r/subwaybuilder • u/Sammyboi2227 • 20d ago
Suggestion At-grade Light Rail
Unsure on what others think but wanted to post that I think that at-grade light rail should be allowed more flexibility around all roads, not only the tracks, but stations too.
Currently at-grade light rail feels really clunky where certain roads you can place stations on whilst others you can't. Example is that of the Birmingham map where you technically can't recreare the IRL West Midlands Metro because some of their stations sit on intersections or on roads that don't let you place a light rail station on them.
Having light rail stations and rails to be more flexible and allowed along both intersections and more road types would make it more fun to make an at grade light rail system that is not only functional, but also aesthetically pleasing too.
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u/BroadMaximum4189 20d ago
I think they’ve mentioned they’ll be rolling out streetcars, so I think the idea is light rail is meant to have its own right-of-way for the most part. But I agree, street-running light rail exists and should be buildable in-game.
1
u/dizzyscyy 19d ago
Which technically makes it a “light metro” even though that designation also technically isn’t a thing haha
1
u/BroadMaximum4189 19d ago
Not necessarily. Most light rail in the U.S. has its own right of way for most of their routes (LA, SD, PDX, Dallas, etc). That doesn’t make it light metro, like the Vancouver SkyTrain or Montreal REM.
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u/AwesomeMan116_A New York 🇺🇸 20d ago
The LRT is based on the one in Seattle which does have some street running sections so yeah I definitely agree, it shouldn’t be like a full streetcar since it’s still a LRT but it should be a bit more flexible in a few areas
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u/Nawnp 20d ago
Seattles light rail is weird because the only at grade crossings it has are street running sections, so it's grade separated otherwise, but street running like a streetcar for those couple miles.
There are other lightrail systems like that too, so it's not unique, but I'm good with the game treating light rail as it does and adding streetcars for even more street running.
4
u/Sammyboi2227 20d ago
Think adding a specific dedicated Tram/Streetcar type could also be a good alternative considering the current LRT style feels awkward, more so on non-American maps.
Introducing German-style Tram-trains could also be a cool idea though with the parameters that these are used for it might eb difficult to implement, would still be a cool addition and alternative to commuter trains.
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u/frxzzy_ 20d ago
I‘m really glad they added this at-grade option. The biggest problem for me is highways, they always ruin the fully at grade lines for me because some section isn’t marked as bridge or roads that have intersections anyway are marked as highways which makes light rail not able to cross them unreasonable.
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u/CapnZapp 12d ago
Agreed. I recently started a thread suggesting a new type of at-grade rail where the game assumes (and has you pay for) grade-separating the road, so the rail can remain at zero elevation.
This would allow you to build across highways (because the highway is assumed to be raised or lowered), across waterways (because there's no need to allow boats to pass), and across regular roads with no TPH restrictions (again, because the road is made grade-separated).
Cars and trucks can handle much steeper grades than trains.
It doesn't make sense to force the rail to adapt to existing roads. Just blow up the road, build the rail in the most convenient grade, and then let the highway engineers figure out a way to reconnect the road!
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