Train Sim World® 5 News

A retro setting, a classic locomotive and cross-border travel. Mittenwaldbahn is coming soon from the TSG team, releasing on February 11th!

[h2]Mittenwaldbahn: Innsbruck - Garmisch-Partenkirchen[/h2]


The route, set in 1989 and developed by Train Sim Germany (TSG), features cross-border running between Austria and Germany and introduces the classic Krokodil style locomotive to Train Sim World.

[h3]About TSG[/h3]


Train Sim Germany (TSG) has been creating content for both Train Simulator Classic and Train Sim World since 2011 both as a contractor and as a Partner Programme developer.

Previous Train Sim World releases include the G6 shunting locomotive and the fan-favourite Niddertalbahn route Add-on, as well as Train Sim World’s first ‘Expert’ level locomotive: DB BR 101 and the first German main line diesel locomotive with the DB BR 218.

[h3]The Route[/h3]
The might of machinery makes a molehill out of a mountain – step back into 1989 and embark on a daring climb. Featuring steep gradients, stunning scenery and the iconic ‘Krokodil’, head off on a nostalgic adventure between Germany & Austria!



Also known as the Karwendelbahn, the Mittenwaldbahn traverses the Alps between Bavaria, Germany and Tyrol, Austria. Talks of a mountain railway went back as far as the 1880s, although no trains would turn a wheel over the pass until 1912. The line was planned to be electrified from the start, to make tackling the route much easier.



Even with electric traction, traversing a mountain range is no small feat for a standard gauge railway. The Mittenwaldbahn features many tunnels and iconic bridges, with incredible ruling gradients as steep as 3.8%. Such lines offer challenge, but also scenic wonder; take-in the sights of the peaks and valleys, with the rails rising as high as 1.1km above sea level and Seefeld providing the summit of the route.



Along the route lie principal stations at Innsbruck, Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, punctuated by impressive infrastructure such as the bridge over the Schlossbachklamm. The area is known for its ski resorts and services will vary between those transporting ski tourists and local freight for the towns situated along the route.

[h3]The Trains[/h3]


[h3]ÖBB 1020 ‘Krokodil’[/h3]


Joining Train Sim World for the first time is the classic European shape of locotmotive often given the term ‘Crocodile’ or ‘Krokodil’. The term extends to different classes of locomotive in mainly Switzerland but also Austria, Germany and others beyond that. The long ‘snouts’ at either end are reminiscent of those from reptilian nature, with the cab and pantographs and transformer located in the central section. Many examples of this locomotive style date back to over a century ago.



The ÖBB 1020 ‘Krokodil’ dates from later with examples built between 1940 and 1956. As a result, this locomotive offers a vastly different sort of driving experience to that of other European locomotives in Train Sim World. Turning the control wheel results in the taps visibly moving in the machine room as you travel up and down the mountainous route.

[h3]DBB BR 111[/h3]
in DBB Blue and Cream livery

Joining the ‘Krokodil’ is the BR 111 previously seen in Bahnstrecke Salzburg-Rosenheim and the separate Train Sim World 5 Gameplay Pack. In both of those settings, it represented a classic form of traction over more modern locomotives.

In Mittenwaldbahn instead the 111 offers a ‘more modern’ experience over the ageing ÖBB 1020 and comes in a new livery of DBB Blue and Cream, making a change from the ubiquitous red paint seen in this part of Europe.



For Mittenwaldbahn the cab and exterior have been worked on to better represent this locomotive as seen in the late 1980s, including a reworked cab layout. The above image shows the reworked older cab for Mittenwaldbahn (left) and the more modern version seen in Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern and Bahnstrecke Salzburg - Rosenheim (right).

This locomotive will also feature the safety system Indusi, rather than PZB. This safety system was previously seen on the Niddertalbahn’s BR 365. Player that are not familiar with this system will be able to learn more with the route’s Manual, which will be published around the release.

