae8c703d.jpg With their cab equipment reflecting the controls indicative of locomotives at the time, cab cars would allow for IC trains to dwell for less time at major terminals, the only notable difference from a driver's POV being the distinct lack of engine room ambience behind them. In-game the IC cab car can be operated in as much detail as the DB BR 101, with the option for a more accessible mode which defaults the settings to a correct set up and turns off the safety systems. The throttle of the cab car is similar in style to that of the BR 111, in that it has a run down, hold, run up segment, and also a manual control segment.

Timetable Layering, Substitution & Scenarios

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ccce8be996ff7ad2e6af3187a1649b1485ae6eb1.jpg On release, the DB BR 101 ‘Expert’ will have (copied) timetable services on Nahverkehr Dresden and Bahnstrecke Salzburg – Rosenheim route Add-ons. The latter will also have 3 Scenarios available to play. Of course, players will also be able to utilise the locomotive on any Germany route Add-on in Free Roam and neither of the above routes are a requirement to do this. Train Sim World® 4: Expert DB BR 101 & IC Steuerwagen Loco Add-On will be available from 8th August on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for €35.99/£29.99/$39.99

Preview Stream: July 31st + Special Guest!

Join Lukas, Jan and a special guest... a real-world locomotive driver on both YouTube and Twitch for a preview of the DB BR 101 ‘Expert’ tomorrow, Wednesday 31st July at 6.00pm UTC. Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

The Class 158 returns courtesy of Skyhook Games with a new look, new timetable, new interior and new gameplay across Scotland’s Train Sim World routes! For the release of Scotland’s variant of this popular and widespread diesel multipe unit, Skyhook Games have made extensive changes to elements of both the interior and exterior. In the above walkaround video, taking place in Train Sim World’s Training Center, Adam takes a detailed look at the changes, which range from the addition of a snow plough at the front of the train and the distinctive blue and white ScotRail livery, to many noticeable alterations inside the train. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7bb2e1a80a67b6a55d8c0ac661ceab5233298792.jpg The exterior PIS has also been altered to better reflect that seen on ScotRail’s Class 158 variant. Interior changes include:

• A completely new interior: New seat, table and luggage rack models
• New interior PIS
• Bicycle and accessible areas
• Interactive door panel
• Altered cab interior, including a different style of reverser
• Overhauled lighting
• Changes to the interior walls
• Relevant signage throughout

Naturally, the unit also has features in common with the East Midlands Trains variant seen in the previous Midland Main Line release, such as the GSMR panel and responsive Guard Buzzer that sounds when closing the doors. If you’re keen to see the difference between the two, Skyhook Games recently posted a comparison video highlighting some of the differences and similarities between both Class 158 variants: The Routes and Gameplay Edinburgh - Glasgow {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4cc12b7bfd33792beba1183baf959346a69022c1.jpg A new timetable will be available in the ScotRail Express: Edinburgh – Glasgow route Add-on for players that purchase the ScotRail Class 158 Add-on. This new timetable will include, as playable services:

• 144x services between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street, of which 18x are run with the Class 158
• 69x services between Edinburgh and Polmont for Dunblane, of which 42x are run with the Class 158
• 12x services between Glasgow and Eastfield Depot, 2x of which are run with the Class 158

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6f870ee077f6f441173df0329a0a1168984fc6f0.jpg The remaining services will be run by the Class 385, including 62x services between Glasgow Queen Street and Croy for Alloa. In addition, AI services representing the Fife Circle Line services will run out of the map using both the Class 158 and, for players that own Fife Circle Line, the Class 170. Players with Great Western Express will also see AI traffic featuring the GWR HST, to represent 63x ScotRail I7C services to Aberdeen (an out of the map location) running from both Edinburgh and Glasgow. The GWR HST will remain unchanged, in its GWR livery. 72x AI services utilising the LNER Class 801 Azuma will appear for players that our East Coast Main Line. 25x AI depot runs will also feature, using the GWR HST and Class 801 from their respective Add-ons for players that own them. Edinburgh Trams will also feature, as they do in the original full timetable. The Class 158, Class 170 and GWR HSTs will also feature as static stock throughout the route. Fife Circle Line {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/444a6cc8ddaec4cea82a1380cc7759fc4eb129c0.jpg 3 Scenarios will also be available to play in the Fife Circle Line route Add-on, including a Scenario involving mixed working coupled to the Class 170. Skyhook Games are awaiting the addition of the Leven branch into the Fife Circle Line before developing a new timetable that includes the ScotRail Class 158. Cathcart Circle Lines {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/25f49f6c49117eef3152e7f3704e01a9d3583dc8.jpg It will also layer in as AI into the new timetable that released with the Class 380 and the recently remastered Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on, filling in for services that would normally be run by Class 156s. There will also be a short, playable ECS move. Train Sim World 4: ScotRail Class 158 DMU Add-on is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £12.99/€15.99/$16.99 Train Sim World Compatible: ScotRail Express: Edinburgh – Glasgow is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam. It is available for £29.99/$39.99/€35.99 Train Sim World 4: Fife Circle Line: Edinburgh - Markinch via Dunfermline & Kirkcaldy route Add-on is available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £29.99/€35.99/$39.99

Today we have an update that focuses on preparing for the release of the Scotrail BR Class 158 from Skyhook Games on Thursday but also brings a range of various improvements across UK and US content in Train Sim World 4 for Cathcart Circle Line, Midland Main Line, Peninsula Corridor, Edinburgh – Glasgow, Scotrail BR Class 380, Cargo Line Volume 1 – Petroleum and more. This update should be available on all platforms from 13:00 UTC / 14:00 BST, please allow up to 24 hours for updates to come through.

Headliners

Cathcart Circle Line

• Added Class 158 to Cathcart scenario planner
• All station lighting should turn on when it gets darker
• Fixed a crash when playing the ‘Dr Snow’ scenario
• Fixed a crash when playing the ‘Semi Circle Service’ scenario and overshooting a platform

Midland Main Line EMT BR Class 158

• Improved snow visuals appearing on the couplers
• Ensure weathering effects appear correctly on the exterior

Edinburgh – Glasgow

• Updated PIS displays for the new Class 158 timetable

Full Changelog

Cathcart Circle Line

• Added Class 158 to Cathcart scenario planner
• All station lighting should turn on when it gets darker
• Adjusted fox sounds around warehouses. These should be audible at nighttime with clearer weather.
• Fixed a crash when playing the ‘Dr Snow’ scenario
• Fixed a crash when playing the ‘Semi Circle Service’ scenario and overshooting a platform
• Fixed an issue during the ‘Dr Snow’ scenario where there was an incorrect ‘Unlock Doors’ objective next to the load passengers objective.
• Fixed an issue during the ‘Semi Circle Service’ scenario where the ‘Enter the Train’ objective would not update
• Fixed an issue during the ‘Press Release’ scenario where the passengers fail to board and embark from the Class 380

Midland Main Line

• Returned a floating collectable ticket machine near Sileby station safely to the ground.
• Fixed texturing issues on warehouses at the north end of Loughborough station
• Fixed an issue with trains clipping the roof of a train shed at Etches Park Depot

EMT BR Class 158

• Improved snow visuals appearing on the couplers
• Ensure weathering effects appear correctly on the exterior
• Fixed a texture issue so that Cab A and Cab B will be correctly displayed
• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

Peninsula Corridor

• Various fixes to ensure MP36PH-3C, F40PH-2CAT, Bi-level coach and Nippon tutorials can all be completed as expected.

MP36PH-3C

• Fixed an issue where the loco failed to move after completing the setup

Bi-level Cab Car

• Fixed an issue where the cab car failed to move after completing the setup

Edinburgh – Glasgow

• Updated PIS displays for the new Class 158 timetable
• Fixed a typo of “timetable” in the menu
• Various localisation improvements

Scotrail BR Class 380

• Localisation improvements to French and German tutorial text

Centro Regional Railways Class 323

• Fixed an issue with tail lights being turned on incorrectly during the ‘Outstabled but Stable’ scenario

Cargo Line Volume 1 – Petroleum

• Fixed an issue where rear tail lamps and brake pipes were incorrectly attached to the rear of the train.

Union Pacific Heritage Collection

• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

West Cornwall Local

• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

Holiday Express: The Runaway Elf

• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Skyhook’s Saltire Sprinter is almost here! With gameplay coming to both Edinburgh – Glasgow and Fife Circle Line, there’s plenty of Scottish action to be had with the ScotRail Class 158, releasing on 25th July.

The DMU – ScotRail Class 158

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7af5e96be5a07cef009a157eaf1f29fd4b7eaa69.jpg The Class 158 DMU remains a common sight around the UK’s real world railway lines, venturing as far south as Cornwall and into the upper reaches of the Scottish Highlands through various operators. They were built between 1989 and 1992 and dubbed the ‘Express Sprinter’ to differentiate them from the other members of the Sprinter family. Players of Skyhook Games’ Midland Main Line route will already be familiar with the East Midlands version of this popular DMU, which has since layered into other routes such as Glossop Line and Train Sim World 4’s East Coast Main Line. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/355ca332cf116cda0eacdfb3219f7796614e273c.jpg Class 158s first entered service in Scotland in September 1990, eventually becoming part of the ScotRail fleet. The contemporary ScotRail variant has been developed by Skyhook Games to add traffic and gameplay to all three Scottish route Add-ons available in Train Sim World 4. This has involved overhauling the exterior to match ScotRail’s patriotic blue tones and branding. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d24d2af3207ede6639996f7efe970a44cda44e58.jpg Skyhook have also made changes to the exterior PIS display, as depicted in the above screenshot. Other screenshots in this article were captured prior to this being implemented. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/96608329b0bb501a5cfb0ead3806e3d97eace338.jpg The changes don’t stop there though! Alternative headlight clusters, an integrated snow plough (for those harsh Scottish winters) a new passenger interior and revised cab layout all single this variant out from the EMT version. The new passenger interior consists of all new seat, table and luggage rack models, completely new lighting and even adjustments to the walls. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5d17da61833aa358774834643bfb46a0e62e55b7.jpg Similarities however include the interactable GSMR panel, as well as the responsive Guard Buzzer that sounds when closing the doors, which were updated to close slightly quicker following the Midland Main Line updates that were released a couple of months ago. As is the case in the real world, the Class 158 will be able to couple and work in tandem with the Class 170 from Fife Circle Line, allowing for mixed working in one Scenario as well as some AI services using this arrangement. Players will also be able to couple and uncouple 158s and 170s in Free Roam.

The Routes and Gameplay

Edinburgh - Glasgow

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6f870ee077f6f441173df0329a0a1168984fc6f0.jpg A new timetable will be available in the ScotRail Express: Edinburgh – Glasgow route Add-on for players that purchase the ScotRail Class 158 Add-on. This new timetable will include both Class 385 and Class 158 services, as well as a number of AI service layers from other Train Sim World Add-ons, for players that own them. These include:

• ScotRail Class 170 (Fife Circle Line)
• LNER Class 801 Azuma (East Coast Main Line)
• GWR HST (Great Western Express)

These services are representative of the ScotRail HST trains that run on the real-world route, utilising former GWR HST sets. The trains will remain unchanged, in their GWR livery. The full timetable (including both playable and AI services) provides train movements between Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as off-the-map locations at: Alloa, Annisland, Dunblane, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes with Thornton, Aberdeen and London King’s Cross. In addition to this new timetable, there will also be 3 Scenarios for the Edinburgh – Glasgow route.

Fife Circle Line

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/939ddd2e5738f5647998a51b40ca098181f8df7e.jpg 3 Scenarios will also be available to play in the Fife Circle Line route Add-on. Skyhook Games are awaiting the addition of the Leven branch into the Fife Circle Line before developing a new timetable that includes the ScotRail Class 158.

