Train Sim World® 4 News

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!

[h3]TSW5 Dev Diaries: Episode 2[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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.

[h2]The Route: San Berardino Line: Los Angeles - San Bernardino[/h2]



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.







[h2]The Trains[/h2]

[h3]Metrolink MPI MP36PH-3C Diesel Locomotive[/h3]



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!



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



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.

[h3]Bombardier Bi-level & Hyundai Rotem Commuter Cars[/h3]

Plus Conductor Mode!



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.



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.

[h3]BNSF ES44C4 & SD40-2 locomotives[/h3]
Available with Deluxe / Special Edition and for previous owners of Cajon Pass



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.

[h3]Timetable, Layers, Scenarios & Gameplay[/h3]



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.



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.



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.

[h3]Additional Service Layers[/h3]



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.

[h3]8th Generation Console Services[/h3]

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.

[h3]Scenarios & Gameplay[/h3]



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.

[h3]NEW Feature: Route Hopping[/h3]



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.



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).



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.

[h3]UK / EU Route Hopping locations[/h3]



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.



[h3]Livestream: San Bernardino Line Route Preview[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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.

[h2]Pre-order Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition[/h2]



Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99

Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99

Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99

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

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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.

[h3]The Route: West Coast Main Line South: London Euston – Milton Keynes[/h3]



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.



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.



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.

[h2]The Trains[/h2]



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.



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.



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.



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.

[h3]Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolino EMU[/h3] Deluxe / Special Edition only



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.



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.



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.

[h3]Southern Class 377/2 EMU[/h3]



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.

[h3]DB Cargo Class 66 Diesel Locomotive[/h3]



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.

[h3]London Underground 1972 Mark 2 Stock[/h3]



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.

[h2]Timetable, Layers, Scenarios & Gameplay[/h2]



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.

[h3]AI Layers for Cathcart Circle Line route Add-on[/h3]



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.

[h2]NEW Feature: Conductor Mode (Guard Mode)[/h2]

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.



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.

[h3]Scenarios & Gameplay[/h3]



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!

[h3]Livestream: West Coast Main Line Route Preview[/h3]
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.



Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition = £39.99/€44.99/$49.99


Train Sim World 5: Deluxe Edition = £59.99/€74.99/$74.99


Train Sim World 5: Special Edition = £104.99/€119.99/$119.99


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

Read our Full Train Sim World 5 Roadmap - Part 2 Roadmap Article on our website!

[h2]Train Sim World 5 – New Features and Tools[/h2]

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!



[h3]A New Way To Play: Conductor Mode[/h3]

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.



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!

[h3]Live Map 2.0[/h3]

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.



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.

[h3]Route Hopping[/h3]

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.



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.

[h3]Fast Travel[/h3]

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!



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!

[h3]Photo Mode Enhancements[/h3]

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



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



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!

[h3]Track Shadow Rendering Draw Distance[/h3]

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!



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.

[h3]Digital Display Screens[/h3]

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.



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.

[h3]Tutorials, Guides & Training Center[/h3]

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



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



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!

[h3]Additional Changes[/h3]

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.

[h2]Third Party Partners[/h2]

[h3]Athena Simulations – Welcoming a new partner to the TSW family![/h3]

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.



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.



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!”

[h3]Rivet Games – Update on Fife Circle Leven Branch[/h3]

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.”



[h3]Skyhook Games – Scotrail Class 158 Levenmouth Rail Link livery[/h3]

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.





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!

[h3]An update from Alan Thomson Simulation[/h3]

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.



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....”



[h2]Roadmap Livestream[/h2]

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.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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.

Read our Full Train Sim World 5 Roadmap - Part 1 Roadmap Article on our website!

[h2]TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) Summary[/h2]

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
  

[h2]The Train Sim World Roadmap[/h2]

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:



[h2]Dovetail Direct: Summer 2024[/h2]
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!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Train Sim World 5 - Routes and Locos[/h2]
[h3]West Coast Main Line: London Euston - Milton Keynes[/h3]



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.



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.



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.



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! 



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. 



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. 



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.”



But of course, it’s not the West Coast Main Line without…



…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.



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.



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.”



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).



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.



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!

[h3]San Bernardino Line: Los Angeles - San Bernardino[/h3]



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.



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.



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!



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. 



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 
  

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.”



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.



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.



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!

[h3]Frankfurt Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn[/h3]



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:



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.



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. 



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.



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. 



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.



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. 



[h3]FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron[/h3]

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.



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.



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. 



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. 



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! 



[h2]Get Onboard with The Free Starter Pack[/h2]

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.



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!

[h2]Future Roadmap Additions[/h2]



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.

[h3]MBTA Commuter: Boston - Framingham/Worcester Line[/h3]





[h3]Great Western Express – Remastered in Train Sim World 5[/h3]







Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim - Kaiserslautern



West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle from Just Trains











Cardiff City Network



Spoorlijn Zwolle – Groningen



And... Airbus licensed planes!



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.

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