[h3]Coaches and Wagons[/h3]
n-Wagen ‘Silberlinge’ Bn and ABn, IC coaches, Es50, rmms663, Tadgs and Shimmns wagons

Facilitating both passenger and freight services is a selection of rolling stock, with both new additions and reliveries of stock seen in previous route Add-ons.

‘Silberlinge’ Bn and ABn coaches in DBB brushed metal livery are hauled by both locomotives for passenger trains along the route, with notable weathering on the roof. Mixed rakes of IC coaches in both DBB blue & cream, and red & cream liveries offer a more presentable setting for passengers.



For freight trains, two new wagons are included in the Add-on: the DBB Es50 and DBB rmms663 with the latter hosting four different types of loads! Tadgs 959 and Shimmns 708 wagons are also included, in new DBB liveries.

[h3]Timetable and Gameplay[/h3]


The timetable will feature services focused primarily on the ÖBB 1020 which has 104 playable services, with a supporting 63 services from the DBB BR 111.

Both of these locomotives haul trains across the entire route which is punctuated by single-track running which create bottlenecks and limit the number of services running at one time.

[h3]Additional Service Layers[/h3]


Two additional services layers will feature for players that have other Add-ons in their collection.

These are:

• BR 365 from Niddertalbahn, operating playable services between Garmisch and Mittenwald (5 playable services in total).
  
• BR 103 from Linke Rheinstrecke, operating AI services at Innsbruck
  

Players with the recently released Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn route Add-on will also be able to utilise a rail tour layer from Mittenwaldbahn featuring the BR 103 from Linke Rheinstrecke and the IC Coaches. Players can also create their own ÖBB 1020 rail tours on other routes with Free Roam or Formation Designer!

[h3]Collectibles[/h3]
Along the way there’ll be plenty of collectibles to find and tasks complete, including putting up stickers, replacing milk bottles and tidying up luggage racks and ski equipment.

Train Sim World 5: Mittenwaldbahn: Innsbruck - Garmisch-Partenkirchen route Add-on will release on 11th February for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for €39.99/£32.99/$44.99

Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.

We gave an overview of this route Add-on in our January Roadmap and revealed the release date of 30th January.



Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern is the first German route Add-on to come to Train Sim World 5, covering an area to the south of Frankfurt with a host of familiar trains and rolling stock.



The traffic is diverse, with both S-Bahn and ICE services represented across a route that features a hub of activity at Mannheim and open countryside out east towards Kaiserslautern.

Included in the timetable are services for all four types of train included as well as additional service layers for players of other Train Sim World Add-ons. We gave an overview of these layers in our Timetable Deep Dive article.



This includes a railtour layer using the coaches from the upcoming Mittenwaldbahn release by TSG. Stay tuned for more information on this route due to be released in February.

Throughout the route are uniquely crafted station buildings and an environment depicting this area in detail. Frankenstein Castle sits atop a hill overlooking the Schlossberg Tunnel below.



Players will have to hunt down deviously placed Standing Stones as well as bike locks, route maps and first aid kits.

Train Sim World 5: Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern route Add-on is out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for €35.99/£29.99/$39.99

[h3]Preview Steam on YouTube & Twitch[/h3]
Missed the Preview Stream? Catch up on Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn with Matt, Jan and Lukas on YouTube and Twitch.

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]



These are:

• Off-world PIS destinations may not display correctly.
  
• Some additional AI services for the BR 425, ICE 3M and BR 642 (from Maintalbahn) have not yet been implemented at Mannheim, Neustadt and Kaiserslautern.
  
• TGV Duplex layers from LGV Méditerranée, whilst available from the timetable menu, cannot currently be operated.
  
• Playable and AI layers for the BR 628 from Niddertalbahn have not yet been implemented
  

The 628 will run from various places like Kaiserslautern, Neustadt and Schifferstadt, all converging at Ludwigshafen Hbf before heading off out of the map in the direction of BASF. They run towards the BASF station in the early morning and away in the evening but this station will not form part of the in-game route.

We will look to address these issues in a post-release patch, and our teams will communicate a date once this has been confirmed.

