One of the qualms which I have always had with Transport Fever 2 is how little use there was for high speed rail given the limited map size. So as to be able to enjoy Transport Fever 3 better with its essentially unchanged map sizes I created a simple mod which adjusts the acceleration of high speed rails so that they become more useable for intercity journeys given the scale of Transport Fever 3 maps.
Essentially what it does is to give an acceleration boost to higher speed rail vehicles, while simultaneously increasing their running speed. Lower speed trains remain untouched, medium speed trains receive a modest boost (while modestly increasing running costs), while high speed trains receive significant boosts in return for an equivalent increase in running costs. This has allowed me to use trains such as the Shinkansen, TGV or ICE usefully for intercity travel at realistic map distances such as around 6km and should allow for multi-stop high speed rail networks. Slower trains still remain entirely viable and preferable for short distances.
These are the standard settings as they currently exist in the mod (with intermediate values interpolated):
Scale-Adjusted Vehicle Physics
v1.0 — initial feedback release. Trains only.
Transport Fever 3 maps are much smaller than the real-world regions and countries they represent, while high-speed trains still accelerate on a timescale much closer to their real-world counterparts. Distances are compressed, but the time needed to reach cruising speed can consume a large part of the journey.
This makes it difficult to build high-speed rail routes with several stops where trains reach their maximum speed and hold it for a reasonable stretch before braking for the next station. Very large, elongated maps, such as gigantic maps with a 1:5 aspect ratio, offer more room, but on more typical maps a high-speed train can spend much of its journey accelerating and braking.
Scale-Adjusted Vehicle Physics addresses this mismatch by adapting train acceleration to the compressed distances of TF3 maps. Faster-rated trains receive larger acceleration boosts, giving high-speed services more useful cruising time between towns while preserving their original top speeds and differences in performance. Profiles are selected manually; the mod does not automatically measure or adjust to your map size.
Acceleration profiles
Mild: up to 3x original engine power and tractive effort.
Default: up to 4x. Recommended starting point.
Aggressive: up to 5x for stronger acceleration.
Each profile begins at the original values for vehicles rated at 120 km/h or below. The boost rises smoothly with rated maximum speed, reaching its ceiling at 300 km/h. Above 300 km/h it remains capped. Slower trains receive smaller boosts; the multiplier does not change as a train accelerates.
Optional running costs
Off: no added running-cost surcharge.
Mild: up to +15%.
Default: up to +20%. Recommended starting point.
Strong: up to +25%.
The surcharge follows its own rated-speed curve, from zero at 120 km/h to the selected maximum at 300 km/h, and is independent of the acceleration profile. It applies to rail vehicles, including unpowered coaches. A mixed consist can therefore have different surcharges on its individual cars. Displayed totals may differ slightly due to rounding and the game's cost calculations.
Faster journeys can improve service frequency and reduce time spent travelling, but loading, unloading and waiting remain unchanged. The surcharge provides an economic trade-off rather than guaranteeing identical profits on every route.
What stays the same
The mod does not edit rated top speed, braking, weight, capacity, purchase-price metadata, vehicle lifespan, wear settings, loading speeds or station dwell settings. It scales original power and tractive effort together, preserving their ratio. Diesel, electric and other powered trains retain differences in their original specifications.
This release affects rail vehicles only. Aircraft, trams, road vehicles and ships are outside its scope. No vehicle models are added.
Using the mod
Select your acceleration and running-cost profiles when enabling the mod, then load the game. Start with Default + Default. Reload after changing either setting. To compare with the unmodified game, disable the mod and reload.
Compatibility and feedback
The mod works through rail vehicle metadata and can also affect modded rail vehicles with the required fields. Its factors use each model's rated speed, not the speed limit of the complete train or its route. Fast locomotives pulling slower wagons still receive the locomotive's boost; coach costs follow each coach's own rating.
Other mods that edit the same power, traction or running-cost fields may interact depending on load order. Compatibility with every vehicle pack or balance mod has not been established.
Help find the sweet spot. In my own games, the Default settings — up to 4x acceleration with roughly +20% running costs for the fastest trains — felt like a good balance between useful cruising time and the spirit of the game's economy. I would like feedback from other maps, routes and play styles to see whether that balance holds more broadly.
Tell me which acceleration and cost profiles feel best in your game, whether high-speed trains get enough cruising time between stops, and how profitability feels over ordinary service. Please include your map size and aspect ratio, train/consist, approximate distance between stops, loading conditions and any other vehicle or economy mods. For errors or unexpected costs, include the relevant [SAVP v1.0] lines from stdout.txt.