Cathcart Circle Lines

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/25f49f6c49117eef3152e7f3704e01a9d3583dc8.jpg It will also layer in as AI into the new timetable that released with the Class 380 and the recently remastered Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on, filling in for services that would normally be run by Class 156s. There will also be a short, playable ECS move. Wanting to see the ScotRail Class 158 in action? Keep an eye on Skyhook Games’ socials, including Twitter/X, YouTube and Tiktok for some video content planned between now and release. Train Sim World 4: ScotRail Class 158 DMU Add-on will be available 25th July on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £12.99/€15.99/$16.99 Train Sim World Compatible: ScotRail Express: Edinburgh – Glasgow is out now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam. It is available for £29.99/$39.99/€35.99 Train Sim World 4: Fife Circle Line: Edinburgh - Markinch via Dunfermline & Kirkcaldy route Add-on is available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £29.99/€35.99/$39.99

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d6593668c39950402a7144051c8cf14b0c4e8efb.jpg Get some of the latest Train Sim World 4 Add-ons with 30% off the London Overground Suffragette line and Semmeringbahn Add-ons. If you're interested in taking advantage of more recent releases like the DB BR 218 or ScotRail Class 380 loco Add-on, but don't have the relevant route Add-ons, then now is a good time to get both, with the recently Remastered Cathcart Circle Line still 50% off and the Hamburg - Lübeck route Add-on a whopping 70% off! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/891c433a792fc996b6655933352a6781593a2e96.jpg If you're looking to celebrate an English summer by coming home to more routes and locomotives then take advantage of big discounts on:

• Birmingham Cross-City, 50% off
• Thameslink Class 700, 70% off
• Flying Scotsman loco Add-on, 70% off
• Spirit Of Steam: Liverpool to Crewe, 70% off

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e0019214a3f605e7e95c09697ad6540f616f9f2e.jpg There are also savings to be had on Train Sim World 4 route Add-ons from Europe! Including:

• Semmeringbahn, 30% off
• Bahnstrecke Salzburg Rosenheim, 35% off
• Maintalbahn, 45% off
• Railpool BR 193 Vectron, 70% off

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e84f3215df000f4ca3b4681a653cab7c3493fa28.jpg And for those wanting big, bold American locmotives and breathtaking urban and rural scenery across the USA and Canada, there's content on sale too:

• Sand Patch Grade, 70% off
• Amtrak's Acela®, 70% off
• Canadian National Oakville Subdivision, 60% off
• Northeast Corridor: Boston Providence, 60% off

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2362300/Train_Sim_World_4/ New to Train Sim World 4? We have a series of helpful tutorial videos explaining how to download the game and its Add-ons on Steam: Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

ScotRail Class 380

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3587244092edc1754fcf39fdcfc8660f15fd4d65.jpg As our previous article outlined, these striking EMUs were actually first introduced onto the rails some 14 years ago. Despite this, they still appear sleek and different with the unusually angled corridor connections and pointy headlight clusters at each of the cab ends. They form part of the wide and varied ‘Desiro’ family of trains, which includes the DB BR 642 DMU seen in Maintalbahn and the Thameslink Class 700, which coincidentally released as a loco Add-on for Train Sim World exactly one year ago today! The Class 380 varies quite significantly from both of these however, not only in appearance, but by being powered exclusively by overhead wires and being formed of 3 or 4 coaches. Like the Class 385 from the Edinburgh – Glasgow release, the cab features an interactive display screen in a confined area, as well as fully functioning gangways that are folded outwards using a switch prior to the coupling procedure. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/eada1a20a8ac26c1983c1333ea34871be39da211.jpg The Class 380 will also receive the Suspension Update that has been implemented into other Train Sim World 4 locomotives and units. We’ll advise when this happens in future patch notes. You can read more about these Suspension Improvements and see the current list of locomotives that have this feature in our July Roadmap. The loco Add-on will see almost 200 services become playable with the Class 380 in both formations, including clockwise and anti-clockwise services, Newton services along both circle branches, turnback shunts and depot moves. A full breakdown of the new Cathcart Circle Line timetable can be found in our Timetable Deep Dive Article. There are also 3 Scenarios to get stuck into, in addition to the Training Center Tutorial. Two of the Scenarios are as follows: In the Press Release Scenario: Players are required to take a train from Shields Depot to collect dignitaries at Glasgow before doing two circuits of the Cathcart Circle, including a coupling and uncoupling demonstration at Glasgow between runs. And in the Dr Snow Scenario: You fight the weather itself as you take control of a train prone to the freezing temperatures. Brake regularly to keep the brakes warm or they'll freeze up and throw the train into an emergency stop.

The Route – Cathcart Circle Line Remastered

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/7c323cd993acb39326ea8507e92dd598fe0a3555.jpg The Class 380 layers into the newly Remastered Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on. Like the West Somerset Railway Remaster we released in February, these updates have come courtesy of Game Designer Liam and introduce TOD4 lighting, new scenery and route details, updates to the Class 314 and much more! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d9c9025b5a9943fd4a75f9996264cfb0cc97a11f.jpg Also like the WSR Remaster, these updates are completely free for players that own both Train Sim World 4 and the Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on. The full list includes:

• TOD4 Upgrade
• Updated route scenery, landscape and foliage
• Updated track and signal visuals
• Updated the Class 314 with new lighting, rain effects and added GSM-R
• Updated Glasgow Central lighting, scenery, PIS and passenger spawn locations
• Updated all stations with new lighting and passenger spawn locations
• Added new lighting to the bridges around Glasgow
• Added scenery for the disused Netherton Goods, Crossmyloof and Dumbreck stations
• Added scenery and track for the disused Smithy Lye sidings
• Added scenery and lighting for Shields Depot
• Added interactable player bench at Glasgow Central and Pollokshields East

In addition, a completely overhauled timetable, featuring more playable services and a whole host of AI (including the Class 801, rail tours and more) is available for players that purchase the Class 380 loco Add-on. With other Scottish Train Sim World releases being released both in the past and future, there are a number of ways in which this content layers together. Skyhook Games ScotRail Class 158, which adds content to both Edinburgh – Glasgow and Fife Circle route Add-ons, will feature as AI in the new Cathcart Circle Line timetable once that has released, as will the Class 170 and Engineering Express Class 66 from recent Rivet Games releases. We’ll be providing further details on the ScotRail Class 158 release very soon. Train Sim World 4: ScotRail Class 380 EMU Add-on is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £12.99/€15.99/$16.99 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2789570/Train_Sim_World_4_ScotRail_BR_Class_380_EMU_AddOn/ Train Sim World 4: Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £24.99/€29.99/$29.99 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2375917/Train_Sim_World_4_Cathcart_Circle_Line_Glasgow__Neilston__Newton_AddOn/

Cathcart & Class 380 Twin Pack

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0e9b42ae6674e6d888dcef2210079f482c464e30.jpg If you’re new to Train Sim World 4 on Steam and have yet to play Cathcart Circle Line, we have a Twin Pack available which provides both the route Add-on and the Class 380 in one purchase. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/43147/Train_Sim_World_4_Cathcart__Class_380_Twin_Pack/

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3950c4428a5b0324137ce03dcfb314a2aed1deaa.jpg

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) Summary

• Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024 – New announcements coming August 20th!
• DB BR 218 – Released last month!
• Scotrail BR Class 380 & Cathcart Circle Remaster – Arriving July 11th!
• Scotrail BR Class 158 by Skyhook Games – New Screenshots and details
• Expert DB BR 101 by TSG – New Screenshots and questions answered
• UK Route Developed by Just Trains – New Teaser and initial details!
• “In The Depot” Projects – Small mentions to upcoming add-ons still being developed
• Summer Core Update – DE and UK fixes released, US improvements coming soon!
• Suspension Improvements – Coming end of July!
• Inside Development – Community Suggestions & The LAMPOIL Process
• Steam Summer Sales Final Call – Ending Thursday July 11th at 17:00 UTC!

And just to cover the changes from the previous graphic:

• Added "UK Loco" to 4-6 Month Add-ons (1st Party)
• Added “Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024” Section
• Added 6 new add-ons in the Dovetail Direct section
• Re-Added Formation Designer Creators Club Functionality to 0-3 months
• Removed “DB BR 218” from 0-3 months (This has released)
• Removed "Summer Core Update (DE & US)" (This has released)
• Removed “Cathcart Circle Line Remaster” from 0-3 months (This has released)

The Train Sim World Roadmap

Welcome to July everyone! Today we have lots of exciting news to share, including the date announcement for our next major Dovetail Direct event! We also have a range of new screenshots and details for upcoming Train Sim World 4 add-ons, including the highly anticipated Scotrail Class 380 & Cathcart Circle Remaster, arriving this week on July 11th. We’ve also got new information from Skyhook Games for the Scotrail Class 158, and the TSG team on the Expert DB BR 101 locomotives, both releasing soon, and a quick update on additional projects from both first and third party teams. For development insights this month, we wanted to re-visit the “how community suggestions are used” topic and explain the LAMPOIL process we use when choosing what routes to develop. Additionally, we’ve got a confirmed list of locomotives included within the Suspension Improvement update, coming later this month. Finally, don’t miss out on a range of amazing Steam discounts for Train Sim World 4 and all of our compatible content! The sales end on July 11th at 17:00 UTC! We’ll be live tonight (Tuesday, July 9th at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST) to talk you through this full article and you can find a stream event link at the end.

Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024

Today we’re announcing our next Dovetail Direct, coming on August 20th, 2024, at 14:00pm UTC! If you’ve not caught one of our Dovetail Directs before, they’re exciting live events packed with all new announcements across many of the titles we develop at Dovetail Games and with our partners. This year, we’ve got loads of news to share, and not just for Train Sim World, but also for brand-new projects, as well as more news on an upcoming Roblox Tycoon experience we announced earlier in June, and a check-in on City Transport Simulator: Tram! Be sure to mark your calendars and set a reminder on the YouTube event above. As a note, due to the Dovetail Direct, there will not be an TSW August Roadmap.

Released Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4f95ec53dc0f073f7abc646ebeaedfea2e099ec3.png

DB BR 218 – Developed by TSG

Last month we released a thundering new diesel-powered locomotive, coming from the TSG team, with the DB BR 218! Taking up both passenger and freight duties on Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck and Maintalbahn. Explore 48 new services, 4 scenarios and endless express style possibilities using Free Roam that can also bring the loco to Linke Rheinstrecke, or Niddertalbahn, where it is also seen in the real world.

Content Up Ahead

Scotrail BR Class 380 & Cathcart Circle Line Remaster {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5f7c25751c317ee1620ced1ed4d3de783cb9aa1e.jpg Get ready to hear the otherworldly Desiro hum echoing through Glasgow's suburbs as you complete loops around the Cathcart Circle Line with the upcoming ScotRail BR Class 380, arriving into Train Sim World 4 on July 11th! Check it out in our Class 380 First Look showcase: Alongside this release, the Cathcart Circle Line will be Remastered, and, excitingly, this launched earlier today! Featuring a massive list of improvements to bring the route right up to TSW4 standard, here are a reminder of the key headliners, setting us up nicely before the release of the Class 380 later this week:

• New Timetable
• TOD4 Upgrade (latest lighting, volumetric clouds & fog)
• Updated route scenery, landscape and foliage
• Updated track and signal visuals
• Updated Class 314 with new lighting, rain effects and added GSM-R
• Updated Glasgow Central lighting, scenery, PIS and passenger spawn locations
• Updated stations, new lighting and passenger spawn locations
• Added scenery for disused Netherton Goods, Crossmyloof and Dumbreck stations
• Added scenery and track for the disused Smithy Lye sidings
• Added scenery and lighting for Shields Depot
• Added interactable player bench at Glasgow Central and Pollokshields East

And for those who aren’t sure what we mean by Remaster, these changes will come for free to anyone that already owns Cathcart Circle Line in Train Sim World 4! If you're playing on Steam and have yet to play Cathcart Circle Line, you can get this route Add-on at 50% off until 11th July. If you own Train Sim World 4, your purchase will automatically update the route to the Remastered version. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a068c9e7e202ceac397b01722abe64b3d4c602ab.jpg If you someone who is now eagerly anticipating the release on July 11th, then be sure to head right into our Scotrail BR Class 380 Timetable Deep Dive article, which includes over 3200 words of history, research, service details, new screenshots of the Class 380 and much more, all passionately written by our Product Marketing Coordinator James, to give you the full picture. Scotrail Class 158 – Developed by Skyhook Games {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/25f49f6c49117eef3152e7f3704e01a9d3583dc8.jpg Coming later this month is Skyhook Games’ ScotRail Class 158, with a whole host of gameplay on the Edinburgh-Glasgow route, as well as scenarios on Fife Circle. This week, we have some updated Work in Progress screenshots for you, showcasing the loco in action on Edinburgh-Glasgow. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/1b080afbe2f7929e3f08d8628da81bc411907ec3.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4077949350d341918a5c957fae828a357f706f39.jpg It’ll also be available as AI traffic as a result of the Cathcart Circle Remaster, when released later this month. As a note, scenario services for Fife Circle will be added after the Leven Branch is released. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/32a477c5ddb26986315a957beb52bce704e8e9cd.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a98fed4a703406f2cc98d3d65727051aa7d36af5.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/21a9b7ddcbb1a6fa849f136b6beab5c6b12cf2b3.jpg Keep an eye out for an article providing more information, as well as a release date, later this month! Expert DB BR 101 – Developed by TSG Take on the ultimate challenge, and step into a new level of simulation with an unparalleled, in-depth recreation of the much-loved DB BR 101, complete with the IC Steuerwagen, developed by the talented folk at TSG. We’re in the final stages of development now, so we thought we’d check in with the team to find out more – and share some more work-in-progress screenshots inside the cab and engine room! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2fa75f601df55f84548a630d7f6fbfc5a0a9e3cb.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/faab5ba3b38264da97300660a5422dc7e7056548.jpg ‘Work is underway for a release at the end of this month. Fault simulation, as seen in the screenshot below, will be configurable on a hidden screen where ebula would be. (default hidden).’ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/437c60cd66520af6b2d0024a6a389d130ea0cb33.jpg ‘William Green, known for Developing the Vectron for DTG, is hard at work finalising setup. The rest of the team is working to correct art bugs and finalise audio and gameplay.’ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d54000bb3096c880622fe7a79befc2bcf12d569e.jpg Upon release, it’ll have (copied) timetable services on Nahverkehr Dresden, and Bahnstrecke Salzburg Rosenheim, but you can – as with all Train Sim World 4 locos – use Free Roam to play it on your favourite routes. We’ll be sharing more information about the Expert DB BR 101 later on in the month, but we’re really looking forward to seeing how you’ll adjust to the added complexities and immersion an Expert loco will provide you with!

UK Route – Developed by Just Trains

This month, Alex from the Just Trains team gives us an update on the progress of their next route’s development. And they’ve delighted us with an early WIP screenshot! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f6621189baa2f48d2195174d0961024a1320adc9.jpg Alex: “Following on from our highly acclaimed first-ever Train Sim World release; Blackpool Branches: Preston - Blackpool & Ormskirk Route Add-On, the Just Trains team have been and continue to work hard on our second Train Sim World add-on. All the track and signalling has been completed and many tens of miles of immersive scenery has been crafted with still more to do.” “Set in the BR era of the late 80’s the route is one that has been highly requested and features a good array of iconic stations from minor to major with our 3D artists excelling themselves with authentic looking and accurate assets and objects throughout the route including many period Signal boxes of which quite a few are explorable. The rail vehicles are coming along really well and will provide a unique experience for Train Sim World.” “A treat of traction! The busy and varied timetable will provide a very immersive experience, with our full timetable featuring passenger, parcels, freight, and shunting operations along with a variety of special extra services, plus of course our use of layers will interact with other Add-ons that you own, which will mean that you are on this route for the long-haul.” Thank you Alex, we can’t wait to show you all more! Where do you think this teaser is hinting at? You can expect more details about this release in our upcoming Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024 event on August 20th!