Steam social links for articles:
Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok.

[h3]City Transport Simulator: Tram - Out Now![/h3]



If you're after a European experience that's a bit different, we've released City Transport Simulator: Tram to PC via Steam & Epic, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms in partnership with our friends at ViewApp!

You can find out more about this at citytransportsimulator.com

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn is just around the corner! We take a deeper look at the timetable for this route, along with the additional layers available for players of other Train Sim World routes and locomotives.





We gave an overview of this route Add-on in our January Roadmap and revealed the release date of 30th January.

Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern is the first German route Add-on to come to Train Sim World 5, covering an area to the south of Frankfurt with a host of familiar trains and rolling stock.



The traffic is diverse, with both S-Bahn and ICE services represented across a route that features a hub of activity at Mannheim and open countryside out east towards Kaiserslautern.

[h2]Timetable and Gameplay[/h2]



The base timetable features the four trains included in this Add-on: The DB BR 425, BR 406 ICE 3M, BR 185 and BR 111. Both the BR 425 and BR 406 ICE 3M have received updates over versions seen in previous Add-ons.

The DB BR 425 operates S-Bahn services across the route with playable S1 and S2 services running the full length of the route from Mannheim – Kaiserslautern. S3 and S4 services are also playable, running between Mannheim Hbf and Schifferstadt.

All S1/2 trains skip Schifferstadt. This is to reflect the status of services during a 'Construction Timetable' where engineering works impacted services.



The BR 406 ICE 3M is the main ICE train to feature on the route, representing services running between Frankfurt Main Hbf and Paris Est across the whole of the route between Mannheim and Kaiserslautern, before heading out of the map as AI at either end.

The BR 185 operates all freight services across the route and the BR 111 serves specific RE7 passenger services that stop at Mannheim. There are four of these RE7 services that operate during the day, two in each direction.

[h2]Additional Services Layers[/h2]



Plenty of additional services and substitutions are available for players of other European Train Sim World Add-ons.

These include (as playable services):

• Additional freight services utilising freight wagons from multiple TSW routes, all hauled by the BR 185.
  
• The Railpool BR 185 and DB BR 193 substitute in from Tharandter Rampe and Frankfurt-Fulda respectively

• DB BR 363 (from the separate loco Add-on) hauling short freight across parts of the route.
  
• DB BR 612 from Tharandter Rampe, operating RE trains between Schifferstadt and Ludwigshafen Hbf

• DB BR 101 locomotive operating IC services along the route (note: this layer uses the original DB BR 101 loco Add-on)
  
• DB BR 411 ICE-T from Frankfurt-Fulda operating one ICE service in each direction.

In addition, railtour services utilising the TGV Duplex from LGV Méditerranée will run two of the Frankfurt Main Hbf to Paris Est services that the ICE 3 does not. AI services using the DB BR 642 from Maintalbahn will also be seen.



Players keeping a keen eye on the development of Mittenwaldbahn will be interested to know that a railtour layer for Linke Rheinstrecke's DB BR 103 will be included that utilises the Rheingold IC coaches from TSG's upcoming route. This layer will be available if all relevant routes are owned. Stay tuned for more details soon!

You can view and toggle the full list of available services layers in Layer Selector on release.



[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

Work continues on this timetable following issues that were not known until later in development, beyond the point of 'certification' whereby the release date is fixed. There are therefore some known issues that players may notice on release.

These are:

Welcome to the Roadmap for Train Sim World 5, where we share insights into our progress on new content, updates and future announcements for developments from both our teams, and our range of third-party partners.

This is our first article of the year; we hope you all had a fantastic holiday season! If you’re joining us for the first time, this Roadmap is a monthly check-in that will begin the conversation between our team and all of our community to share what you can expect coming up this year for the title, from both Dovetail and our external partner teams, including brand new announcements, updates and sneak peeks on our routes in-development, as well as new ways for you to get involved with Mastery rewards and upcoming events!

