Upcoming Release Mbta Commuter: Deep Dive & Steam Pre-order

For the full article, click here.



Get ready to dive deeper into both the schedule and signaling behind MBTA Commuter in this article, courtesy of Game Designer Joe and signaling expert Brandon.

MBTA Commuter: Boston - Framingham/Worcester, the first new route Add-on for Train Sim World 5, is now also available to pre-order on Steam.

Pre-order on Steam!

New to Train Sim World? You can find out more about our range of 100+ Add-ons by heading to our dedicated DLC page

In case you missed it, we introduced MBTA Commuter in our Coming Soon Article.

MBTA Commuter: Schedule and Layers


A comprehensive schedule has been implemented to MBTA Commuter recreating the cadence of passenger services between Boston South and Worcester Union stations. As in real life, all services departing Boston South are locomotive hauled, with cab cars running east from Worcester or Framingham back to Boston.



Screenshots show the cabs of both the HSP46 (above) and CTC-5 cab car (below).



On all westbound services, both the HSP46 and F40PH-3C can be substituted, giving players a choice of traction. Equally, both the CTC-3 and CTS-5 cab cars can be selected for all eastbound services. The vast majority of services run the length of the line to Worcester, with some services terminating at Framingham and returning to Boston.



An unusual form of operation occurs during peak hours, whereby trains run on the 'wrong road' to accommodate a selection of stations featuring only one platform, such as those that run alongside the I90 highway at Newtonville, West Newton and Auburndale. At other times, trains are required to change tracks. This is something to watch out for, for players used to running consistently on the same side of the tracks on other American routes!



Non-revenue services will be playable at both ends of the line, from Worcester to Worcester Yard and from Boston South Station to Southampton Street Yard.

Boston South Station will feature AI traffic representing all other MBTA Commuter lines that run from there, including Providence, Stoughton and Readville services.

Additional Services Layers


Players with the Northeast Corridor: Boston - Providence route Add-on will also see Amtrak Northeast Regional trains hauled by the ACS-64 locomotive and Amfleet® passenger cars. Some of these trains will be playable as short, non-revenue services using the balloon loop at Boston.

The Amtrak's Acela® will also appear for players that own the loco Add-on and some of these will be playable as non-revenue services too.



(Note: the screenshot above shows updated PIS which was not shown in the previous Coming Soon article).

Unlike the previous Boston route, NEC: Boston - Providence, the line to Worcester does accommodate regular freight services further west along the line between Framingham and Worcester. As a result, players with a selection of freight route Add-ons can unlock more playable and AI services.

Players with Horseshoe Curve will be able run extra playable services where MBTA locomotives haul flat cars, as is sometimes the case in real life.

AI freight services can also be seen at CSX's Worcester Intermodal Terminal, located just next to Worcester Union Station. The schedule features a few trains that serve here throughout the day consisting of Husky, Maxi Stack and flat bed/truck trailer cars.

To unlock the CSX Worcester Intermodal Terminal trains, players require all of the following Add-ons:

• Horseshoe Curve
• Cajon Pass
• Sand Patch Grade

Additional freight services can appear between Framingham and Worcester using stock and locomotives from a wider selection of Add-ons to represent the variation of stock and consists that these trains typically run in real life. This includes a small local train heading towards Boston which runs long hood forward!

These additional services are playable, but all of the Add-ons listed below are required to unlock them:

• Sand Patch Grade
• BNSF SD70ACe loco Add-on
• Sherman Hill
• Horseshoe Curve
• Cajon Pass

(Thank you to community member Yuri, who contributed with information related to these freight layers).

A single in-game timetable, with all layers available to unlock (with the relevant Add-ons) will be present for all players on both 8th and 9th Gen / PC platforms.

MBTA Commuter: Signaling Introduction


The highly-anticipated release of MBTA Commuter: Boston – Worcester is rapidly approaching and we wanted to share some details about what you can expect from a signaling perspective. To preface, we designed this route to match the same mid-2019 time period as Boston – Providence. This decision was primarily made to maintain consistency in the scenery and timetable, but had the supplementary benefit of increased signal variance and operational complexity.

History
The recent signal history of this line began in 1988 when Conrail, the owner of the line at the time, initiated a signal modernization project. The first phase of this project extended from Control Point 187 in Schodack, New York to Control Point 33 in Westborough, Massachusetts. The existing signal system was replaced by one that utilizes cab signals, with wayside signals only being present at controlled points. During this period, MBTA commuter rail services terminated in Framingham, so halting the signal modernization project in Westborough allowed trains lacking cab signals to continue providing passenger services between Framingham and Boston.

