So, it seems that via an update to the Steam Achievements list for TS20XX we know the next route will be the Birmingham Cross City line. This is my home route so I'm very excited for it.
I loved it, I was expecting a route related to WCML South like Birmingham International to Shrewsbury, but this is good too. Can't wait for drive this route with 323.
Me too, I worked on the route for 11 years as a guard and I live at the southern end, so I can't wait.
For the avoidance of doubt, one of the achievements not pictured is called "XC: West Midlands Expert". I'm not aware of anywhere else in the West Midlands that has a cross-city line, nor am I aware of any other country that has a "West Midlands". I'm personally not willing to speculate further.
"XC Peaceful City" That could be a reference to Coventry, city of peace and reconciliation. In real life the Cross City line links with WCML South and WCML Trent Valley. Now that would be good to see in TS.
Hasn't there been several attempts to build the Cross City line? DPSimulation and Extravis Games have tried. Maybe one of these making it to TS2021? Extravis Games was making the Class 323 too. I believe DTG couldn't get the West Midlands Railway license for WCML South so this could be branded in London Midland colours instead, if this route really is in production. I'd await official confirmation first.
I will be very interested in this when released, it is one I have been expecting since the days of Rail Simulator. I remember years ago having the MSTS version.
That's only like 4 or 5 stations of it. Extravis's unreleased version is more advanced in development, but they've been quiet about it (at least on Facebook) since 2019, so make of it what you will. I'm still going to wait for a full proper actual announcement.
Oh of course. I can already see people whinging about the sounds of the train, that they've never actually heard, and demanding AP do an enhancement pack - despite the included sounds being recorded from a real one.
Coventry isn't part of the Cross City route and being as its already in one route, unless this is an extension, there'd be little reason to include it. Im aware I am speculating but these achievements are official things submitted to Steam for the game and as Cameron pointed out above, there's also one called West Midlands.
XC route is 'below par' to say the least and would take a lot of fixing up to be released as a DTG route.
One route that was actually built by a group of people from the TS community rather than a full in-house development.
I've seen this guess put out in a lot of places and it baffles me. They posted about 4 updates on social media, the last of which were almost 2 years ago........I have no idea why that gives people the confidence that it is in fact this being as they have not made a single other post about this or anything else over the course of that period. I may be proven wrong but I'd be quite amazed.
So with Bahnstrecke Riesa - Dresden Route being released Feb 11th, this may be out later this month or early April, so I expect a new US route around June to July. With those 3 being part of the TS2022 bundle being released around August-September.
If you check on Exophase, they all seem to have been achieved on Feb 28th at 4:20am by this man... The mystery deepens LOL
I honeatly wouldn't read much into that - I got a couple of achievements for the Arriva Trains Wales DMU Pack well before it was announced (actually, it was before the original South Wales Coastal was announced, as I remember frantically searching the Steam Store for anything ATW related and couldn't find anything)
Nowt to do with me. Before looking at whether third parties are involved I always consider how a DTG route release ties in with what has gone before. Birmingham New Street is part of their last release so they have a base to work from, using that is a logical step.
Thanks for confirming that. I still suspect it has something to do with Extravis Games especially since their attempt was well known and was seemingly struggling to find momentum. Maybe Rivet or DTG took over the project, using WCML South as a starting point.
Thats XC as in Cross Country as opposed to Cross City - but it did have the southern part of the Cross City network.
I'm not in any way familiar with UK routes outside of TS.. Nor was I ever aware of it already being made by a 3rd party. But I'm going to have to go along with the speculation that it is by the people (Extravis) who have stopped posting about it. That's a strong clue that it could very well be the case that it is their route if they just out of nowhere decided to cease giving updates about it. Would very much love to see a new route with the 323 as I'm a bit fond of the way it looks.
They'd done nothing and posted nothing in the way of progress beyond very basic train model. As a new developer you have to grow your audience, there's no way they'd go dark for 2 years beavering away and not updating anyone about it at all.
It could be a similar situation to the Class 60 - ie Extravis dropped it and someone else has picked it up. It'd still be the Extravis version in that case. We might not know though until it releases, and even then we may not.
Shouldn't imagine there's too long to wait and find out, but the Extravis model didn't look too promising so hopefully a new or updated one if that is what we're getting.
I have seen a third party XC line. Is this roughly the same area? What portion is covered? That said, if it IS that route, we have Birmingham to Bristol, and thus a connection between London Euston and Swansea. Exciting route merging idea. If it's NOT that one, I'm curious what our range would be.
I think you may be getting mixed up between "cross city" and "cross country" Cross city is the line that goes across Birmingham Cross country would possibly be the bit you describe between Birmingham and Bristol, Nothing's been confirmed either way
See, a Canadian would not generally know this. I'm amazed I know more about UK geography on quiz shows now, however.
The Cross-City Line is a 30-mile(ish) commuter line in Birmingham, running between Lichfield (for connections to the WCML) in the North of the city and Redditch in the South of the city. The route you speak of is, as mentioned above, the CrossCountry route, which runs for a couple hundred miles between Bristol to York via Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham, Burton-on-Trent and Leeds. Also, no trains (bar possibly a railtour) run direct from Swansea to London Euston - you'd need to change at Cardiff and Birmingham.