Today let’s recap and summarise all the new exciting reveals we got over December, from the whopping 18 add-ons we shared more details about, and the fantastic announcement of Mattel’s Thomas & Friends™ coming soon to Train Sim World!

Our teams are staying active in community spaces to gather your feedback and reports to work towards addressing as many of these top raised issues as quickly as we can. In this article, you’ll also find a section updating you on our progress and development for key fixes coming to TSW5, and details about what you can expect from our next patch.

[h2]Content up Ahead[/h2]
[h3]Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern - January 30th![/h3]



The third of our DTG Direct ‘Take A Ticket’ reveals is coming soon! Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn is coming to Train Sim World 5 on 30th January!

There’s been a lot of reveals and announces over the last few weeks and months, so if you’re still in a spin over all the forthcoming content for Train Sim World, here’s where we’re up to on Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn.



So far, we’ve talked about:

• Basic details during the DTG Direct ‘Take A Ticket’ segment
  
• A brief update in our October Roadmap
  
• More details in our 19th December Reveal
  

Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern is the first German route Add-on to come to Train Sim World 5, covering an area to the south of Frankfurt with a host of familiar trains and rolling stock.

The traffic is diverse, with both S-Bahn and ICE services represented across a route that features a hub of activity at Mannheim and open countryside out east towards Kaiserslautern.

[h3]The Route[/h3]



An historically important mainline, the Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn was built in sections throughout the mid-1800s. The line originally terminated on the western side of the Rhine at Ludswighafen but was quickly extended over the eastern bank to Mannheim, followed eventually by the movement of the former station to create a seamless through line.

The line has two distinct halves over 65kms; straight and level tracks rule the way between Mannheim and Neustadt, immediately after which, the tone of the line changes completely. A wall of forest punctuates the start of tight curves and close-up valleys, the rails gradually making their way further west to Kaiserslautern.



Mannheim Hauptbahnhof is the second largest traffic hub in southwestern Germany and hosts a variety of services from local S-Bahn to ICE. This reflects Mannheim’s status as the second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg. As trains depart Mannheim, they cross the state border between Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.

At the other end of the line is the historic and cultural town of Kaiserslautern, near the Palatinate Forest. Along the way lie 14 intermediate Stations, including Neustadt and Frankenstein (Pfalz) station near to where the Schlossberg Tunnel passes under Frankenstein Castle.

[h3]The Trains[/h3]



Included in Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn are four trains / locomotives that have been seen in previous Train Sim World Add-ons, resulting in a busy and varied scene at some of the route’s principal stations as was the case in the early 2010s.

Some of these trains have received updates and improvements over their previous versions seen in other Train Sim World routes.

If you’re new to German content in Train Sim World 5, this Add-on offers a good opportunity to add a wide selection of rolling stock to your collection with the purchase of one route Add-on.

DB BR 425



Running the bulk of the timetabled services is the DB BR 425 EMU, servicing S-Bahn passengers between Mannheim and Kaiserslautern. This EMU has been worked on over its previous versions, with a number of simulation elements improved to the secondary air system, including air suspension and the air powered sanders.

The EMU also comes in a red DB S-Bahn Rhein-Neckar livery, to represent the area for this route Add-on.

DB BR 406 ICE 3M



The DB BR 406 ICE 3M was first introduced to the Köln - Aachen route Add-on released way back in 2020. These high-speed trains, capable of 330 km/h, are used widely across Germany and across borders into neighbouring countries such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.



For Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn, this train has been improved to bring it up to the standards of the DB BR 403 ICE seen in Kassel-Würzburg, with particular attention given to the way the train performs under braking.

DB BR 185 + Sggmrss, Zacns & Roos-T freight wagons



Working both passenger and freight trains is the DB BR 185 member of the TRAXX family. This electric locomotive is the most recent version seen in Add-ons such as Salzburg-Rosenheim and S-Bahn Vorarlberg.