“In The Depot” Projects

This section was known in our previous roadmap as the “Background Projects” – how terribly corporate! We’ve decided to brand it “In The Depot”, which is simply to refer to any projects that are currently undergoing lots of hard work and development time, but are ones we’re not yet ready to share further updates on. We know you’ll likely ask us about these during our livestreams and within community spaces, so this is to help ease your mind rather than leave them out completely. As a note, this will generally not include everything that’s happening, but aim to provide a single sentence on a few key projects that are highly anticipated. Tadami Line Union Workshop are continuing to develop the route, but nothing further to share this month. Unannounced Alan Thomson Simulations Route The team continue to work on bringing their route to life. This content is still some way from releasing. Fife Circle Leven Branch Adding the newly-opened Leven Branch is one of Rivet Games’ next projects, and they have started to gather reference material for it over the past month. High Iron Simulations High Iron Simulations have announced a new member of their development team joining to support their TSW projects and continue working on their previously revealed Santa Fe gameplay Pack for Cajon Pass. They are also progressing away on their first full TSW route, with details to be announced at a future point.

Patches & Updates

Summer Core Updates – US Improvements coming soon We’ve seen good feedback since we decided to start focussing on larger bundles of patch notes, rather than smaller and frequent updates. In the last month, we have now released the three large sets of improvements, focussing on core changes, as well as focusing on both UK, DE and US fixes. Recent Patch Notes

• June 3rd Patch Notes – UK Add-ons and Core Improvements
• June 24th Patch Notes – DE Add-ons and Core Improvements
• July 9th Patch Notes - US Add-ons and Core Improvements

As a note, some improvements to the Antelope Line, MP36, and Peninsula Corridor didn’t make today’s update, but they will be added to a future patch when they pass testing. Your feedback has been vital for our teams to target the most reported community issues, and we’ll continue to take this into account as we look to build new patches and improvements. If there’s any outstanding issues you’re experiencing, please let us know on our Forums, or via a Support Ticket. We value the time you take to share your experiences with us. We’re now looking towards our next set of improvements, so please continue to use our Troubleshooting Forums to let our teams know, and you will also find additional Guides, general Support and FAQs.

Progress On Improvements

Suspension Improvements

We’re finally ready to announce that the long-awaited Suspension feature will be coming to you all within our next major patch, aimed at the end of the month/start of August, and will include Suspension improvements for a selected list of locomotives. Our Development teams have been working hard to deliver and test these new systems, and to stay true to tradition, we have two final videos to share for the upcoming feature on the BR Class 801 LNER Azuma, and Bahnstrecke Salzburg-Rosenheim’s BR 185.2, to give you a taste of the difference the experience will be like after the update. The full list of locomotives that will receive this new feature with this release is:

• ECML – Class 801 Azuma
• ECML – Class 66
• ECML – FKA Wagons
• Vorarlberg – ÖBB 4024
• Vorarlberg – Habbins, Kjils, Laeers
• Maintalbahn – BR 624
• Maintalbahn – Eanos, Habbiins, Roos-t
• Rosenheim – BR 185.2
• Rosenheim – ÖBB 4024
• Rosenheim – Habbiins, Doppelstock
• Semmeringbahn – ÖBB 4024
• Semmeringbahn – Habbiins, U708
• Flying Scotsman Mk1 and Mk2 coaches
• Blackpool Branches – Class 08
• Blackpool Branches – Class 47
• Blackpool Branches – Class 142
• Class 380
• Class 323 (Training Center variant only)

As an addition to this, the Class 218 has an initial version of the suspension improvements, but this will be improved after we’ve released the Core update. The Class 380 and DB BR 101 Expert will also have Suspension improvements added to them at some point after release. We are currently discussing implementation of Suspension on the ScotRail Class 158 with Skyhook as a post-release update. For US players, we haven't forgotten about you – we’ll have news in the future on trains from Antelope Line and LIRR Commuter. The new suspension system will be implemented as standard into future add-ons moving forward, and we’ll continue to review opportunities to bring this system to more locomotives in our back catalogue of content where possible.

PC Editor

We have finished an initial piece of work on the PC Editor, it's currently in test and we'll get it out to you as soon as possible. This update will cover a lot of initial player feedback from the Editor, including enabling cooking, fixing the asset loading issue where some assets fail to be detected, and improving the handling of mods in general.  We'll have more info on this when the update goes out. This isn't the end at all, we're currently planning the next piece of work and will update more on that as it happens.

Community Corner

Inside Development - How We Use Suggestions (LAMPOIL Explained)

In this month’s Inside Development, we wanted to take another chance to talk about how we use community suggestions within our development process, and how we go about choosing the routes that we develop, as it’s a question we often see players wanting more insight on. Back in our April 2023 Roadmap, we gave a detailed explanation about the “LAMP” process from our Senior Producer Steve, which incorporated Licensing, Anticipation, Mix and Prominence into the selection process. Since that time, we’ve actually grown our acronym to “LAMPOIL”, which adds three new categories for us to consider: Opportunity, Intelligence, Limitation, which we’ll talk about in more detail. Generally, when choosing a new route to develop, this begins with a proposal from either a staff member, or from community suggestions we’ve seen. We then take this idea through our LAMPOIL process to understand how viable and feasible the route will be for our teams to create, and to help determine if we should move forward with this idea. So, here’s a breakdown for the full LAMPOIL process: L - Licensing Licensing covers our legal obligations and is a good starting point to answer questions such as whether we have licenses or agreements in place to ensure we can represent the route appropriately with the trains that are seen on the route in the real world, for the time period proposed? Do we need to consider additional licenses to bring in to develop the route? This then informs our Licensing and Contracts Team on where they need to focus their resources. A - Anticipation Anticipation is about how we expect the players to perceive the route, and the included content. This probably is the most subjective area of the evaluation as we’re essentially evaluating how well players will receive the route in its proposed form. We look closely at reviews and comments from similar routes we released previously, as well as any community thoughts and concerns raised on proposals from suggestions. We need to answer if players will find the content boring, or just a duplication of a previously released route? If there is strong support for a route, where is it in the hierarchy? M - Mix Mix looks at the gameplay element in greater detail. Is there enough gameplay provided in the route to keep players occupied and engaged? Does the value of the included content and gameplay align with the intended pricing? Does the gameplay volume align with previously released content? Are there any unique elements in the gameplay that we can leverage to improve the gameplay offering (new industry elements or interactive components that can enhance the experience)? P - Prominence Prominence looks at the global commercial appeal of the route – are the locations represented known globally or is the route known only to locals? Are there prominent landmarks which are required to properly represent the route? Do the included locos have appropriate appeal to the players? Is there any prominence to the locos (are they famous)? Routes that have greater global appeal and have strong landmark features, with trains that are likely to engage the players are more likely to move forward to approval. O – Opportunity Opportunity is the first of our new categories we’ve added to this definition, and it looks at the potential to alter the design of a proposed add-on to increase the appeal for players. This could be including a famous location, landmark, train, service or coach name. It could also look at the chances to create additional related add-ons, seasonal spin-offs or layers that may link to the route and the content included. I – Intelligence Intelligence refers to aligning a release with real world events that may elevate the add-on if completed by a specific milestone, such as birthdays and festivals, or released at a certain time of year. These can help support the add-on success by giving our Community, Marketing and PR teams areas to highlight, such as historic events or locations. L – Limitation The final area, Limitation, is our last check to understand if we need to consider anything that would work against us for creating a specific add-on. Outside of licensing issues with operators, we also need to consider legal constraints such as a copyright landmark where there may be a fee. We would also use this step as a chance to ensure there is sufficient relevant content to make the add-on feel alive, and if the scope of the project is something we’re able to support to give the best version of the add-on to players. So that’s the full process as we have it now, I hope this insight helps you understand where your suggestions come into the picture and explain the challenges our teams face before picking the perfect route. Keep giving us your community suggestions for new add-ons, and make sure to submit these ideas to our Suggestion Forums. Steam Summer Sales – Don’t Miss Out! It’s never been a better chance to get involved with Train Sim World, with a massive 80% discount on Train Sim World 4 Deluxe and Special editions on the Steam store. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/754e858b495f92ee38e88625672f2834b00e4dd2.jpg There is also a huge range of discounts across our entire collection of compatible content, with some of our latest add-ons making an appearance, such as London Overground Suffragette Line and Semmeringbahn, both 30% off! Here’s a preview for some of our highlighted discounts across our UK, DE and US add-ons. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/891c433a792fc996b6655933352a6781593a2e96.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e84f3215df000f4ca3b4681a653cab7c3493fa28.jpg The Steam Summer Sales are ending very soon, so make sure to get the most out of these deals while they last!

Roadmap Livestream

Exec Producer Matt, and Director of Community JD, will be talking about all the things we’ve featured above, and answering your submitted questions in our July Roadmap livestream. The stream will begin from 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on our YouTube and Twitch channels. Have a question for us? Put it in our July Roadmap Q&A thread, and we’ll answer as many as we can live tonight! Steam social links for articles: Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Hello everyone, today we have a large core update to Train Sim World 4 that focuses on key improvements for US content that have been flagged by our teams and raised by community feedback. Additionally this patch will Remaster the Cathcart Circle line, ahead of the Class 380's release this Thursday. This update should be available now on, please allow up to 24 hours for updates to come through.

Full List of changes

US Core Update

General Core

• Fixed base timetable route map markers for scenario triggers added in external timetables.
• Fixed crashes caused by missing formation entries.
• Corrected various data asset names.
• Added previously missing trains to the Formation Designer

Long Island Rail Road Commuter Core

• Fixed missing sounds for the electrical cabinets.
• Fixed glowing signals at NY Penn tunnels.
• Fixed glowing pillar at East New York tunnel.
• Fixed signage at Woodside not reflecting PIS display.
• Fixed player being able to get out of bounds at NY Penn.
• Fixed aspect display issues for several stations.
• Added two PIS boards to the Nostrand Avenue canopy.
• Added missing collision to canopy meshes.
• Grounded several floating assets and one collectible.
• Repositioned several assets clipping into the geometry.
• Resolved improper signal progression for several stations.
• Changed track letters to numbers at Forest Hills.
• Removed redundant “Charge Brakes” instruction popup during the Hydro City scenario as well as the ATCS and ACSES Training.
• Optimised the states and sounds of bagel stand collectibles.

LIRR M7

• Fixed camera collision issues when leaning out of windows.
• Fixed blurry textures on both A and B cars in the Livery Editor.
• Added logic to start and end of service for AI trains to set wipers according to current weather.
• Added missing assets related to third rail sparks.
• Improved RailDriver dead zones, emergency position, and switch from coast to minimum brake position and made further, smaller improvements.

LIRR M9

• Fixed camera collision issues when leaning out of windows.
• Fixed the “Drive 100 Miles!” Mastery challenge not completing.
• Added missing assets related to third rail sparks.
• Added logic to start and end of service for AI trains to set wipers according to current weather.
• The wiper switch will now start in the off position as intended.
• Improved RailDriver dead zones, emergency position, and switch from coast to minimum brake position and made further, smaller improvements.

LIRR M3

• Added missing assets related to third rail sparks.
• Added logic to start and end of service for AI trains to set wipers according to current weather.
• Improved RailDriver dead zones, emergency position, and switch from coast to minimum brake position and made further, smaller improvements.

Sherman Hill Core

• Fixed localization errors.

Cajon Pass BNSF SD40-2

• Adjusted driver camera height.
• Fixed several unlocalized RailDriver controls and made further, smaller improvements.

BNSF ES44C4

• Fixed several unlocalized RailDriver controls and made further, smaller improvements.

New York Trenton Core

• Fixed service 3849 Sunnyside Yard – NY Penn Station immediately derailing upon spawning.
• Fixed several minor issues with AI pantograph and MCB setup.
• Fixed players being able to interact with certain passenger seats through walls.
• Fixed ambient cricket sounds.
• Corrected spelling error for Rahway.

ALP-46

• AI will now shut down cab correctly at end of service.
• Increased animation speed for several controls.
• Adjusted behaviour of marker lights and headlights for AI trains.
• Fixed ADU not turning on when setting up from the rear cab.

ACS-64

• AI will now shut down cab correctly at end of service.
• Fixed passing AI trains playing alerter sounds.

Amfleet Cab Car

• AI will now shut down cab correctly at end of service.
• Fixed passing AI trains playing alerter sounds.

Multi-Level Commuter Cab Car

• Liveries are now available for the Multi-Level Commuter Trailer Cars.
• AI will now shut down cab correctly at end of service.
• Leaving an upper-level seat will no longer put you on the lower level of Multi-Level Commuter Trailer Cars.
• Fixed localization errors.

Class 380 Support Patch

General Core

• Added Summer Community Challenge Mastery decals.
• Fixed crashes for certain timetable services.
• Fixed player spawning into old timetable versions.