By the mid-90’s, the majority of MBTA equipment operating out of South Station was equipped with cab signals, which contributed the launch of passenger services to Worcester in September of 1994. In 1996, the decision was made to restore the second track between Westborough and Worcester and to begin another phase of signal modernization. Once completed, the signal system between Westborough and Control Point 21 in Framingham became cab signal territory, with wayside signals only being present at controlled points. The existing signal configuration between Framingham and Boston was deemed to be unworthy of a replacement at the time. Then in early 2020, the MBTA finished upgrading the signal system between Framingham and Boston. Overall, it took 32 years and three separate projects to modernize the signaling for the entire line.

Due to the time period in which this route was designed, you’re able to experience a wide array of signal types. During the first and second signal modernization phases, Conrail utilized color tri-light signals, a trend that continued until the sale of the company in 1999, at which point CSX Transportation acquired track rights.



Conrail color tri-light signals at the west limits of Control Point 33 in Westborough, MA

Each CSX signal project from that point onward utilized color light signals with a large hood on them (jokingly referred to as “Darth Vader” signals). You’ll see these in areas that CSX has performed infrastructure upgrades, such as the addition of Control Points 29, 30, and 42.



CSX color light signals at the west limits of Control Point 29 in Westborough, MA

Between Control Point 11 (one mile west of Auburndale station) and Boston, you’ll encounter the aging searchlight signals that weren’t deemed worthy of replacement back in 1996. The ones at Control Point 11 and Control Point 3 were preserved after the MBTA completed their signal project in 2020, so a bit of history still remains on that portion of the line.



Searchlight signals at milepost 10 in Auburndale, MA. Looking east toward Boston.

Operations
MBTA Commuter: Boston – Worcester takes place before the signal upgrade in 2020, so the signal system you’ll contend with is a mixture of traditional wayside signaling and cab signals without fixed wayside signals.



When traveling between Boston and Framingham, you will operate the train according to Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee (NORAC) Rule 261. This means that the track allows for bidirectional travel and that you’ll control the train according to the indications of the fixed wayside signals you pass. In areas with very long distances between wayside signals, this can cause serious slowdowns when following another train.



When traveling between Framingham and Worcester, you will operate the train according to NORAC Rule 562. The entire rule is quite lengthy, but you’ll essentially control the train according to your cab signal indication. When passing wayside signals at controlled points, you will control the train according to the indication of the wayside signal aspect. Rule 261 also applies in these areas. Traffic flow in Rule 562 territory is typically much more efficient.

To get a full understanding, refer to the NORAC Operating Rules.

Signal Progressions
A signal progression is the sequence of signal aspects in a particular situation. A very common one between Boston and Framingham might look like:

Clear > Advance Approach > Approach > Stop

The signal progression for each area is unique. Every signal in the route has had its behavior manually programmed in order to replicate the real-life counterpart as much as possible.

In his spare time, Brandon has created signal programming flow charts that show exactly how each signal in game will behave in every possible situation. See below for some excerpts and how to interpret them. Brandon intends on releasing the full charts with the launch of this route.



The above example shows a section of track between Boston Landing and West Newton in the westbound direction (toward Worcester). The position of a train, represented by the icon, determines how the preceding signal points will behave.

Let’s use signal point 81W in an example. When a train is occupying the block immediately after the signal, 81W will display a Stop and Proceed aspect, 71W will display an Approach aspect, and 61W will display an Approach Medium aspect. We’ll examine one more before describing what each abbreviation and number means.



The above example shows a section of track between Grafton and Westborough in the eastbound direction (toward Boston). Now we’ll use signal CP-33 2E in an example. When a train is occupying the block immediately after the signal, it will display a Stop aspect and the signal at CP-39 will display a Clear aspect. This is Rule 562 territory, so the train’s cab signal aspect will gradually downgrade as the train gets closer to the Stop signal at CP-33. As you can see, there are several cut sections between CP-39 and CP-33, with the cab signals potentially being influenced at each one.

Here’s a full breakdown of abbreviations and numbers used in the charts.

Signal Aspects

• C Clear
• LC Limited Clear
• MC Medium Clear
• SC Slow Clear
• AL Approach Limited
• AM Approach Medium
• AS Approach Slow
• AA Advance Approach
• A Approach
• MA Medium Approach
• SA Slow Approach
• R Restricting
• SP Stop and Proceed
• S Stop

Pulse Codes (determines cab signal aspect)


Other Abbreviations and Terms


Conclusion
This rail line has a long and distinguished history, with signaling only being a small part of it. I spent a great deal of time on research and implementation to ensure you have as accurate of a signal system as possible. Furthermore, I am open to answering any signal questions you have.

Finally, I hope this article got you excited because I am definitely ready to get back to Boston!

Wirtten by Brandon Phelan (a.k.a. cActUsjUiCe)

Release and Livestream
Train Sim World 5: MBTA Commuter: Boston – Framingham/Worcester route Add-on will release on 12th November for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for $39.99/€35.99/£29.99

Stay tuned for our Preview Stream of MBTA Commuter also on 5th November from 19:00 UTC over our YouTube and Twitch.

 

Thank you for flagging this, I've edited the OP, link should now work as intended.