Transport Fever Wiki

Tracks and streets are essential to build a comprehensive transport network in the game.

While tracks can only be built by the player, streets are laid to generate and connect towns as well as industries, when a new game is created. Streets are also automatically built and upgraded when towns expand.

In contrast to tracks, the player does not own streets (even if constructed by the player). Towns can construct new town buildings along any street and AI controlled cars and persons can use them without restrictions.

The construction costs are a combination of the costs per meter (see the list below) and the costs for terrain terraforming.

The costs also increase with the height of bridges above ground respectively with the depth of tunnels below ground.

Upgrades add extra cost, e.g. railroad catenary increases the cost of railroad tracks by 30%. For a detailed list, see below.

Streets, roads and tracks have speed limits, depending on the type used. For details see the list below.

The speed of trains is limited on curved tracks by the radius. A smaller radius will result in a smaller top speed. The top speed of tracks is displayed while constructing tracks.

Rail bridges have an additional speed limit, which may lower the speed limit of the used tracks. For details see the list below.

The track construction menu is divided into four sub sections.

Track construction:
Used to build normal and high-speed tracks.

Track upgrading:
Used to upgrade tracks with catenary or from normal to high-speed.

Signal construction:
Used to build signals.

Way-point construction:
Used to build way-points.

To build a straight track, point to the landscape, click and hold the left mouse button and drag the end of the track to the desired position. After releasing the mouse button, you can either confirm the construction by clicking on the green symbol or cancel the construction by clicking the red symbol.

It is also possible to alter the construction before confirming. Click and hold the left mouse button on the end of the track and drag it to the desired position.

To extend an existing track point to the end of the track and left click and drag. The track will snap to a straight track when aligned within a few degrees. Press and hold the Shift key on the keyboard to disable the snapping.

To build a curved track, point to the end of an existing track and left click and drag. The track will automatically stop bending at the minimum radius.

To build a switch, point at an existing track, where the switch should start. Left click and drag at a narrow angle away from the existing track.

Note: Dragging at a large angle will create a crossing instead of a switch.

To build a parallel track, point next to an existing track (the cursor will turn blue) and left click and drag along the existing track. This can be repeated multiple times.

The technics of switches and parallel tracks can be combined to construct double switches.

To build a crossover, point at an existing parallel track, where the crossover should start. Left click and drag in the direction where the crossover should go.

The same concept can be used to construct extended crossovers.

To build a diamond crossover, point at to the end of an existing crossover (the cursor will snap and turn blue). Left click and drag to the opposite side of the crossover.

To build a double slip switch, point at a crossing with a flat angle, left click and select “Double slip switch: Yes”.

If the crossing is not highlighted while pointing at it, the angle is probably too steep, and it cannot be upgraded.

To build a bridge, point to the landscape or at the end of an existing track and left click and drag across a river.

Before finishing the construction, choose the bridge type to adjust the look and maximum speed of the bridge.

Note that bridges can also be built partially and curved. Enabling the manual gradient function will avoid an automatic adjustment to the ground. Bridges can also be fitted with switches, signals, and waypoints.

To build a tunnel, point to the landscape or at the end of an existing track and left click and drag across a hill or mountain.

Note that tunnels can also be built partially and curved. Enabling the manual gradient function will avoid an automatic adjustment to the ground. Tunnels can also be fitted with switches, signals, and waypoints.

Rails and roads can be crossed in any way possible. Point to the landscape or at the end of an existing track and left click and drag a track or a road.

While constructing tracks or streets, the construction tool tries to automatically adjust the gradient to the terrain. When building in rough terrain use smaller track segments to allow more precise adjustment to the ground or raise / lower the tracks manually.

To activate the manual gradient adjusting of a track or road, click the gradient icon before finishing the construction. By holding down the shift key, the gradient can be adjusted in smaller steps.

To return to automatic gradient, click the gradient icon again.

To raise or lower tracks and roads, press <n> or <m> on the keyboard before finishing the construction. This is useful to raise bridges, force tunnels or adjust the tracks in rough terrain.

To set the start height of a track or road press <pageup> or <pagedown> before dragging a track or road. To set the end height of a track or road press <pageup> or <pagedown> before finishing the construction. This can be used to start the construction with a tunnel or bridge.

To upgrade rails with catenary or to high-speed rails select the tool and click on a track section. Sections that are not upgraded yet are displayed in red, all others are green.

The same process can be used to remove catenary or downgrade to standard rails.
Hold shift to enable segment wise up- or downgrade.

Signals can be turned into one-way signals. Trains are only allowed to pass, when the signal is placed on the right hand side seen from the train drivers perspective. One-way signals are indicated by a symbol with one white and two black dots in the signal icon.

Way-points are valid in both directions and are used to create stops in lines. Way-points are indicated by a symbol with a single white dot.

Learn more about signals and way-points here.

The street construction menu is divided into two sub sections with a replacement option.

Street construction:
Used to build various types of streets.


Street construction with replacement option enabled:
Used to replace streets with another type.


Street upgrading:
Used to upgrade streets with tram tracks and bus lanes.

Way-point construction:
Used to build way-points.

Straight streets, curved streets, street tunnels and bridges are constructed in the same way as tracks. Also, the gradient can be adjusted manually, or a section can be raised/lowered. Use the examples in the tracks section above as a reference.

To upgrade roads with tram tracks or bus lanes select the tool and click on a road section. Sections that are not upgraded yet are displayed in red, all others are green.

The same process can be used to remove tracks or bus lanes.

Hold shift to enable segment wise up- or downgrade.

To replace roads with a different type, activate the replace mode and select the road with which the existing one should be replaced.

In addition, it is possible to add or remove tram tracks or bus lanes at the same time. The default setting “keep” will replace the road but keep bus lanes or tram tracks, if there are any.

Hold shift to enable segment wise replacing.

	Type	Max. speed	Upgrades	Available	Cost per m (at 10m height*)
	Wooden bridge	60km/h	Catenary from 1910 High-speed tracks from 1925	1850 - 1925	600
	Stone bridge	90km/h	Catenary from 1910 High-speed tracks from 1925	1850 - 1925	720
	Iron bridge	120km/h	Catenary from 1910 High-speed tracks from 1925	1850 - 1925	900
	Concrete bridge	120km/h with standard tracks 200km/h with high-speed tracks	Catenary High-speed tracks	from 1925	864
	Steel bridge	120km/h with standard tracks 300km/h with high-speed tracks	Catenary High-speed tracks	from 1925	1080

* additional cost to tracks, increases exponentially

	Type	Max. speed	Upgrades	Available	Cost per m (at 10m depth*)
	Tunnel	120km/h with standard tracks 300km/h with high-speed tracks	Catenary from 1910 High-speed tracks from 1925	from 1850	1230

* additional cost to tracks, increases exponentially

	Type	Max. speed	Max. lanes	Upgrades	Available	Cost per m (at 10m height*)
	Wooden bridge	depends on street type	depends on street type	depends on street type	1850 - 1925	400
	Stone bridge	depends on street type	depends on street type	depends on street type	1850 - 1925	480
	Concrete bridge	depends on street type	depends on street type	depends on street type	from 1925	576
	Steel bridge	depends on street type	depends on street type	depends on street type	from 1925	600

* additional cost to streets, increases exponentially

	Type	Max. speed	Max. lanes	Upgrades	Available	Cost per m (at 10m depth*)
	Tunnel	depends on street type	depends on street type	depends on street type	from 1925	1476

* additional cost to streets, increases exponentially