Cathcart Circle Line Core

• Updated the route to ToD 4.
• Improved ambient sounds when inside the Class 380 cab.
• Improved ambient sounds along the entire route.
• Improved performance.
• Fixed passengers falling off bridges and platforms and walking into railings.
• Fixed passengers getting stuck and not walking or boarding trains at certain stations.
• Fixed route introduction not loading.
• Fixed train external cameras not working inside Glasgow Central.
• Fixed missing night lighting for several stations along the route.
• Fixed snow appearing inside tunnels.
• Fixed invalid signals coming into and out of Glasgow Central.
• Adjusted passengers to TSW 4 standard.
• Adjusted brightness of PIS screens to match other TSW routes.
• Adjusted visuals for wet track components and ballast.
• Adjusted landscape materials.
• Adjusted spawn rate of passengers, preventing overcrowding.
• Adjusted lighting of orange signal and signal flare colours for better visibility.
• Added correct stopping boards for the Class 380 at stations.
• Added service tags to the Class 380 timetable for respective services.
• Added service tags to all Class 380 stopping boards.
• Corrected positions of light sources at several points along the route.

BR Class 314

• Improved train audio and added missing sounds.
• Added GSM-R functionality.
• Fixed doors not retaining their states after loading a save game.
• Fixed missing exterior lights.
• Fixed incorrect safety system inputs for AWS, TPWS, and DSD.
• Fixed AWS and TPWS indicator states during self-test.
• Fixed wipers not matching the wiper switch.
• Fixed missing wheel slip notification.
• Fixed player being able to leave the train through the cab end gangway door while the train was moving.
• Fixed missing cab end gangways climbing transitions.
• Removed shared key binding for alerter and train brake.

Midland Main Line: Leicester - Derby & Nottingham Core

• Fixed trains clipping into the roof of a certain depot shed.
• Fixed wrong texture being used for a warehouse near Loughborough.
• Grounded floating collectibles and assets.

BR Class 158

• Added ‘A’ and ‘B’ decals to the end of the train, for both the 52xxx and 57xxx versions.
• Improved train textures in rainy weather.
• Fixed a number of RailDriver issues.

ScotRail Express: Edinburgh – Glasgow Core

• Expanded the station directory so PIS displays reflect the Class 158 timetable

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5f7c25751c317ee1620ced1ed4d3de783cb9aa1e.jpg The UFO-like tones of Desiro duty resonate through the suburban streets of Glasgow, get ready for more round-and-round running along the Cathcart Circle as the iconic and eye-catching Class 380 rolls into Train Sim World 4 on Thursday, July 11th!

A New Electric Train for Scotland…

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c6b03d7cf212fc214809c2be4ee52480a3c3dd1f.jpg One in, one out – 380102 coasts beyond the confines of Glasgow Central’s expansive roof on 2N22, the 09:35 service to Neilston, meanwhile, an unidentified 385 reaches its journey’s end with a terminating 2B83 from Lanark. ...or at least it was when introduced into service almost 14 years ago! Built in Germany and transported by rail to Scotland, the Class 380 was designed to be a modern and stylish capacity boost for ScotRail’s ever-growing electrified commuter network. Much of the train’s technology is derived from its counterparts within the Desiro UK family, although is distinct with a very different body profile and front end. Adding more than 7500 passenger seats to the network, the tailor-made 380s were swift to enter service, with the gap between first delivery and first public use only being a few months. Since 8 December 2010, the fleet of 38 units (divided up into 3 and 4-car sets) have found use primarily around Glasgow. A handful of 380s also had the honour of being the first EMUs to operate the Edinburgh to Glasgow line following its electrification. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8157360fc9dc462ee1b805d4a091d775dbf9a6f1.jpg Prior to their delivery to Scotland, early testing and commissioning days for the Class 380 began on the Wildenrath test track in Germany, the very same which inspired our Training Center (above). In the early days of Edinburgh - Glasgow electrification, the 380s were the first EMUs to operate on the line (below). Use Scenario Planner or Free Roam at your will to recreate the E2G transitional times! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8b1093105e3b9581ec85308e3029fa3a77103d08.jpg Train Sim World 4: ScotRail Class 380 EMU Add-on will be available from Thursday, July 11th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £12.99/€15.99/$16.99

Cathcart Circle Remastered

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2c94cc75ced5304e84ffb6e818be561d44f142d8.jpg The Cathcart Circle Remaster will feature the following:

• TOD4 Upgrade (latest lighting, volumetric clouds & fog)
• Updated route scenery, landscape and foliage
• Updated track and signal visuals
• Updated the Class 314 with new lighting, rain effects and added GSM-R
• Updated Glasgow Central lighting, scenery, PIS and passenger spawn locations
• Updated all stations with new lighting and passenger spawn locations
• Added new lighting to the bridges around Glasgow
• Added scenery for the disused Netherton Goods, Crossmyloof and Dumbreck stations
• Added scenery and track for the disused Smithy Lye sidings
• Added scenery and lighting for Shields Depot
• Added interactable player bench at Glasgow Central and Pollokshields East

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2d0bae2e03fe64fffbbfa161ffaec0de13ede9f9.jpg Above: 380005 pauses at Cathcart on a moody Autumnal afternoon, halfway through a clockwise trip around the circle on 2O40: Glasgow Central to, well… Glasgow Central! Below: The mixed atmosphere of cool and warm light cuts through the mist and onto the platform at Crosshill, all while 380002 slows on a night-time 2P15 to Glasgow Central, having originated from Newton. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9a2c4a1eed01cb77ffe5e24e0ffa4b544e4de97e.jpg The Cathcart Circle Remaster update will go live across all platforms early next week. As part of this, we will be updating the store pages soon to reflect the route’s new visuals. In the meantime though, you can pick up Cathcart Circle on Steam as part of the Summer Sale! Save 50%, get started with the Class 314 and get ready for the updates and Class 380 launch. You can join the Railfan TV team on Twitch and YouTube for a preview of the EMU Add-On and the remaster at 19:00 UTC today, July 2nd. With the big news out of the way, it’s time to talk services – buckle up and get ready to learn all there is to know about the brand-new Cathcart Circle timetable, this is going to be a long segment…! Please note, this timetable is not part of the remaster, you need to purchase the ScotRail Class 380 to get this timetable as it plays such a pivotal role in transforming the experience – you will still have access to the original Class 314 timetable.

Timetable Deep Dive

Written by Product Marketing Coordinator James For those of you who may recall, when we upgraded and extended Southeastern Highspeed for Train Sim World 3 – I went in detail breaking down all the differences and improvements that the new timetable offered. Get ready to read, as once again I’ve been let loose to do a timetable deep dive, this time covering Game Designer Joe’s incredible work to bring us an all-new Cathcart Circle experience.

A Recap

Cathcart Circle released with approx. 200 services for the Class 314 and was additionally accompanied with a few layers featuring a railtour, and an engineering-like service with some JNAs. The pathing and timing of the 314’s services were suffering a similar problem as original SEHS, the service start time was actually the booked departure time, making timekeeping a challenge. At the time, with the 314 being the only ScotRail train in our roster, (and there only being 16 of them in reality), the decision was taken to not overdo their presence. As such, the whole timetable experience consisted of 8 3-car formations. This prevented things like rush hour variety, some services were missing, and of course, Glasgow Central felt rather empty. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2c2dce8735f805c6fd0b46e9409c907357226eb2.jpg Morning rush hour in the original Cathcart Circle timetable.

Times Have Changed

Fast forward to today, and thanks to releases such as ScotRail Express from Rivet, as well as the upcoming ScotRail Class 158 from Skyhook; the Class 314, combined with the likes of the Class 385, and of course the upcoming Class 380, can all now share Glasgow duties and represent a range of services. When opportunity calls, Joe and I get to work! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/4aed7712e9dc6de98630db296646a161d752a639.jpg The ScotRail fleet has grown in Train Sim World! From left to right: Rivet Games’ Class 385, Dovetail Games’ Class 380, Dovetail Games’ Class 314, Rivet Games’ Class 170 and Skyhook Games’ upcoming Class 158. Screenshot by tester Josh Rubio.

The Research

First off, the reference that has been used for this timetable is something of a mishmash; those who know their train history will already be able to tell that the Class 314 retired (gulp) nearly 5 years ago! And, the era which Cathcart was originally represented (2014-16) isn’t necessarily suitable for the Class 385 to be present at all. Taking all this into consideration, we decided that the best approach was to do whatever was necessary to offer the busiest possible experience, even if it was a little anachronistic. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d9f8e19f237cdaae4ac5840b5316bdc736db4ba6.jpg Reference for a majority of the timetable is based on the December 2023 WTT (Working Timetable), but with some additions from the recent June 2024 WTT. However, that also involves re-adjusting some services to match the route we have – for example – for months now the line to Barrhead has been electrified, but in our route, it is not, so that AI will be represented with diesels which we will get into later.

Diagrams and Formations

For electric traction, we are mostly following the simple pattern of; if it’s a 380 or 385 in 2024, then it’s that in-game, if it’s a 318 or 320, then that’s when the 314 is used, but not to the point where there’s too many of them. Lastly, the Class 158 will be filling in for the Class 156. That’s where the simplicity ends though, Glasgow Central is complicated, the way diagrams and different formations are used is wildly complex, and as a result, each multiple unit is essentially doing its own job throughout the day. There is no substitution involved with ScotRail services as that would result in many issues – trains like to couple at Glasgow, but that’s impossible if the wrong formation subs in! There will be times when an AI comes in from another part of the ScotRail network, forms a few playable passenger services, and then returns to being AI – make sure to check the boards to find which service you can drive next. The mix of timetables, available stock and tendency for things to change ad-hoc on the real railways mean this might not be 1:1 representation when looking at online resources on any given day etc. but this is a step-change from the original and as close as one can probably get to the general daily experience of the Cathcart Circle.

Class 380

Split into its 2 subclasses, the 3-car 380/0 and the 4-car 380/1 have various roles on the playable services and their diagrams shift around the network all day. For example, the 380/1s run the Neilston services during the off peak, but as soon as rush hour begins, they are displaced to run other services, including AI off-route, meanwhile 6-car Class 314 services run the rush instead. As for the 380/0, this spends most of its time running the circle service, or to Newton via both sides of the circle, and does so both in 3 and 6-car formations. The Class 380 therefore has the following playable services:

• 380/0: 40 Newton services (via both sides of the circle)
• 380/0: 22 circle services (clockwise and anti-clockwise)
• 380/0: 8 Neilston services (2 return runs in the evening, complete with the turnback shunts in 2 parts)
• 380/1: 78 Neilston services (again, including the 2-part turnback move)
• 380/1: 8 Newton services (via the west side of the circle)
• 380/1: 7 circle services (primarily anti-clockwise)
• Both subclasses: 28 shunt services in and out of Shields Depot (in 2 parts)

Services which involve shunting or turning back have been divided into parts to ensure the AI operates them correctly; in the original timetable, where these were represented as a single service, the AI didn’t change ends so would shunt into the siding at Shields, then reverse all the way into Glasgow! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ba82bfdbbd6640bce74cc2ff75ee0fdba7575c3e.jpg On a typically damp spring afternoon, 380112 operates the rather odd once-a-day 5O50 to Crosshill, where after a momentary stop, it becomes 2O50 round the rest of the circle back to Glasgow. Upon arrival into Platform 10 at 16:24, 112 will stable there until 17:24 when it becomes 2N34 to Neilston, with Paisely Canal and Wemyss Bay services also occupying the platform in the interim. As you can tell by tallying up the total, the 380 plays a fundamental role in Cathcart’s operations! Now let’s move onto the train that started it all.

Class 314

With about half of the services taken up by the 380, the 314 now fills in the gaps, itself finally running in both 3 and 6-car sets! As already mentioned, places like Neilston outside of the rush hour rely almost entirely on the 380, but you will get opportunity in the morning and evening to experience this. In the meantime, the 314s spend most of the day on the rest of the Cathcart network. The 314’s services are broken down like the following:

• 52 Neilston services (with 2-part turnbacks)
• 24 Newton services (via both sides of the circle)
• 9 circle services (clockwise and anti-clockwise)
• 12 shunt services in and out of Shields Depot (in 2 parts)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/a068c9e7e202ceac397b01722abe64b3d4c602ab.jpg 314205 and 380111 offer some warmth for the morning commuters of the Neilston branch (above). The “PEP” is the primary people mover along the branch in the peak hours, and this last one to run in the morning will be the first one to run along here again in approximately 7 hours’ time. 205’s day looks like this: following termination of 2N19 at Glasgow, it will operate a Newton return, then once around the circle in each direction, then Newton 2 more times - coupling to another 314 (itself having worked the Circle and Newton all day) when arriving at Glasgow to commence 6-car Neilston services in the evening peak, starting with 2N28 (below). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/e3e59255087d2c0ba2b145ccd294f221f5abe195.jpg In all, that makes up the majority of the playable ScotRail services on the route. Aside from some additional services which were missing originally, and the increase to late-night half hourly Neilston trains with the June 2024 WTT, the numbers when compared to the previous timetable aren’t massively different. But what this timetable does finally offer is a more realistic variety throughout the day, and what is perhaps the star of the show in our next point, Glasgow Central.