DB BR 111 + Doppelstock coaches & cab car



For classic traction, the DB BR 111 from the recent Train Sim World 5 Gameplay Pack is included, featuring the variation to its pantograph. It utilises a tap changer control system with both manual and semi-automatic input, bringing a different style of operation to that seen on contemporary locomotives.

[h3]Additional Service Layers[/h3]

With a timetable depicting a variety of services, from local to express and passenger to freight, players with other Add-ons in their collection will be able to see AI and operate additional playable services along the route.



These will include:

• DB BR 612 (Tharandter Rampe)
  
• DB BR 628 (Niddertalbahn)
  
• DB BR 101 loco Add-on
  

Note: the BR 101 layers / substitutions come from the original DB BR 101 Add-on.

We’ll provide a deeper dive into the timetable and its layers closer to release.



A note for players on 8th generation consoles

After reviewing performance we've amended the timetable to provide a suitable experience for those on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and the timetable will feature a reduced number of services.

Train Sim World 5: Pfälzische Ludwigsbahn: Mannheim – Kaiserslautern route Add-on will release on 30th January for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for €35.99/£29.99/$39.99



[h2]Season of Reveals Recap[/h2]
We hope you had a chance to enjoy all of our exciting new announcements in December as part of our holiday seasonal event - today we want to recap all these upcoming add-ons for TSW that are on the way, with the key information and details all in one place (and a few bonus screenshots to gaze upon!)

In this Steam version of the roadmap, we will show updates for a handful of projects that have new screenshots and details, however please view the full Season of Reveals summary on our website Roadmap article.

[h3]Mittenwaldbahn: Innsbruck – Garmisch-Partenkirchen from TSG - February[/h3]
Starting off, we hope you’re ready for the first back-dated Austrian route, coming to TSW next month! We’ll be traversing the steep mountainous railway of the Mittenwald Pass and heading cross-border between Austria and Germany. Set in 1989, with 15 stations to explore over 63 km of track.



TSG have shared new screenshots with us in this Roadmap for you all to relish!



Strap in, and board the new ÖBB 1020 Krokodil locomotive in OBB Blood Orange livery, as well as the DBB BR 111 in DB Blue & Cream and a range of passenger coaches and wagons!



[h3]Metrolink F59PHR Loco Add-on[/h3]
Next we revealed a North American classic – the Metrolink F59PHR, in its white livery. Hustling along the San Bernardino Line, or across the Antelope Valley Line, this is a modern, rebuilt variant of the loco, identified by the “R” designation in the name, and you’ll be able to get an alternative experience depending on where you decide to take it!



[h3]London Overground Mildmay Line from Incredible Trains[/h3]
We announced the new upcoming London Overground Mildmay line: Stratford – Willesden Junction add-on, featuring a 12-mile section of North London, brought to you by our latest third-party solo developer Incredible Trains.



We’ve got a few new screenshots to share with you all today, including a first glimpse inside the Class 378 Capitalstar that you’ll be operating!



Get ready for intense 8-trains-per-hour gameplay, featuring freight traffic and AI on multiple mainlines. As for the scenery, expect to find iconic key landmarks such as the Olympic Park and the HS1 tunnel entrance from the Southeastern High-Speed route.



[h3]BR Class 86/2 & Mk2F Coaches from Just Trains[/h3]
Another new announce came from the Just Trains team who unveiled their development on the Class 86/2 & Mk2D coaches! We reached out to them for new screenshots and details since the reveal, and you can catch up opn their recent dev blog.
Just Trains: “Excellent progress is being made on the Class 86/2 and this latest in-development update covers the internal areas, in particular the differences between the Class 87/0 and Class 86/2 cabs.

The general thinking is that the class 86 and the 87 are ‘basically the same’ and although that is not untrue in some areas, as normal, the devil is in the detail! We will let the images do the talking but for those who want more details here they are!”



Cab Areas

• Three cab windscreens
  
• Many more screws!
  
