Dealing with rail congestion.

[Hannodb]

Hi guys.

I'm just going to share some ideas I've had with my latest city. (Screenshots available below. Sorry, I first had to figure out how to do it.) I'm not sure if someone else also figured this stuff out, so sorry if I repeat it here. Now that the game is out, I'm more interested in playing it than reading about it.

To prevent your rail system from clogging up (Or to limit its effects), consider doing the following:

1) Separate your internal metro from your external rail lines. Do not join them together. This way, your internal metro runs smoothly without unnecessary excess traffic. Don;t worry, the tourists can still get around, they just need to walk from one station to another.

2) Split your external lines into two lines running side by side throughout your entire area. Then, ensure that your cargo stations only link to the one line, and your passenger trains on the other. There will still be congestion at the borders of your city, which is outside your control. But at least you minimize the congestion as far as it is within your control. This worked really well for me.

3) Reducing motor/truck traffic at external stations: You can make a train depot like this: (Also see the screenshots below)


BBBB***********************
***** SSSS BBBBBBB
* SSSS ====================\\
* =============================================
*=============================================
* SSSS======================//
***** SSSS BBBBBBB
BBBB*********************

where

=== = Rail lines
SSSS = Station building
***** = Road
BBBB = Industrial or Comercial buildings.

I did this both for both my external fright terminal, and my external passenger terminal. This works especially well for the cargo terminal, which usually creates a traffic nightmare. With this solution, the trucks can pick and choose between 4 terminals, splitting the traffic up. Your trains can also split up, and all four tracks are operational - nothing is purely aesthetic here. And speaking of aesthetic, it has the added bonus of looking really GREAT.

Maybe later I'll drop in some screenshots to show you guys exactly what I mean. In the mean time, happy building! Hope this is useful for someone.

 

[Hannodb]

Oh, and one more thing:

4) Always provide bypasses for your stations. Trains that do not stop at that particular station always use the bypass.

 

[Ivam]

BBBB***********************
***** SSSS BBBBBBB
* SSSS ====================\\
* =============================================
*=============================================
* SSSS======================//
***** SSSS BBBBBBB
BBBB*********************

Maybe a screen, plz.

 

[Hannodb]

Maybe a screen, plz.

I definitely want to get to that. It's just that that I didn't have much time with choir practice from 19:00-22:00

 

[Hannodb]

Here is a screenshot of my city. Red lines are external passanger lines. Yellow is external cargo lines, and blue is the internal lines (Both passenger and cargo.) Notice how I use 4 stations to create a rail depo for my external connections. This works great due to the heavy traffic. Many trains can stop simultaneously, while at the same time easing the traffic on the surrounding road network.

As for my internal stations, notice how every station has a bypass. I found that trains that do not stop at a particular station will always use the bypass instead. (Good thinking, CO! I'm not sure if you coded this on purpose, or if it's just a lucky side effect, but it's awesome!)

My cargo depo close up. Smack bang in the middle of my industrial area, and I never experience blocked roads. This is definitely a model I will repeat in all my future cities.

Also notice the bypass on the left.

Another example of my bypass, working perfectly

Here is a close-up of my external passenger terminal. Notice the rail junction at the bottom. By skipping the closest tracks, and rather connecting to the furthest tracks, I keep my external freight and passenger traffic separate, which helps easing traffic congestion.

 

[Hannodb]

Here is a screenshot of my city. Red lines are external passanger lines. Yellow is external cargo lines, and blue is the internal lines (Both passenger and cargo.) Notice how I use 4 stations to create a rail depo for my external connections. This works great due to the heavy traffic. Many trains can stop simultaneously, while at the same time easing the traffic on the surrounding road network.

As for my internal stations, notice how every station has a bypass. I found that trains that do not stop at a particular station will always use the bypass instead. (Good thinking, CO! I'm not sure if you coded this on purpose, or if it's just a lucky side effect, but it's awesome!)
View attachment 127319

My cargo depo close up. Smack bang in the middle of my industrial area, and I never experience blocked roads. This is definitely a model I will repeat in all my future cities.

Also notice the bypass on the left.

View attachment 127320

Another example of my bypass, working perfectly
View attachment 127321

Here is a close-up of my external passenger terminal. Notice the rail junction at the bottom. By skipping the closest tracks, and rather connecting to the furthest tracks, I keep my external freight and passenger traffic separate, which helps easing traffic congestion.
View attachment 127322

PS. And now I too know how to post screenshots