Glasgow Central

As mentioned before, Glasgow Central is complicated, or perhaps a more accurate word to use is insane! We wanted to make Glasgow a proper place to train spot, and that involves doing what hadn’t been done before, adding in all the AI to every off-route destination, and the first problem that presented, was platform sharing. Despite having 15 surface platforms, the frequency at which Glasgow Central operates necessitates the use of platform sharing; that is when a train enters an already occupied platform. Odds are, when starting a service, your train will no longer be up against the buffers, but there will be another train behind you. Equally, on approach to Glasgow, you may find you need to request permission to enter and stop short of a different formation – this is not an indication of a coupling instruction, as the trains are still intended to leave again on different journeys. As seen briefly in the June Roadmap, it is not unheard of to even have 3 separate trains in some of the longer platforms, and they are all timed appropriately so only the next-departing service has its doors open. So even with all that space, you will often find that there’s multiple formations in practically every platform, as well as sometimes the need to queue and wait for your slot in a particular platform, and that’s because there is A LOT of AI present in this route now. The AI includes:

• Half-hourly Prestwick Town services
• Hourly Barrhead services
• Hourly Edinburgh via Shotts (fast) services
• Hourly Edinburgh via Shotts (slow) services
• Hourly Edinburgh via Carstairs services
• Half-hourly Gourock services
• Half-hourly Paisely Canal services
• 2-hourly Carlisle services
• 2-hourly Kilmarnock services
• Hourly Ardrossan Harbour services
• Hourly Largs services
• Half-hourly East Kilbride services
• Hourly Lanark services
• Hourly Wemyss Bay services

These services are divided up between the rolling stock in as realistic a way as possible, and in fact, it is common for playable formation to become AI formations and vice versa. To get the full effect of this, you will need to additionally own the Class 385 and Class 158 (when it is available), as they fill in for gaps which the 314 and 380 could not do alone, but even without these, there will be plenty going on. In this timelapse, observe the morning rush hour at Glasgow Central from about 06:00 to approximately 08:30 with all layers present - can you spot the railtour? Please note that the Class 158 is still WIP. Also in the Glasgow area, and around Shields depot, there will be handful of ECS moves using layered stock, and this means the likes the Class 385, 158, and even the 170 each have a playable, albeit short ECS move. A nice note, the criss-crossing lines around Glasgow play host to most of these ECS moves, so keep an eye out while passing under other lines.

Headcodes

It’s worth noting that ScotRail’s services are setup a little differently than other TOCs in the UK. Unlike on Southeastern Highspeed for example, where each headcode group (1F, 1S, 2K etc.) incrementally increases throughout the day, and only repeating if necessary, ScotRail repeat their headcodes much more often, and as such, you can often find multiple services with the same name running at different times of day, and with different trains/formations.

Newton

Before we wrap up with ScotRail, we cannot forget Newton station. Newton’s layout is a 2-platform station, with 2 adjacent passing tracks, and several of the service patterns listed above, as well as additional traffic from Glasgow Central low level, will feature as AI here too! So in between the playable services, you will see AI which heads to and from Glasgow via Cambuslang; some of this AI will call at Newton, others will shoot by on the adjacent tracks. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/20e7310723570e490cead2b5fe7266ce49d3f6f3.jpg As 380011 pulls into Newton, ahead of a returning service to Glasgow, a pair of 314s depart bound for Motherwell (above). A short while later, a pair of Class 385s race past Newton’s avoiding lines on a service from Lanark to Glasgow Central (below). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b20a11fb8626840b2fbfa8b112971bb2ffee1f19.jpg With ScotRail out of the way, it’s time to talk other layers!

LNER

While not the most frequent visitor to Glasgow Central – the LNER Class 801 Azuma shows up a few times a day and is visible both on the approach to the station, and also passing Newton station where appropriate. At around 0615, an empty 801 from Polmadie depot terminates in Glasgow Central platform 2 to form 1E06, the 0648 service to London Kings Cross. Between 1315 and 1345 an empty stock move both from and back to Edinburgh will briefly pause in platform 2. Lastly, 1S23 from Kings Cross will terminate at 2125, returning empty to Polmadie at 2145. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d69f38def04fe49bca70d46875c436f273d58926.jpg Azuma Solstice. During the long summer days, 1S23 from Kings Cross can enjoy the last waning minutes of daylight as it snakes into Glasgow Central, having left England’s capital some 6 hours ago. On its journey this service calls at several stations including Peterborough, Newark Northgate and Doncaster, and can be driven on the ECML timetable!

Class 66 Work

In the original timetable, a single service was present which used the Class 66 and JNA wagons from East Coastway to represent an engineering works ballast movement. This is something that happens in reality, but the JNA wagon is not the right wagon for the job. Now, we are using the more up to date Class 66 and more appropriate MFA wagon from Southeastern Highspeed. We have also made it 2 services, so you can drive the ballast train into Glasgow then back out again. These services run in July and August. We have also now added in seasonal RHTT services, using the equipment which didn’t exist at the time of Cathcart’s original release. 3S91 is the headcode for the RHTT circuit, and depending on its path it is both playable and AI throughout its run. The playable services operate between 05:30-07:20 and cover most of the route. As per other routes, these services run between September and November. Lastly, making use of Rivet’s Engineering Express pack, there is a single service using the ONE liveried Class 66 where you drag a 385 on a 1Z99 rescue run to Shields depot. This service runs in May and June. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fe1136755887b2c99c309c9104e25686b2833b23.jpg 66587 makes a special one-off appearance on the Newton branch, inbound to Shields Depot with a poorly Class 385 in-tow. 1Z99 is the standard headcode for a rescue run (above). As the first rays of light cast over a misty Autumn sky, 3S01 is seen passing Pollokshields East on its RHTT circuit – upon arriving at Newton it will continue to clean up the rest of Glasgow’s network (below). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c07537ef672831c28d86a93948687cab5826d8da.jpg

Railtours

They had to get in somewhere, who doesn’t love a good railtour! From the chance to drive something classic to the rare find when trainspotting, we wanted to retain this experience, but also make better use of newer stock and seasonal capabilities. As such, unless mentioned otherwise, railtours will be using the maroon Mk2 coaching stock from Flying Scotsman. As one can imagine, with a full roster of passenger services now in Glasgow Central, it’s harder to find a spare platform which can accommodate railtour stock – so the following have been implemented to work in conjunction with the much busier traffic. 1Z55 Ayr to Bo’ness: Whistle while you work with this top n tailed Class 40 set that snakes its way from Shields Depot to Newton. Rare track awaits as you traverse the lesser-used curve that avoids turning around in Glasgow Central. This railtour runs in September and October. 1Z33/1Z40/1Z42: Glasgow is no stranger to tours at odd hours and this run is no exception! Under the shadow of night, run a Class 47 on the last leg of a tour into the city. After only a few hours kip, it’s an early rise for the excursion goers – take a trip around the circle in Crompton fashion, turning the set around for the 47 to depart back towards Newton and beyond. This railtour runs in May and June. 1Z97 Mossend Up Recp to Bo’ness: The railtour from the original timetable returns! Once a 2-part from Glasgow, to Neilston and direct to Newton, you can now also enjoy a third part to drive the railtour into Glasgow first. This formation uses Blackpool 47s as its base, although multiple locos can sub in as you wish, and it is now the same length as the tour that inspired it; 4 coaches instead of 3! This railtour runs in May and June. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c64aa8a800dea42615002f34054c0db296db34f2.jpg 1Z55 takes the dive; starting near Shields depot, the first thing this railtour does is crawl underneath the lines to Glasgow Central on the single-track spur which connects directly to the west side of the Cathcart Circle (above). Nestled among the countryside to Neilston lies the Waukmill Glen Reservoir Viaduct, at approximately 235 metres long it carries trains over water to and from the villages of East Renfrewshire. Today, a chopper takes the stage midway through 1Z97, ultimately bound for Bo’ness. Being uphill, the Neilston branch is tough work for a twenty! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ff16b099ef5193f552d9bf2a1908c1ff7337cb31.jpg Lastly, as seen in the timelapse, Flying Scotsman makes an AI-only appearance at Glasgow Central in the mornings of July and August.

Wrap Up

And with all that said, that is basically everything you can expect for the new ScotRail Class 380 Cathcart Circle timetable! To reiterate, this timetable comes with the Class 380 itself and is not part of the free remaster, but you can see the stark difference that we have been able to make with more trains, signalling and pathing improvements. Also remember that the full extent of the AI will also depend on Skyhook’s Class 158 which we will share more news on in the next roadmap on July 9th. Combined with the remaster, Cathcart Circle feels like an all-new route – whether you opt for trainspotting at Glasgow, or running a full shift around and around the circle, we look forward to sharing this new experience when the Class 380 releases on July 11th! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8ae75783029215d458a673c76275194d71427d09.jpg From one UFO to another, look forward to a route experience out of this world and enjoy AI traffic encounters of the third kind. Get your Area 5.1 surround sound ready to play the unearthly tones of the ScotRail Class 380, landing July 11th! Steam social links for articles: Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , Twitch , and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/92013fe4d2b90c6bff844f3b331a7e6c42a5ac49.png Save up to 80% on Train Sim World 4 and DLC in the Steam Summer Sale, running until 11 July. Summer is here! The perfect time for exploring the rails both in the real world and virtually with Train Sim World. You can find some huge savings of up to -80% on the Steam Store as part of the Summer Sale event. You can browse all offers over on the Steam Store, and read on for some recommendations...

Train Sim World 4: Deluxe Edition (-80%)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/26c5b271344b0eedf4646336f690311c356c5f39.png Feel the power of simulation in your hands with the Train Sim World 4 Deluxe Edition. Take on the tough Californian canyons aboard the EMD F125 on the Antelope Valley Line, enjoy high-speed thrills across the East Coast Main Line with the BR Class 801 Azuma or Flying Scotsman, explore the Austrian/German border with the ÖBB 4024 in S-Bahn Vorarlberg, and more. Whether you're new to the hobby or a veteran driver, at 80% off, this is the perfect time to pick up Train Sim World 4.

Hauptstrecke Hamburg - Lübeck (-70%)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fb9dbe58f354987a9e14da0aff9076dddb46f219.jpg Experience regional passenger and heavy freight duties in North Germany, linking the country’s 2nd largest city to the commuter towns of Schleswig-Holstein with Hauptstrecke Hamburg - Lübeck. This route includes the DB BR 112, MRCE ES 64 U2 and an array of rolling stock. You can also add to the variety on this route now with the recently released DB BR 218 from TSG. Available separately on the Steam Store this adds more services to both Hamburg - Lübeck and Maintalbahn (-45%).

Fife Circle Line (-30%)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6afa6bc871cd018d00ea1feb7287e4fa001582b7.jpg Get ready for the upcoming release of the ScotRail Class 158 from Skyhook Games by picking up Fife Circle Line from Rivet Games. From the Scottish Capital to the Firth of Forth Lowlands, embark on key passenger services over iconic cantilevers and along picturesque coastline with the ScotRail BR Class 170 DMU. If you're enjoying this route don't forget to check out the Cathcart Circle Line, 50% off in the sale this adds another unique Scottish experience - And also has a loco DLC in development with the Class 380.

Amtrak Acela (-70%)

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6efac71354999bcf36616e5d53a62c02caf110e0.png America's fastest train is now 70% off! Race along the famous Northeast Corridor in iconic style with the Amtrak Acela. A marvel of engineering this locomotive carries thousands of passengers each day and you can recreate that experience in Train Sim World as you take the controls and try to keep to time on busy routes. The loco includes scenarios and timetable services for Boston - Providence (-60%) and additional timetable services for New York - Trenton (-50%). Both discounted in the sale. You can find all of these and many more discounted over on the Steam Store. Offers run to 11 July. Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , Twitch , and TikTok.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8429012e626f669a90cd4a2a78ffeaead9c2e5cf.jpg Classic, German, main line diesel traction comes to Train Sim World for the first time! The DB BR 218, developed by TSG is out now!

The Story So Far...

If this is the first time you're hearing the news, it's been a few months since we revealed this locomotive in our Roadmap and since then TSG has been keeping us up to speed with the development process:

• First reveal in April Roadmap
• Introduction from TSG in May Roadmap
• Screenshots + TSG Q&A in June Roadmap
• First Look Video
• Timetable Overview Article

Locomotive & Rolling Stock Compatibility

The DB BR 218 has origins in the 1960s and hauled both passenger and freight trains throughout Germany before the wider introduction of both DMUs and electric locomotives across an increasingly electrified network. In Train Sim World 4, the locomotive has all the nuances and features typical of diesel traction, including the careful management of gear setting and brakes across the different types of consist and formation that the 218 would operate with. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/bc4e8821d10715c0627748fb16d4acec5ef1f4b3.jpg Double-headed and 'top-and-tailed' formations are possible with freight and passenger trains using stock from within the routes that it layers into, including variants of both n-Wagen and Dostos passenger cars. When using the DB BR 218 in both Formation Designer or Free Roam, it's important to remember that the n-Wagen set included in the release features cab control specific to diesel locomotive operation. Alternative versions of the n-Wagen (such as in Bremen - Oldenburg) will not operate correctly. Equally, the Dostos featured in Maintalbahn feature the correct setup for working with this type of diesel locomotive, including the door controls. Dostos from other German route Add-ons may operate differently.

Route Add-ons:

Hamburg - Lübeck & Maintalbahn

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/c3ce3cf1d37c3ffe339d703d9238e14f1346b130.jpg The primary route for the DB BR 218 loco Add-on is the Train Sim World Compatible Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck route Add-on. Here players can operate the 218 in timetable mode across 29 services. Read the full timetable breakdown in our previous article. Four Scenarios are also included for this route covering both passenger and freight operations:

• Early Bird: A simple run from Hamburg (in the 218 with Dostos) bringing a chartered early morning train to Lübeck.
• Late Picker: A late running train from Lübeck to Hamburg (in the Dosto cab car pushed by a 218), gathering passengers from each station. The schedule it tight and the train gets heavy!
• To The Rescue: Double-headed 218s going to Bargteheide to bring back a broken down train to Rothenburgsort yard.
• Foul Weather Freight: A slightly heavy train with a double formation of 218s from Rothenburgsort to Lübeck yard in challenging conditions with some overtaking and wait times.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fef2702588b9303c19d9ec021161580066f41ec2.jpg Players with both Hamburg - Lübeck and Maintalbahn will be able to operate additional services on the more recent Maintalbahn route Add-on. This is to represent a period between December 2017 and 2018 where Westfrankenbahn required additional traction to replace a DB BR 642 that had been allocated elsewhere. A DB BR 218 was provided. Free Roam will no doubt be a popular way to experience this free-to-roam diesel locomotive across many of the German route Add-ons available for Train Sim World 4... no overhead wires required! As a note, the BR 218 comes with a variant of the n-Wagen compatible with diesel traction - the n-Wagens with Bremen-Oldenburg and Linke Rheinstrecke ae designed for electric traction and may not function in the same way in free roam and formation designer. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8abf2ab6c367e36df92807e4ce9e8b3da7b50667.jpg Train Sim World 4: DB BR 218 loco Add-on will be available from 25th June for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £14.99/€17.99/$17.99 Just yesterday, we also released our latest TSW4 core update, focusing on German and Asutrian related add-on fixes and improvements. This included a set of patch notes for Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck:

• Added missing thumbnails and descriptions to Journey Mode chapters
• Added several new AI services for the BR 628
• Added Railpool Vectron substitution

You can find the full changelog on our June 24th Game Update thread. Join the Railfan TV team on Twitch and YouTube for a post-release showcase stream of the loco Add-on in action at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on Thursday, 27th June! Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , Twitch , and TikTok.