• Older style front panels with lifting handles
  
• Older style wiper switch
  
• Manual wiper washer valve
  
• Horn missing rubber surround
  
• Additional ‘Driver Safety Device’ hold-over button on the driver’s side
  
• Bank of switches presented in one line
  
• Only one notch indicator gauge
  
• Vacuum brake pipe and chamber dual gauge
  
• Wiper motors
  
• Manual wiper handles
  
• Smaller driver and Secondman windscreen blinds
  
• ‘Max Speed 100mph’ sticker
  
• No parking brake operation panel
  
• Double armed wipers
  

Mid-Cab (The area between the cab and bulkhead)

• Smaller partitions
  
• Missing vents on partition ends
  

Bulkhead Areas

• Window in bulkhead door
  
• Visible ‘Protection of line’ clips
  
• ‘Electric Shock’ poster moved to right hand side
  
• Handbrake Wheel
  
• Altered top equipment area
  
• Fire bell moved down from top equipment area and now next to the door
  
• Two types of Heating rings. Small in cab 1 and large in cab 2
  

[h3]ECML Diesel Railtours Pack from Athena Simulations[/h3]

Athena Simulations are bringing us some brand new details for their ECML diesel Railtours pack, for both the East Coast Mainline route and including timetables across TSW5 as a whole. Included are 3 iconic diesel locomotives, with the British Rail Class 40 “Whistler”, Class 45 “Peak” and a brand new Class 47, 47484 Isambard Kingdom Brunel.



The pack is rounded out with the inclusion of custom Mk1 carriages in BR blue, answering fan requests for these much loved carriages, with custom 3D modelling in BR blue and grey liveries. Included in the pack are the BG, TSO, BSO and FK variants.



The iconic 47484 “Isambard Kingdom Brunel” will substitute into existing timetables for a wide range of routes, including timetable integration for West Coast Mainline: Preston-Carlisle and Blackpool Branches: Preston - Blackpool & Ormskirk routes from Just Trains, both natural homes for the Class 47. The loco, 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. The Athena team have recreated the variations in each cab end, after the real locomotive was rebuilt from accidental damage.



The pack includes 10 scenarios, with new features such as depot movements, the opportunity to run around your train and coupling double headed formations for very special railtours along the ECML. A range of AI services have been created for each of the scenarios, including layering of appropriate rolling stock from other UK routes.

View the full Season of Reveals summary on our website Roadmap article.

[h3]Thomas & Friends Visit the West Somerset Railway[/h3]

If you didn't catch it, we are delighted to announce Mattel’s Thomas & Friends™ is coming to Train Sim World!



In collaboration with our friends at Mattel, Thomas & Friends™ Visit the West Somerset Railway will be an Add-on coming to Train Sim World this year. Naturally, the star of the show is Thomas the Tank Engine, with his friends Annie and Clarabel joining him. Adding an element of mischief is Diesel and the Troublesome Trucks. What will they get up to?

Unlike previous Add-ons, the gameplay here is entirely story-driven, with a fun narrative that follows the adventures of Thomas and his friends during their visit to the West Somerset Railway.



We’ll talk further about this very exciting release very soon, but as a brief summary:

• Mattel’s Thomas & Friends is coming to Train Sim World in 2025
  
• Add-on will require Train Sim World 5 and the West Somerset Railway Add-on
  
• Characters: Thomas the Tank Engine, Annie, Clarabel, Diesel and the Troublesome Trucks
  
• Gameplay will consist of a multi-part story with a fun narrative
  
• Tutorials for Thomas & Diesel will exist in Training Center
  
• An additional timetable will feature the Thomas & Friends characters
  
• The characters can be driven on any route Add-on using Free Roam
  

To hear more about this exciting collaboration, watch our fireside chat, hosted by Jamie, our resident Thomas fan in the Community with Executive Producer Matt Peddlesden as they both chat to special guest Ian McCue about his involvement with Thomas & Friends over the years, and explain more about bringing Thomas to Train Sim World!

[h2]Patches & Updates[/h2]
Over December, our teams were happy to release the large WCML timetable improvements, major updates to the ScotRail Class 158 from Skyhook Games, alongside many key bugfixes in our December 10th and December 17th patches, however we understand the struggle with ongoing performance issues and crashes that are happening frequently.

