For the low time I've played this, trains will only make you a profit if you manage to make it go full cargo and make sure they get fast to the destination. Tracks and the train itself are not cheap, so it seems if you want to make complex networks you need to start by having more money making business. I've managed to make pofitable but simple train lines to power stations and a combination with trucks to a book store, allowing me to make huge amount of moneys. What I did was to transfer the resources to a station and then take them to the consumer factories, with 100% chosen for the pickup so it wouldn't left empy, making me loose money while not transporting at full cargo. Also, I made sure the train could run at full speed, so I only used enough cars to not make it slow down.

200.000 profit from maintenance just with that, which is the higher I've ever got at first year :D

It seems the longer the distance from point A to point B and the faster it gets there the more money you make.

I believe once you get the hang of the game it should become more easy to figure out this, but at the time, the game is less aproachable for new players than OTTD as it is more complex.

I will be impressed if you can show me one railroad line in the early phase of the game with standard settings which isn't a complete waste of money, but the backbone of your economy. I'm not talking about a vanity train here that you use at the end of an production stage to cash in on the workload your trucks and buses are doing, but an actually useful railroad that cannot be replaced by trucks and dirt roads 1/3 the price. Considering trains cost well over 100k, I guess it'd need to make close to 10k profit each month to make any sense. And I am especially talking about lines to power plants because they seem to me like the biggest waste of resources you could do (I don't even bother to do them with trucks anymore).

I forgot to say I was using pak64. The steam version has the 128 by default for some reason which is harder to start on. Maybe you should try to use it, it is on the dlcs for the game (free obviously).

Hey thanks for your tips man but I'm not a new player I have been playing simutrans years ago, and also doing in Pak128 just fine. And yes, this thread is about Pak128, since this this is the new default I didnt mention it (but I probably should have).

Originally posted by Tomcat:

Hey thanks for your tips man but I'm not a new player I have been playing simutrans years ago, and also doing in Pak128 just fine. And yes, this thread is about Pak128, since this this is the new default I didnt mention it (but I probably should have).

Well, it seems pak128 makes it impossible to start with trains. It's something I don't undertand why but it happens.

I use the PAK128 Britain set, and in that you have the option of standard gauge and narrow gauge. I usually start with narrow gauge, and as long as I don't travel huge distances I can make a profit. This is because narrow gauge maintenance is much lower than standard gauge.

This is great and makes a lot more sense than the truck highways in pak128. I'll try them out next game.

I should take a look as well. That or PAK128E :P

I anaged to make a train line profitable on the beginning of the game on pak128. It was a oil field to oil fired power station. I have right now 2 trains running back and forth delivering good and making me money. I though that maybe with the slower but lmore cheap train would do, but it wasn't enough so I went with a RVG 2-5-1 and now I'm making some money. It's not a big aount, but it's paying for itself.

The thing with trains is that you need to make sure that they are not driving around empty in one direction. Which is near impossible at game start unless you set up industries yourself. Later on with a more complex system of transportation it gets easier. In the beginning id say apart from passenger/mail trains there is hardly a way to do this.

If you are using Pak128 and just starting out, this may be the most important thing to do:

Press the new game button, but do NOT press start game yet.
Click the settings button.
Click on the "costs" tab.
Remove one zero from the maintenance value.
Now you may press start.

Just do it. It is nigh impossible to make money on trains in Pak128 because of exhorbitant maintenance.

I think things have changed a lot now. Based on Pack 128, I'll describe my early starting point at this moment.

Connect coal mines and coal power plants with a 60 km/h route. The number of cars is adjusted so that the train reaches 60 km/h when loaded. This usually amounts to about 6 to 8 cars, depending on the locomotive.
Turn on 'full load' at the coal mine.
Depending on the distance between the coal mine and the power plant, add a few sets of trains.
Connect the power plant and coal mine with high-voltage lines. This doubles the production of the coal mine.
Connect other coal mines as well. Connect both the trains and the high-voltage lines.
When the power plant’s processing capacity reaches its limit, set up commuter buses for the residents who work at the power plant and live in the city.
With just these steps, you can start earning about $20,000 a month, which is sufficient for the early game.
If you are looking for more profitable routes, consider setting up a round-trip line involving crude oil, an oil refinery, and a gas station. In this route, trains can carry gasoline from the refinery to the gas station, minimizing the times they travel empty, and profits can triple.

In Simutrans (for Pack 128), trains and trucks have no monthly maintenance fees, only costs based on movement. Therefore, if trains or trucks are moving empty, your profitability will suffer. It's complex, but note that no maintenance fees are charged when there is congestion causing a halt midway, or when waiting at stations/bus stops to fully load goods! Hence, it's advisable to use the 'full load' option whenever possible (unless it causes congestion).

Upgrading to newer trains requires careful consideration. Once you purchase a train and use it even once, its asset value immediately drops to 80% of the purchase price and decreases slightly each month.

Do not fear running at a loss, and focus on your total assets and monthly profits. As long as your total assets are positive, you will not go bankrupt. Ignore losses on profitable routes and deploy trains to generate income. You should aim for a percentage return on investment annually. Don't worry about how much debt you have; (for Pack 128) there is no interest. As a result, a huge transportation company with enormous debt and barely positive total asset value will emerge. It's quite realistic, right?

The challenge of this game is that the maintenance costs of stations, stops, and roads are incredibly high, which forces strategic thinking. If you expand recklessly, monthly maintenance costs will consume your budget. Always calculate initial costs and monthly maintenance fees. For example, various roads will cost as much in maintenance as construction costs within about two years. This means if you don't use a road for two years, it's actually more economical to remove it.

The ultimate victory in this game is to build a massive, profitable urban transport network. However, do not jump into urban transport recklessly before generating sufficient monthly income from industry (excluding commuting to increase industrial productivity). Since every citizen in the game attempts to travel to every destination, the urban transport network exponentially increases in transport volume as it grows. At some point, you will start to see profits!


I also like OTTD, but I prefer the challenging balance of making money in Simutrans. OTTD feels like it's printing money, while in Simutrans, money just keeps leaking away. I like the balancing in Simutrans, where you have to continuously adapt and strive for perfection to survive. (This is based on Pack 128. The balance of the game completely depends on the pack...)