Good afternoon everyone, Today we have a large core update to Train Sim World 4 that focuses on key improvements for DE content that have been flagged by our teams and raised by community feedback. This includes a range of changes to Maintalbahn, Hamburg – Lübeck, Vorarlberg, Salzburg-Rosenheim, Semmeringbahn, Bremen-Oldenburg, Kassel-Würzburg, Railpool Vectron, Rhein-Ruhr Osten and more! This update should be available on all platforms from 10:00 UTC / 11:00 BST, please allow up to 24 hours for updates to come through.

Full Changelog

Core

• Fixed a crash when selecting the ‘Tour-ist’ chapter for ECML on PS5 and Xbox platforms
• Fix to ensure that using the ‘Resume Journey’ option loads the expected gameplay.
• Reduced size of F125 thumbnail to ensure they load correctly in UI menus
• Added Berninalinie mastery decals.

Scenario Designer

• Ensured the 4024 is listed in the loco list with off the rails switched off
• Fixed an issue on console platforms where the tooltip for ‘Back’ was labelled on multiple inputs

Formation Designer

• Improvements for ensure various DE rolling stock works as expected

Maintalbahn

• Increased width of a bridge in Miltenberg so that rolling stock doesn’t clip the edges.
• Fixed an issue with an AI train held at a red light on service 23390
• Various fixes to improve and ensure the BR 363 tutorial is completable
• Various localisation improvements

DB BR 642

• Fixed an issue that prevented uncoupling of two BR 642’s.
• Fixed an issue where the loco would not move after set up (mastery key inserted, reverse forward, parking brake released and throttle power set)
• Fixed an issue where the spring brake didn’t release correctly
• Fixed an issue where traction lock would be applied after opening and closed the doors
• Fixed an issue where the traction lock failed to release and loco unable to move during the ‘Filling Up’ scenario

Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck

• Added missing thumbnails and descriptions to Journey Mode chapters
• Added several new AI services for the BR 628
• Added Railpool Vectron substitution
• Updated station directory with additional destinations for new services
• Various localisation improvements

DB BR 766.2

• Using brakes should no longer cause a permanent traction lock when throttle is in off position.

DB BR 112

• Fixed an issue to ensure door functionality is not inverted.

S-bahn Vorarlberg

• Added ÖBB 1116 freight substitution
• Level crossings at Dornbirn will now remain closed before a train passes by
• Corrected scoring adjustments when using safety systems, and various adjustments to scoring thresholds to enable all medals to be achieved as expected during scenarios.
• Localisation improvements to console button tooltips during tutorials
• Font size improvements and spelling correction on the Training & International Rescue scenario text

ÖBB 4024

• Brake level receptacle is no longer pink when handle is removed.
• Fixed an issue where the 4024 could not uncouple when using AI tasks from other formations
• Localisation improvements to PZB acknowledge prompt

DB BR 185

• Fixed a repeated voice line during the BR 185 tutorial, added new correct VO
• Fixed an issue to ensure door locking works as expected.
• The AFB system will work in the second cab of the BR 185 when moving backwards

Salzburg-Rosenheim

• Level crossings will now remain closed before a train passes by
• Passengers should now correctly spawn at Bad Endorf and Pien am Chiemsee stations
• Re-surfaced the patch of floating trees, seen distantly in the sky near Rosenheim
• Fixed a stuck AI train on service DGS (44990) near Salzburg Liefering
• Fixed an issue where display boards didn’t show information correctly at the Salzburg Taxham station
• Fixed a rare issue where passengers could walk in front of trains at Prien am Chiemsee station
• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

DB BR 766.2

• Ensured Sifa can be interacted with regardless of when Active, and regardless of Warning and Emergency state
• Fixed an issue where the Introduction would end abruptly and automatically complete

BR 111

• Fixed an issue with substitution to ensure it works correctly

Semmeringbahn

• AI trains will now correctly pull from custom made liveries across all rolling stock
• Added hands to all clocks at Payerbach-Reichenau station
• Added collision to boundaries at Wiener Neustadt station to prevent players escaping
• Improved performance for the 'RJ (551) Wien Hbf to Grazf' service on PS4/Windows10
• Fixed errors on the 2D map for service "DG (55611) Wien Zvbg to Zeltweg"
• Fixed an issue where the Vectron was not correctly substituting
• Fixed an issue with flickering textures on manual junctions
• Fixed an issue where training hints were not localised

ÖBB 1116

• Un-reversed the screen brightness buttons
• Fixed an issue where the ‘Load Passenger - Lock Doors' objective during the 'ÖBB 1116 Passenger Introduction' wouldn’t complete correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the PZB would cause the AFB to lower the target speed incorrectly. AFB will remain at 160 after acknowledging a 1000Hz influence, until the player manually brakes below 80.

Bremen Oldenburg

• Fixed an issue on service DGS 43821 which prevented movement due to a stuck AI train
• Updated loco thumbnails for the BR 110, BR 155 and n-Wagens
• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

DB BR 425

• Headlights will no longer be constantly set to high beams.
• When coupling two units, the taillights will now correctly extinguish.

Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel-Würzburg DB BR 766.2

• Fixed an issue with rear gangway door which couldn’t be moved through
• Fixed issues when getting blocked by invisible walls moving across the consist.

DB BR 185

• Fixed an issue to ensure door locking works as expected.
• The AFB system will work in the second cab of the BR 185 when moving backwards

Dosto Cab Car

• 'München Hbf' is now displayed with “ü” correctly on the interior PIS of the Dostos

Railpool BR 193 Vectron

• Nahverkehr Dresden will correctly show as the parent route on the timetable
• Adjustments to scoring thresholds on various scenarios to ensure gold and platinum medals are achievable as expected.
• Fixed an issue with incorrect tooltips during the introduction
• Fixed an issue preventing SIFA acknowledgment when using a controller
• Fixed a bug where the eco mode traction motor shutdown would act on dynamic braking as well when it is only supposed to work during positive effort.
• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

Rhein-Ruhr Osten Vossloh G6

• Adjustments to ensuring lighting visually appears as expected
• Removed wheel blur from the prop shaft.

Linke Rheinstrecke

• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

BR 103

• Fixed an issue on the power controller in the cab which had multiple ‘180’ notches
• Fixed an issue where when getting a 1000hz influence, PZB shows “Wechselblinken” instead of the initial 1000hz restriction

Dresden Chemnitz DB BR 185

• Fixed an issue to ensure door locking works as expected.

Ruhr Sieg Nord

• Fixed a red light issue during the ‘Trunk Service’ scenario on PS5 that prevented completion.

Niddertalbahn

• Various localisation improvements for raildriver controls

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8429012e626f669a90cd4a2a78ffeaead9c2e5cf.jpg It’s time to hit the main line with the thundering diesel power! The DB BR 218, developed by TSG, is coming June 25th! The current German rail network is defined largely by long, high-speed electrified lines, hosting a range of powerful electric locomotives. But that wasn’t always the case! A fleet of powerful, noisy diesel-hydraulic locomotives once roamed the tracks, with the DB BR 218 taking up both passenger and freight duties on both main and branch lines.

The Locomotive

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8abf2ab6c367e36df92807e4ce9e8b3da7b50667.jpg Prototypes of the 218 were first built in the late 1960s, before the main run of locos entered service between 1971 and 1979. They became staple locomotives running across West Germany due to their impressive power output of up to 2800hp and a top speed on 140 km/h. Like many German locomotives, their use was extended over many decades through until the early 2000s, with many examples still being active today. As time progressed, they slowly began to be replaced by more efficient DMUs and electric traction as more parts of the network switched to electrified lines. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fe709850f6f57384f66312dc48a686c51c43cebd.jpg Many remain in use for a variety of services and in recent decades have been allocated to push-pull operations on certain lines, long distance main line passenger trains and hauling out of service ICE units, as well as occasional heritage rail tours. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0c6c82da4d1446423e19e1c8636c2e01e55e3197.jpg In-game, the DB BR 218 is recreated with a detailed cab and exterior, allowing players to experience the thrill of main line diesel traction for the first time in Train Sim World. The audio has been sourced from a real-world driver of this type of locomotive, with the exterior also being modelled based on detailed imagery from the real thing. As far as operating the locomotive is concerned, developer Maik from TSG explains: "This loco, like most other older German classes, needs some patience and foresight when driving it. Its usage is similar to the tap changer locos (such as the BR 110), where you need to throttle down before you can start braking. The time needed for going from notch 15 to 2 and then 0 is about 25 seconds." {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0358a6a6b7711fef4a86f563dd1c974a2b47bdbb.jpg "It's also important to use the correct transmission gear for the type of train you run."

• Gear 2 (Fast Gear) gives you about 160 kN max force at slow speeds, ramping down quickly when getting up to speed. So this is only meant for light trains running with up to 140 kph max speed.
• Gear 1 (Slow Gear) gains up to 220 kN of force and is best used with heavy freight trains with a max speed of 100 kph.
• The hydrodynamic brake is not that powerful, with only 90 kN max braking force, but can be quite useful for maintaining speed down gradients. It's coupled to the train brake as usual and uses brake blending with the pneumatic brake.

"Cold-starting the locomotive also requires patience and can take some time. Otherwise it's a fun and easy-to-drive locomotive."

The Routes, Services and Gameplay

Hauptstrecke Hamburg - Lübeck {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/0e65fe7dfe81aa9ba7c853179295f84dd705d6e0.jpg The primary route for the DB BR 218 loco Add-on is the Train Sim World Compatible Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck route Add-on. Here players can operate the 218 in timetable mode across 29 services:

• 15x RE83 services that run from Hamburg to Lübeck (Kiel) hauling n-Wagens
• 1x RE83 service (11446) from Hamburg to Lübeck hauling a BR 112 and Dostos
• 2x RE85 services that run from Hamburg to Lübeck (Puttgarden) hauling Dostos
• 11x freight services that run between Rothenburgsort and Lübeck using included freight

The 218 leads on northbound services. In addition, further services include:

• 16x RE83 services that run from Lübeck to Hamburg using the n-Wagen cab car
• 1x RE83 service (11447) that runs from Lübeck to Hamburg using the Dosto Cab Car, with a 112 in the formation
• 1x RE83 Depot service
• 2x RE85 services that run from Lübeck to Hamburg using the Dosto cab car

With the DB BR 218 and all other layers, Hamburg - Lübeck now has 271 playable services. In addition to the BR 218 layer, with this timetable update; owners of Niddertalbahn will find that the DB BR 628 in its modern red livery also now appears as AI at Lübeck Hbf – the 218 is not required for this additional layer. Four Scenarios are also included for this route covering both passenger and freight operations. Maintalbahn {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/420d196e9b8c0b753379607534da4f4cc3e435af.jpg Players with both Hamburg - Lübeck and Maintalbahn will be able to operate additional services on the more recent Maintalbahn route Add-on. This is to represent a period between December 2017 and 2018 where Westfrankenbahn required additional traction to replace a DB BR 642 that had been allocated elsewhere. A DB BR 218 was provided. There are a total of 19x RB88 and a handful of shunting depot services. The 218 operated RB services instead of RE, as in reality, RE services on the Maintalbahn operate on a request-stop basis, but the Dostos have no ability to request a stop and the 218 driver wouldn’t be able to see it, whereas the RB services are all stoppers anyway. Players can also enjoy an ‘express’ style service in Free Roam to recreate the occasion of a 218 rail tour which arrived on the line in 2019. These locomotives (albeit in liveries not represented in-game) also ran along lines in Linke Rheinstrecke and Niddertalbahn which players can choose to represent in Free Roam. Train Sim World 4: DB BR 218 loco Add-on will be available from 25th June for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £14.99/€17.99/$17.99 You can join the Railfan TV team on Twitch and YouTube for a launch day stream of the loco Add-on in action at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on Tuesday 25th June.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/936d2918b1c9ff952bd99c77c3664bfbf6598dba.png

TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) Summary

• Cargo Line Vol.2 – Aggregates – Released last month
• Cathcart Circle Remaster & ScotRail Class 380 – All new images and details!
• DB BR 218 – New images and information from TSG
• Expert DB BR 101 – More details on the Expert-level functionality
• News from Rivet Games on Leven Branch for Fife Circle
• Background Projects – Brief updates on projects we haven't discussed recently
• Summer Core Update – Core and UK fixes released, DE & US improvements on the way!
• Suspension Improvements – Coming in July! + New video on Blackpool Branches locos
• PC Editor June Mega Spotlight – Showcasing 15 community-created projects, with details, images and videos!
• City Transport Simulator: Tram – First roadmap released last week.