Our next patch to Train Sim World 5 will continue to focus on the stability for core routes, in particular to West Coast Main Line and Frankfurt Fulda, as well as any progress we've made from our investigations on saving memory and improving performance. Once we've got a full list of changes ready, we'll share news about when you can expect this, but the aim we're working towards is an update later in the month.

As our teams work to bring this update to you all, we shared a guide for some potential workarounds to key issues that may help prevent textures loading at a lower resolution, and crashes from happening.

This should be most beneficial for those on console platforms (PlayStation and Xbox) who are having performance issues. We can’t say for sure how much of an impact the following changes will have, but from our initial testing, our teams have been able to avoid certain common crashes by following the guidance below.

Potential Workarounds:

• Weather – We’ve found that many crashes seem to occur when dynamic weather is active in areas, especially in Rainstorm or Snowy conditions, where a high amount of memory is already being used (for example near Euston station). We recommend using Custom – Clear weather to help prevent crashes happening.
  
• Photo mode – Opening Photo Mode and taking photos when entering or around areas of high memory usage can also lead to a crash, so be aware that if you’re lining up the perfect screenshot, be sure you’ve saved and be prepared just in case.
  
• Display Mode – Using 4k has been found to increase the likelihood of a crash, so please be mindful of this, and if you’re experiencing a number of crashes, consider lowering this to HD.
  
• Custom Liveries – You may find that turning off any custom liveries you have on your loco when driving may help prevent texture memory issues or crashes.
  

Following some of these steps may be difficult when playing specific scenarios and modes, but we wanted to give you all the knowledge we have as we keep working hard to improve the experience as much as possible.

Thank you all for helping us identify these crashes, and staying patient as we prepare more optimisations.

[h2]Community Corner[/h2]
Let's now turn our attention to amazing work and news happening around the community!

[h3]PC Editor - Community Spotlight[/h3]

It's time to shine the spotlight on more incredible community created projects using the PC Editor!
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.

Toronto Subway by pwilson79.
Starting the project back in November 2023, pwilson79 is re-creating the T.T.C. Subway, and Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company "Gloucester" G-1 subway car, as they were on opening day on March 30th, 1954. Recent updates in the last few weeks have shown progress on the Glocuester's cab interior and route scenery!



Cottbus - Berlin by TaurusCB, Emil and NexusCraft.
An ambitious group project with 100km+ of track planned started properly in September last year with further updates in November before the holiday break. They have already implemented track data and are building on the scenery, with a selection of wonderful screenshots on their project page.



Zags Gas Tanker by ragn05.
This user has shared their development on a custom-made gas tanker model, with plenty of fine modelling details and screenshots to show it outside a station within TSW.



PC Editor Improvements & New Tutorials
For those who are keen users of the PC Editor already, and to anyone who is keen on learning, then we have some good news coming soon! First up on new features, we have plans for further improvements to help simplify the process of getting custom-made mods and projects into TSW with a Mod Manager. Additionally, we're looking at ways we can provide uncooked landscape materials, and potentially a Class 66 model, to help you learn more about the technical setup within the engine.

If you're keen to jump in, but don't know where to start, we have a couple videos in our PC Editor Masterclass playlist on YouTube you can watch, and this year we plan to kickstart a new series of much-shorter, more compact clips of ways you can learn and utilise the editor. Initial videos will focus on understand the UI, but we aim to also take you through the process of implementing a custom made 3D model, and getting it fully working in TSW.

Be sure to also check out the fantastic community resources available on our PC Editor Tutorial Master thread if you're looking for more support.

We also wanted to give you some insights on using the PC Editor from Johannes Hartmann, the developer for the upcoming Mildmay Line we shared above, who started using the tool and is now directly working with us to release new routes to TSW!

