Tips and Tricks

There are countless strategies for tackling the economic and logistical challenges in Transport Fever 3. This page therefore only gives a small overview of things to consider when getting started.

There are two ways to earn money fast:

1. Transporting passengers in or between towns.
2. Transporting cargo from industry to industry and from industry to town.

To transport passengers, start with a direct bus connection between two neighboring towns.

• There are different types of stations for passengers and cargo - make sure to use the right one!
• All stations have a limited catchment area. To allow passengers from all over the town to get to the other town, use several stops within each town or add a small bus line within the town.

To transport cargo, start by setting up a simple cargo chain.

• For example, transport vegetables or fish to the commercial zone of a town that requires these cargo types.
• See industry for more information on cargo chains and where cargo has to be delivered too.

When building tracks and roads, try to follow the contour lines or build level – terrain modification is expensive and vehicles may be slowed down at steep hills. The terrain modification and the demolishing of trees will also harm your reputation in nearby towns.

• Use the contour lines overlay as orientation to find the ideal route.
• Build along rivers.

Build a depot and buy vehicles in the depot

• Vehicles do not have a schedule or target when they are bought. Instead, vehicles have to be assigned to a line. Lines are created in the line manager.
• Buy enough wagons for a train, otherwise it is likely to make a loss.
• For a cost-effective operation, the locomotive and wagons should have a similar top speed.

Money is earned by transporting passengers and cargo. For the calculation of revenue, two measurements are taken into account:

• The faster people and cargo travel, the higher the revenue.
• The farther people and cargo travel, the higher the revenue. For purposes of revenue calculation, distances are measured "as the crow flies" between the source and the final destination.

Empty vehicles aren't earning any revenue so minimize the portion of the time vehicles run empty. One method of doing this is to have vehicles that deliver raw materials carry finished goods on their return journey (or at least a portion of it).

When constructing complex networks, an upfront investment is generally needed. This might result in a loss for the first couple of months, but may pay off later.

If you run out of money, you can borrow more in the finance window. Be aware that the offered loans have different conditions, so it's a good idea to think about the next actions planned with the money.

As mentioned above, you get paid by aerial distance. A line with a long detour in form of an S or U may not make good money because you pay maintenance for real track length.

There are usually only enough industries on the map to cover some of the demand by towns or other industries. If you require more of a certain product then industries can be boosted. Some have a booster cargo that you can deliver to increase their production. Additionally, all industries can be boosted by delivering workers.

Towns are divided into three different districts: residential, commercial and industrial.

• Commercial and industrial districts consume some end products. The town's demand is shown in the info window and next to the town name. As they grow, towns will demand additional cargo types, watch out that you do not miss new demands.
• Residential districts generate customers for passenger transport.

Accelerate town growth by fulfilling the cargo needs of the commercial and industrial districts and try to keep the town ratings green. Any bad rating will cause the towns growth to stagnate.

When setting up a line, try to avoid empty runs. If possible, use the same vehicle to haul cargo back and forth. Freight wagons, trucks and cargo ships get refitted automatically at stations. To reduce the load times at stations, try to use specialized vehicles and terminals.

There are several smaller tips for construction:

• Build high bridges over rivers so ships can pass under.
• Use the track upgrade tool to upgrade an existing rail line to higher speeds or add catenary.
• Try to avoid tight road and rail curves as these restrict traffics speeds.
• Use the C modifier to disable snapping for more precise construction.
• Use the SHIFT modifier when upgrading a street to enable segment-wise operation.
• To build a bridge or a tunnel, raise and lower a street or track with the M and N keys.

Rotate constructions with the M and N keys. Hold SHIFT and use the M and N keys for smaller steps. Another way to change rotation is to adjust the slider in the bottom left corner.

To increase the catchment area of a station that is not near the center of a town, connect it with a town by building a bus, tram or truck line.

When changing cargo from one line to another, it is necessary to build warehouses within the catchment area of the stations. They provide shared storage capacities usable by all vehicles stopping at nearby stations.

Ensure your station's platforms have at least the same length as your trains, otherwise loading and unloading will be slowed down.

Please check the stations page for more information.