And just to cover the changes from the previous graphic:

• Changed "Summer Core Update" to "Summer Core Update (DE & US)"
• Removed "Fife Circle Line Improvements" (These have been released)
• Removed “Formation Designer Creators Club Functionality” (This has been released)
• Moved "DE Loco - Simtrack Studios" from 4-6 Months to Release Date TBC
• Moved "German Route" from Release Date TBC to 4-6 Months
• Added "DE Loco" to 4-6 Month Add-ons (1st Party)

A Note on Add-on Timelines

We’ve seen an increasing amount of third parties getting involved in Train Sim World, which is wonderful and exciting for the future, but we also want to remain confident on setting realistic expectations to players for release dates when we announce new projects. As a standard, we are now aiming to have seen development builds of an add-on before we move it beyond the “Release Date TBC” section. This may mean that certain projects don’t see much movement over the course of many months, or that the TBC area becomes over-inflated, in which we may need to re-approach how we display this infographic. This is still a big learning process for our teams, as well as the third party developers who we are working alongside us, and will continue to evolve this process naturally as we go onwards. We hope you understand the reasoning, the goal is to give as clear a picture as we can for upcoming releases that you can expect coming to Train Sim World.

The Train Sim World Roadmap

Welcome to June everyone, today we’re sharing our latest developer roadmap update for you all on Train Sim World! In this update we have a range of new images and detailed feature list for the Cathcart Circle Remaster, coming soon as a free update to all players who own the route! We’ve also got new information from the TSG team on both the DB BR 218, and the Expert DB BR 101 locomotives releasing soon, and a quick update on additional projects from both first and third party teams. For development insights this month, we have new videos that highlight the upcoming Suspension Improvements across locos from Blackpool Branches, and confirmation that you can expect these to arrive in mid-late July, including the core range of TSW4 stock and more from TSW4 released routes. We also share news on the next core patch coming to TSW, focussing on German and US add-ons alongside core improvements. As a bonus, this roadmap features a large PC Editor community spotlight, with lots of submitted images, videos and details for custom-created projects being developed by fantastic players of Train Sim World. Be sure to take a look through what the community has been working on! We’ll be live tonight (Thursday, June 6th at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST) to talk you through this full article and you can find a stream event link at the end.

Released Add-ons

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/040dcf8c948987bebbf482b063feb487f3b7001c.jpg Last month saw the release of the Cargo Line Vol.2 – Aggregates pack, which brings freight haulage to Midland Main Line, Great Western Express and Southeastern High Speed – courtesy of the Class 66. Operate services in and out of yards featuring loading / unloading facilities before moving out onto the main lines through the Midlands and the West. Or work diverted trains through Kent in three separate Scenarios.

Content Up Ahead

Cathcart Circle Remaster + ScotRail Class 380

This month, to kick off the news on upcoming content to Train Sim World, we’ll be sharing details for the free Glasgow Cathcart Circle Line Remaster, coming soon to TSW4! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/65dc76d4fb23c38be360c8fab42e674300fd47fc.jpg Our Game Designer Liam has shared the key features you can expect:

• New Timetable (With images below!)
• TOD4 Upgrade
• Updated route scenery, landscape and foliage
• Updated track and signal visuals
• Updated the Class 314 with new lighting, rain effects and added GSM-R
• Updated Glasgow Central lighting, scenery, PIS and passenger spawn locations
• Updated all stations with new lighting and passenger spawn locations
• Added new lighting to the bridges around Glasgow
• Added scenery for the disused Netherton Goods, Crossmyloof and Dumbreck stations
• Added scenery and track for the disused Smithy Lye sidings
• Added scenery and lighting for Shields Depot
• Added interactable player bench at Glasgow Central and Pollokshields East

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d4d2c1cf63b9517eef9df191239904c3ef0e4cac.jpg What a list! We’re very excited to be sharing a second TSW4 remaster with you all for the Cathcart Circle Line route and bring it up to modern TSW standards. With a full lighting upgrade to stations and scenery, newly added ambient lighting around urban areas and updated lighting around Glasgow and its bridges, the city really does shine at night. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/28620d9a7db9be7c60da914b4ad4a5a5585c87f2.jpg And as a bonus our Game Designer Joe has curated a selection of new screenshots for the Cathcart Circle timetable, including the ScotRail Class 380 (and a tease for Skyhook Games’ ScotRail Class 158!) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/262967126576ad6be0f3a89be89f82e94a41c45e.jpg Various trains at Glasgow including Skyhook Games' upcoming ScotRail Class 158 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/cccc6d733d94d90616ba93d9b74a18ddf7207ec1.jpg Various AI will be included at Newton, including this 6 car Class 314 Cumbernauld to Dalmuir and this LNER Class 801 ECS Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Central. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/fc59d37e1bd1a79c666081eaed265782be41c498.jpg Various AI at Glasgow are included, such as this ScotRail Class 380 heading to Largs. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/64989fe0eb28c5be5b2f8bf2451b061cb7778760.jpg Flying Scotsman also makes an AI appearance at Glasgow Central {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/14fbf91af5fa52aaee6510a09d741ef6f76f7863.jpg There are many times at Glasgow Central, trains will share platforms with each other. Sometimes even having 3 trains in a platform at once! The rear set will have its doors locked to ensure passengers board the right train. Then once the first train departs, the rear train will open its doors. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/36093178dc9f8e25f9a85e7eaf035f50e36f47de.jpg Playable 6 car Class 314s, a highly requested feature, also make an appearance when and where realistic. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/42eb0611ba0beae6d5a92d8e15c4885cf9652285.jpg There are also some surprises to look out for! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/2832ac2106b3204e57bc1d6728304a8dc535607d.jpg Another railtour at Glasgow using the Just Trains 47 and Scotsman Mk2 coaches. We’re not quite ready to reveal when you’ll be able to get your hands on this Remaster, and the ScotRail Class 380, but we’ll keep you updated when you can find out more!

Partner Programme Update

DB BR 218 – Developed by TSG

We’re back this month with an update from TSG with more screenshots for the upcoming DB BR 218 (and also information on the Expert DB BR 101 below!). Here are some brand new images on how the progress has been going: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/65d70a3adba48b86f68e0ff2a8f93b1f6cfc65d0.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/07777b942bd1a08b3fc5bc04412aab462606b06f.jpg Additionally, the TSG teams have included the 218 in the Maintalbahn timetable, swapped out for the 642. Here's Maik, a developer at TSG, with more information: Maik: “The Maintalbahn timetable is a copy of the original where some of the are not using the 642 but the 218. It uses a push-pull configuration with only 3 dostos. These are representing the services that were running a quite short time on the route as a sort of test. Since we need gameplay, we thought that would be nice to have it in there.” This week we also reached out to you to answer some questions you had about the DB BR 218: Q: How are the sounds represented in-game? “Currently in our builds, the sounds are placeholder whilst we work on implementing these. I have gathered real recordings made by a driver of this loco that we intend to use, and we’re investigating if we can source more audio for the engine noises.” Q: Can you talk more about the model for the DB BR 218? “We’ve worked hard to implement a high level of detail on the 218, especially across the exteriors. As a note for when you move inside, normally you’d expect to be standing in an open room where all the engine parts are visible, however as we’re not able to reproduce that, you’ll notice a wall with closed doors on both sides that restricts this vision.” Q: Will there be more than one livery for the 218? “Currently no, there may be plans in the future to add more but with this release it will just be one.” Q: Will it substitute with other freight train locos? “Due to the other locos being twice that powerful as two 218s, currently we don’t have any substitution set up as a single 218 would not be enough to get those trains moving.” As a reminder of the key features you can expect with the DB BR 218:

• DB BR 218 series 400 with TB11 engine in traffic red
• n-Wagens in traffic red with the diesel desk version of the Karlsruher cab car.
• Timetable mode for Hamburg-Lubeck
• 4 Scenarios, including route-length runs, a rescue mission of a stranded RE with a double formation of 218s, and a freight run with a mixed and heavy train from Lubeck to near Hamburg.
• 2 Tutorials on Training Center for the 218 loco and an adopted n-Wagen cab car tutorial for the new diesel desk.
• Journey mode services

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ff0e4963d7f38c57d3b6d70946259c8106bc668c.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/71dafecc766686afb0b69475d045e21b0c85769a.jpg We’re not quite ready to confirm the date that this will be released, however you can expect this add-on to be the next release coming to Train Sim World 4. Keep an eye on our announcements over the next few weeks for more information on when you can expect to pick up this loco!

Expert DB BR 101 - Developed by TSG

Sticking with TSG, we have more detailed insights for the Expert DB BR 101, from our Senior Technical Producer Lukas who works with the TSG team. For those not familiar, the Expert 101 is a re-release of the iconic DB BR 101 locomotive, that aims to serve players who are interested in a much more detailed, authentic experience and providing a higher level of functionality. Lukas: “This project started out with the idea: What would it be if you had to do everything a real train driver needs to do?” “To do this we explored lots of new areas that haven’t been done before in TSW and developing new techniques and approaches to this much deeper level of functionality, pushing the limits of what we can simulate.” The image below shows both of the Simugraph node trees for the Expert DB BR 101, and the original release of the DB BR 101, at an identical zoom level. Essentially, this is a structure of the physics when simulating the train and helps visualises the difference in functionality between the two. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/133fc99a53c51579e5cc063cfe69506c007ae459.jpg “We ended up with a loco with a fully detailed machine room, with all breakers and valves working that a train driver would interact with. After all, a lot of the Locomotive startup and fault solving happens here. This includes oil-pump coolers to PZB valves on the brake-rack.” “To make good use of this detail, the loco comes with a fault simulation system that can be turned on. Here numerous different faults can occur. Don’t worry, you won’t be left alone with this. A manual will be provided that explains resolving each of these. From traction motors failing, to PZB failures and a cascade of failures if certain systems start to blow out others. All correctly displayed on the trains Digital Displays and panels, making every drive a new experience!” “Scenarios and Tutorials will display these features and guide you through them to learn more about the loco without reading the manual, though some amount of manual reading will be required.” “First in TSW LZB Input Panel that requires entering Max Speed and Brake Rate values to simulate PZB/LZB on a higher level. The Brake Rate is calculated through the trains max weight and describes its braking performance in the current configuration, considering current available systems. The ZDE Panel then sets the PZB mode from these values, there is no switch like before.” “For everyone that thinks this is too much and they maybe just want to experience the new Cab Car. A new Menu Setting is available for this line of locomotives. Turning off expert mode will default the safety system and fault simulation to Off and the locomotive and cab car will behave more like a traditional locomotive you are used to in TSW.“ Thank you, Lukas! For everyone who’s excited for this release – stay tuned to our announcements for when we’re ready to reveal more about the pricing and the release date!

Rivet Games Update

Last month in May, we shared an update to Train Sim World 4 that focuses on improvements for Rivet Games add-ons, including a large update to Fife Circle, bringing new services, route improvements and key fixes for issues raised by the community from launch. You can read all these on our May 14th Update Notes. As a quick summary, this update to Fife Circle included:

• Route optimisations and performance improvements
• 33 Cowdenbeath services to the base layer
• 6 Flying Scotsman railtour services
• 2 Jubilee railtour services
• 2 Class 40 services going to and from Dunfermline City.
• A new procedural foliage system (as seen in the Overground Line)
• Fixed the 'pop in' issue of the Forth bridge on Xbox One

Rivet Games have also committed to adding the Leven branch to Fife Circle as a free update, and earlier this week on June 2nd, the real-life Leven branch line was officially opened, meaning their teams can now take the time to visit and gather the required references to properly re-create the branch. We’ll keep you updated as their teams begin work developing this for Fife Circle in the months ahead.

Background Projects

This new segment will act as a quick update on routes and projects we’ve not talked about in a few months that are continuing development in the background, that we’ve not had more news on or little to share in our roadmap officially. It will not include everything that’s happening, but it gives us a chance to have some answer to expected questions that you have for future releases.

• Skyhook Games are continuing development on the ScotRail Class 158
• Simtrack Studios are continuing work on the BR Class 104 & Peak Forest Expansion Pack
• Simtrack Studios DE Loco moved to Release Date TBC whilst we wait for a build. Please see the note about timelines near the top of the article for more information on timelines.
• Koln Aachen Timetable – Currently the Koln timetable isn't finished as Joe has been prioritising the Cathcart timetable rebuild. We’ll share more news on this project when further developments
• San Bernardino – Work is continuing on developing San Bernardino, currently it remains in the 4-6 month release window as we develop the infrastructure for the route

Patches & Updates

Summer Core Patch

Earlier this week we released the first part of our Summer Core patch, including core changes and key improvements for UK content that have been flagged by our teams and raised by your community feedback. You can View the Full List of Patch Notes on our forums, and as a reminder of the headliner changes: Core

• Saved HUD settings should remain persistent between sessions on console platforms

East Coast Main Line - Class 801

• All connection elements, including gangways and cables, will now connect between vehicles
• DVD/DSD will no longer beed when train is stationary, even when reverser is in neutral
• GSMR now plays the correct sounds on startup and when interacting
• Added flange squeal sounds
• Fixed an issue where glass would become opaque at certain angles

Brighton Main Line

• Fixed rear doors on the Class 377 being stuck open when spawning into a service

Birmingham Cross City

• Updated scenarios and services to correctly use new TSW4 scoring systems.