Johannes: "Embarking on the Mildmay Line project with the Public Editor was an incredible journey. With no prior experience in Unreal Engine or Train Simulator development, the learning curve was undeniably steep, but the process was immensely rewarding. What began as a personal experiment to familiarize myself with the Unreal Engine and TSW development tools has grown into something I’m truly proud of—the Mildmay Line Route DLC."

"Throughout this journey, the Public Editor community was an invaluable source of support and encouragement, and the available tutorials provided a helpful starting point. With the recent announcement of planned updates and new tutorials for the Public Editor, I’m even more excited about its potential. If you’ve ever considered creating something for Train Sim World, I wholeheartedly encourage you to dive in. The tools, the community, and the creative possibilities are waiting for you!"

Thank you Johannes, and thank you to everyone who continues to support the community PC Editor projects!

[h3]Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack - No Longer Available[/h3]
We are now beyond January 9th 2025 and so the TSW5 Free Starter Pack offer has ended.

[h3]January Monthly Mastery Challenge[/h3]
Don’t forget, you can earn this month’s reward decal by completing January’s Monthly Mastery Challenge!



[h3]City Transport Simulator: Tram - Full Release & Consoles[/h3]
If you've been following along with the early access of CTS: Tram, we are exicted to approach the full release, with the launch to Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 platforms coming later this month on January 28th, 2025!

Since the launch of CTS: Tram in Early Access in June of last year, the team at ViewApp has been hard at work continuing to implement community feedback and new features. At that time, the rail network covered 22.5 kilometers and included 39 stops along with 10 end points. Today, you can explore over twice that distance, with 46 kilometers of diverse tracks throughout the city, featuring 55 stops and 15 termini.

In addition to the ULF A1, ULF B1, and R2.2b trams that have been available since June, you can now expand your collection with the StadtRegioTram, Type D Vienna tram, E1 Vienna tram, and GT8N Mannheim tram. Plus, don't miss out on the Depot + South Route Add-On for even more exciting content!

Find out more on the City Transport Simulator website

[h3]Train Sim World Tracked 2025[/h3]
Over the holiday break, we also took time to celebrate all of the community in our yearly TSW Tracked summary. Just short of a staggering 30 million game sessions played, our top routes in TSW4 and TSW5 this year are the East Coast Main Line and Frankfurt-Fulda: Kinzigtalbahn!



On the way you grabbed 7.6 million collectables, and managed to cover over 387 BILLION kilometers of track, which is the same distance as travelling to Pluto and back 36 times!
Let's break some new records this year, is there any other bits of data you'd want to learn more about?

As your final reminder, the Train Sim World 5: Free Starter Pack offer is ending today all platforms on Thursday 9th January 2025 - This will be your last chance to grab Train Sim World 5 for free and keep it forever if you haven't!

As a note, if you've already claimed the Free Starter Pack, you will continue to have access after this date, this is a final chance reminder for those who haven't yet claimed the pack.

[h3]Platform Timings[/h3]

• Thursday 9th January 2025 at 16:00 UTC (PlayStation / Xbox)
  
• Thursday 9th January 2025 at 18:00 UTC (Steam / Epic)
  

This pack is suitable 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.

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.

[h3]Get the full Train Sim World 5 experience![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2967990/Train_Sim_World_5/

For the best experience and variety, opting for one of Train Sim World 5's core packages will see you explore routes in the UK, Germany and USA with one purchase.

Train Sim World 5: Standard Edition comes with 3 routes, 10 locomotives and units, fully represented timetables, Conductor Mode as well as Mastery Challenges to complete, more collectibles to hunt down and the ability to get more out of our Creative Tools!



Deluxe Edition adds the exciting Avanti West Coast Pendolino and FlixTrain Vectron to the fleet and comes with the American, heavy-hauling Cajon Pass route too!

If you want the ultimate experience, Train Sim World 5: Special Edition comes with a whopping 31 locomotives and units across 9 routes, including London Underground and Overground trains, New York trains and a mix of modern and classic German trains.

Find out more about Train Sim World 5 by following @trainsimworld on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.