Southeastern High Speed

• Fixed the ‘Hoo Dares Wins’ scenario on PS5 being incompletable due to a stuck 465 train preventing completion

Glossop Line

• Fixed an issue where further objectives stop appearing after the lock the doors objective

Cargo Line Vol.1 – Petroleum – Various improvements to EWS Class 66 and TEA VTG tankers West Somerset Railway – Scenery improvements and gameplay fixes for services As an additional note, some of you may have noticed that in this patch we added an unbranded version of the Class 387 GX livery to the London Overground Suffragette line timetable. This was to add further AI traffic to the short stretch of East Coast Main Line between Harringay Green Lanes & Crouch Hill where unbranded Class 387s can sometimes be seen running in real life. This variant is not driveable or selectable from the menu, but can be seen at the AI ECML portals at the following times - 0708, 0809, 0911, 1716, 1816, 1922 This is only half of our Summer Core patch, we’ve got more improvements coming imminently that target community reports and other improvements across DE and US routes. We appreciate your patience and support in raising these issues, and we should be getting these improvements to you in June/July. We’ll keep you updated on what’s included once we finalise the changelog.

Progress on Improvements

Suspension Improvements

We wanted to keep you updated on how our teams have been progressing with our work adding new suspension improvements to trains in Train Sim World 4. Work is continuing well, and we’re now at a point where we’re able to share with you that these improvements are coming to all Train Sim World 4 players in mid-late July next month! We’ll be able to confirm an exact date once the final changes have been completed and we can fit them to a build, but we’re reaching the final stages of getting these improvements ready, which has taken longer than we initially expected, and we want to deeply thank you all for the extended patience you’ve had waiting. As for what’s included, currently we have finished work on suspension for all TSW4 core locos, and now the teams are looking at including as many of the locos from routes that released after TSW4 as we can, whilst being able to deliver these to you in mid-late July. As this work is still continuing, we can’t confirm the entire list, but what we can do today is preview these suspension improvements on post-TSW4 routes with locos from Just Trains’ Blackpool Branches! As many of you may remember, the Pacer that comes with this route was the first train to use the new suspension technology so Just Trains were keen to bring it to the other stock that comes in the pack too. First up, you'll be seeing the Class 08 riding over the junctions with some shots from the side and in the cab and i'm sure you'll agree its a much more... dynamic... experience than it is without the suspension set up. The second part of the video is showcasing the Class 47 and coaches where the effect is much more subtle, you can just about see the wheels dipping in to the joints. This one really takes effect when it's at speed, with more bounce and rock experienced as the train rides at faster speeds. It's great to see Just Trains pushing ahead with brand new tech like this and it levels up what is already an outstanding route and driving experience. Please continue to send through any thoughts on our dedicated Feedback Forums.

PC Editor – June Mega Spotlight!

Now, it’s time to shift the spotlight over to our fantastic community of creators & developers! Thank you for those who reached out to share their projects, and especially for all of your who continue to update regularly on our PC Editor Forums. By no means is the following selection a complete list of the projects being made, we’ve selected a range of creations that were recently updated and were submitted to us – if you’d like to suggest a project to highlight, whether it’s one you’re excited about or currently developing, get in touch with us via the forums! As a reminder, these are all custom community-created projects that Dovetail are not developing, so please do not use the following list as an indication of areas we intend to share officially for Train Sim World. We also may have amended some screenshots to hide official licenses being displayed.

Community-made Projects

Stuttgart-Wurzburg by BlackPulsar. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5cdf092dc602c09b176e55d69fd8281d34793857.jpg

Strecke Hannover – Hamburg by Trainspotting Norden. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b44d2d8173429e2f5307e06999bc7b975d055136.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/ac52a4c5fd5eb99d30f86e1bdc122eaa0f285952.jpg

Middlesborough – Whitby and Pickering by Andy Gough {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/77d39dd69baced812e8f8ef178f011719cb56e52.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d250f605b4adf6bbca9e370d252774104d3060fb.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/bdb50716314919b1d5da7b3df44afb408954b321.jpg

Wes – Grunau Im Almtal by FeddieTheSheppard. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/363e3eb004c08d354baa12089e0f00c802dfb5f0.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/bac0a2414ef7793ff30c4d01722773c8a997cdd4.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9d71cd17b9ac90be7fb59c8e0f4172fd31b42b4d.jpg

London Map by incrediblehannes. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8c00443adec737a9e40ea3f5a02d9d2b4e3154c8.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/bd0c7f80a4d1cfefac7beebdda6cfe441693723d.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/81152201a666c903f61f202464c47efc88cf6e6f.jpg

Dieselnetz Euskirchen by Cadeshr6s {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/d5e0631d1c0d868dde07a821b35c2d464e9c6f3b.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/9bae311ab0010ba7bef8d62930af0fb044600969.jpg

Doncaster to Sheffield by Moofers. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/154aa56879bd2ff9bdf3bb2f116c331f6a606383.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/8355ecabd3064c754fb0b041f23dfc63b676a901.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/3fb06b944e2e6cfbc151d9a947baada59e82708f.jpg

NoHAB Di3 by ‘Oystein’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/424341a8a803a9a3d3dd722d81c7573588b03279.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/5dd6724291a7c8aa11fa7cb2948b40b655a63186.jpg

MK3 loco hauled coaches by ‘matthewanthonygray’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/310ee6288e0ef7ec2098d2c24bb2fa606c7bb6cd.jpg {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/6e07fe4a2b70772d047c3c7be2c59edfff8cc4a4.jpg

Tees Valley Line Timetable by ‘Fawx’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/b2b67b4a2ee148b05f24ad359ae1677be9b2cbbb.jpg

Munchen-Augsburg Timetable by Vindicity. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/34b367448439708ffe1e66284c5935bf9053ad4e.jpg

Bremen Oldenburg Timetable by ‘LPGamerTV’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/157ce3b3517323c216ba8f5b42de8a8e2fef7b32.jpg

Arosa Line Timetable by ‘RedCraft98’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/909d17d2dbea841ec19502e6fcd0b56607363aa3.jpg

East Coastway Timetable by ‘2TallTyler’. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/95d8bc9edc9e5437f1a94545e19f88fe79fc7035.jpg

Dresden-Riesa Timetable by ‘Mkraehe’ {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44534860/f9d1e087fa247148c491519d286ddc23aec8fffb.jpg

City Transport Simulator: Tram Roadmap

For those of you who are interested in knowing more about our growing CTS: Tram developments, just last week we shared the first ever roadmap that includes an overview on upcoming content, screenshots, trailers and behind-the-scenes news on current developments. Early Access for PC will be available on June 20th, and we can't wait to see what you think! If this interests you, please read the full CTS: Tram Roadmap on the Steam news page! What’s this, a roadmap within a roadmap?!?

Roadmap Livestream

Exec Producer Matt, and Senior Community Manager Alex, will be talking about all the things we’ve featured above, and answering your submitted questions in our May Roadmap livestream. The stream will begin from 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on our YouTube and Twitch channels. Have a question for us? Put it in our June Roadmap Q&A thread and we’ll answer as many as we can live tonight! Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

Good afternoon everyone, Today we have a large core update to Train Sim World 4 that also focuses on key improvements for UK content that have been flagged by our teams and raised by community feedback. This includes a range of changes to East Coast Main Line, London Overground Suffragette Line, Cargo Line Volumes 1 & 2, West Somerset Railway, Birmingham Cross City, Southeastern High Speed, Brighton Main Line and more! This update should be available on all platforms from 13:00 UTC / 14:00 BST, please allow up to 24 hours for updates to come through.

Headliners

Core

• Saved HUD settings should remain persistent between sessions on console platforms

East Coast Main Line Class 801

• All connection elements, including gangways and cables, will now connect between vehicles
• DVD/DSD will no longer beed when train is stationary, even when reverser is in neutral
• GSMR now plays the correct sounds on startup and when interacting
• Added flange squeal sounds
• Fixed an issue where glass would become opaque at certain angles

Brighton Main Line

• Fixed rear doors on the Class 377 being stuck open when spawning into a service

Birmingham Cross City

• Updated scenarios and services to correctly use new TSW4 scoring systems.

Southeastern High Speed

• Fixed the ‘Hoo Dares Wins’ scenario on PS5 being incompletable due to a stuck 465 train preventing completion

Cargo Line Vol.1 – Petroleum – Various improvements to EWS Class 66 and TEA VTG tankers West Somerset Railway – Scenery improvements and gameplay fixes for services

Full Changelog

Core

• Saved HUD settings should remain persistent between sessions on console platforms
• Various improvements to ensure passenger dioramas are visually correct
• Fixes to textures and models for passenger handheld items and luggage.
• Localisation improvements for Raildriver controls
• Fix to ensure older versions of Class66 (GWE, East Coastway) correctly see that AWS and DSD is enabled when driving from either Front/Rear cab
• Fixed a crash instance when searching for locos that don't exist

Formation Designer

• The 'Stats' and 'Save' options should work as intended.
• Improvements to ensure all formations are spawned as expected
• Improvements to ensure vehicle icons represent formation vehicle category
• Various improvements to ensure the UI shows formations as expected
• Fixed an issue where Class 375 formations could disappear after restarting the game

Scenario Planner

• Improvements to scenarios load and are playable as expected, and create/delete functionality within the tool works correctly without crashing.

Free Roam

• Improvements to ensure vehicle icons represent formation vehicle category

Livery Designer

• Fix to prevent a rare crash instance when uploading an image

East Coast Main Line Class 801

• All connection elements, including gangways and cables, will now connect between vehicles
• DVD/DSD will no longer beed when train is stationary, even when reverser is in neutral
• GSMR now plays the correct sounds on startup and when interacting
• Added flange squeal sounds
• Fixed an issue where glass would become opaque at certain angles
• Safety system scores are now correctly awarded when AWS/TPWS are enabled.
• Doors should correctly open by the pressing corresponding exterior door open buttons.
• Pantographs should now correctly raise on rear vehicle of the 5 + 9 car sets.
• Pantographs should now automatically switch when changing cabs.

Class 66

• Updated Class 66 to use TSW 4 rain effects
• Fixed broken smoke particle for the diesel engine
• Disabled spotlight emitting top marker light

Flying Scotsman

• Service 1Z72 should no longer spawn the player on a platform away from the train

London Overground Suffragette Line

• Added missing PIS boards to Upper Holloway Station
• Localisation improvements to various scenario dialogue texts

Class 710

• PIS Screens should correctly show in all vehicles
• Throttle and Brake ranges should now be accurately reflected on the Digital Display.
• Brakes will correctly apply at B0 (Between Coast and B1)
• Auto closing doors should not lock under any circumstance. Doors should only lock when closed from Cab/Guard controls

Cargo Line Volume.1 – Petroleum

• Appropriate medals will be awarded when completing scenarios
• Vehicles will now correctly appear in Formation Designer

EWS Class 66

• Improved clarity of the headlight bulb texture on the front headlight cluster.
• Improved visual placement of coupling using the Hook coupler between Class 66 and other vehicles.
• Fixed colour of grille above cab windows on the Class 66 from being a lighter shade of red.
• Fixed issue with train length functionality whereby pressing button 4 had the wrong outcome.

TEA VTG tankers

• Changed brake simulation setup from working as those the tankers are empty, to working as though the tankers are full. This change will improve the rate at which players can slow down.
• Added coupler slack and reduced buffer impact sound as per improvements to Blackpool TEA.
• Services heading to Colnbrook should now feel the correct weight in service mode.

Cargo Line Vol.2 – Aggregates

• Vehicles will now correctly appear in Formation Designer
• Minor localisation improvements

West Somerset Railway

• All cars should drive on the correct side for UK roads.
• Players should see leaves on all trees in the summer.
• Added AI whistle triggers to all 'SW' boards on the route
• Added wait timers to all Class 150 services to Bishops Lydeard' services
• Fixed player spawning without a train on services at Norton Fitzwarren
• Fixed service BL3 (Diesel Gala 2017 timetable) not moving despite a green signal

Class 52

• AWS warning alarm should now play and loop without cutting out

Class 33

• Reduced engine-room noise volume as it was quite loud when near the loco / with the window open at full throttle

Birmingham Cross City

• Updated scenarios and services to correctly use new TSW4 scoring systems.

Class 323

• Stabling tail lamp shouldn't be placed by AI in service mode anymore
• Updated the 32.3 miles reward to trigger at 32.3 miles and not 3.23 miles

Regional Railways Class 323

• Added additional rewards that reward the player for deploying Hunslet a number of times. Hint: Rewards at I & C
• Stabling tail lamp shouldn't be placed by AI in service mode anymore
• Updated the 32.3 miles reward to trigger at 32.3 miles and not 3.23 miles
• Fixed headlights not being turned on for the AI RHTT formation.

Southeastern High Speed

• Fixed the ‘Hoo Dares Wins’ scenario on PS5 being incompletable due to a stuck 465 train preventing completion

Class 66

• Safety system score should be awarded correctly when AWS/TPWS are enabled.

Class 700

• Increased volume of both AWS and DVD so that it is louder when in the cab.

Brighton Main Line Class 387

• Added unbranded version of the Class 387 GX livery
• Tweaked running noise audio in order to make the tunnel/bridge noise audible
• Fixed PIS not being visible on ToD 4 routes
• Fixed text on PIS boards incorrectly showing the full sentence

Class 377

• Fixed rear doors on the Class 377 being stuck open when spawning into a service
• Fixed PIS not being visible on ToD 4 routes
• Moved the headlight lights closer to the front of the train
• Fixed dim exterior lighting on the Class 377
• Fixed incorrect emissive level of PIS font material

Blackpool Branches

• Fixed mail canopy clipping trains at Preston Station

Class 47

• Fixed wrong number on IC livery (47461 should have been 47471)

Great Western Express

• Fixed an issue so Cargo Line Volume 1 – Petroleum services are correctly visible in the timetable menu.

East Coastway Class 377

• Moved the headlight lights closer to the front of the train
• Fixed incorrect emissive level of PIS font material

BR Class 40

• Textures will appear as expected, and not on the cab door rubber

If you have any issues following this update, please raise any queries in our Troubleshooting forums