Linke Rheinstrecke – Massive Untapped Potential Through Timetable Rework Linke Rheinstrecke might have the single biggest unused potential of any German route in TSW. What makes the route so special is not just the scenery or the traffic density, but the historical period it represents. The route sits right at the end of one of the most fascinating eras in modern German railway history: the transition from the old Bundesbahn and Reichsbahn systems into the newly founded Deutsche Bahn AG. For those who experienced German railways during the 1990s firsthand, this era was defined by variety and transition. The newly unified Germany was restructuring its railway network. ICE, IC and IR systems were becoming the backbone of long-distance travel. RE, RB and S-Bahn structures were replacing older regional concepts. East and West German rolling stock still operated side by side. New traction slowly entered service while the proven locomotives of the 60s and 70s still carried the majority of traffic. Passenger rail traffic was still shaped by the unusually high demand of the post-reunification years, with InterCity trains often consisting of up to 14 coaches and ICE services still largely confined to the dedicated high-speed corridors in central Germany. The result was an operational atmosphere that has never existed before or since. The trains themselves reflected this transition everywhere: classic ocean blue/beige stock mixed with orient red coaches mint green paint schemes alongside the unmistakable silver Silberlinge of regional traffic blue, green, beige and red locomotives in countless variations early Verkehrsrot vehicles old DB logos DR logos early red DB logos the new DB AG branding At times, four different railway logos could still be seen simultaneously across the network. The rolling stock situation after reunification created an incredible mixture of formations and paint schemes. Shortages were still visible. Trains often looked improvised, inconsistent and alive in a way modern operations rarely do. And there was probably no better stage for this era than the Rheinstrecke. The Linke Rheinstrecke was one of the core north-south arteries of western Germany. Passenger and freight traffic were both immense. Up to four IC lines, multiple IR lines, international services, dense regional traffic and heavy freight all shared the same corridor. The variety was extraordinary. And the existing TSW route already has most of the foundation needed to recreate this atmosphere. Even today, despite the route’s age, Linke Rheinstrecke still holds up surprisingly well visually. Of course, some scenery textures, buildings and the missing train destination displays could benefit from improvement, but the route itself is absolutely not beyond saving. The real missing piece is the timetable and consist authenticity. What makes this especially interesting is that much of the required material already exists in TSW. This is not a proposal that depends on entirely new routes, systems or large-scale asset production. The biggest gains could already be achieved through substitutions, consist adjustments and timetable rework using existing rolling stock. The Existing Foundation Is Already Strong TSW already contains much of the rolling stock required to massively improve the atmosphere of Linke Rheinstrecke: BR 103 for classic IC services BR 101 for later-era IC substitutions BR 111 and BR 112.1 for IR operations BR 110 for regional and D-Zug traffic BR 140 for regional, local and freight traffic BR 218 and BR 628 for non-electrified branch line services BR 155 for heavy freight existing IC coaches as the basis for EC and IR variations Silberlinge and n-Wagen stock for regional and D-Zug consists Few existing German TSW routes already possess the traffic density necessary to fully benefit from large-scale consist and substitution variety. Linke Rheinstrecke does. This is exactly why the route has such enormous potential compared to many other German routes. The route does not primarily need new infrastructure. It needs its atmosphere unlocked. 1 – Minimal Effort, Massive Gain The first layer of improvements could already transform the route with comparatively little work. Open Existing Consists For Substitutions One of the biggest limitations right now is that many consists feel static and repetitive. Allowing Creators Club substitutions for: IC coaches BR 103 locomotives regional coaches freight wagons would instantly increase variety. The community already created many excellent liveries which currently cannot fully shine due to consist restrictions. While some of this flexibility may already be achievable for PC users through mods, console players — especially on PS5 and Xbox — are effectively locked out of these possibilities. As a result, many of the iconic IC services end up looking identical every time they appear, which quickly creates a repetitive and sterile feeling on a route that historically lived from variety and inconsistency. Opening the IC consists for proper Creators Club substitutions would therefore not only improve realism, but also significantly improve long-term replay-ability and atmosphere for console users. Improve Locomotive Substitutions The route would immediately feel more authentic with smarter substitutions using already existing rolling stock. Examples: BR 101 substituting for selected BR 103 IC services BR 140 substituting for many BR 110 regional duties BR 140 and BR 155 becoming the primary freight locomotives BR 111 and BR 112.1 substituting on IR services These changes alone would dramatically improve realism and atmosphere. 2 – Timetable Authenticity Improvements The next level could focus on improving consist realism and train types. Rework The D-Zug Services Currently, many of the night and D-Zug services are effectively operated using RE consists. This is probably one of the largest immersion breakers on the route. Instead, these trains should use: 12–14 coach formations proper n-Wagen or IC coach consists no cab cars locomotive-hauled formations using BR 110 or similar traction This alone would fundamentally change the feeling of the route. Improve Freight Allocations Freight traffic on the route should feel heavier and more varied. The BR 140 and BR 155 should ideally become the dominant freight substitutions, while the BR 110 remains the default layer but shifts more naturally toward passenger duties through a high substitution priority for the freight locomotives. This would better represent the operational reality of the era. Additional substitution variety from other German routes would further strengthen the atmosphere and operational diversity. 3 – Expanding The Atmosphere Even Further One of the defining characteristics of the real Rheinstrecke was the mixture of domestic IC trains and international EC traffic. This could potentially be recreated with relatively little asset work. EC Coach Variants Through Existing Assets A very clever solution could be: duplicate the existing IC coach sets under EC-oriented consist names create e.g. “ÖBB-oriented” and “SBB-oriented” consists initially retain DB default textures assign high substitution priority This would allow Creators Club liveries to bring authentic international EC services to the route without requiring entirely new rolling stock production. Most of these liveries already exist within the community. The result would be a massive increase in operational variety and atmosphere at very low development cost. 4 – Long-Term Timetable Expansion If Linke Rheinstrecke were ever expanded operationally, the possibilities become enormous: southbound and westbound traffic out of Mainz S-Bahn services around Mainz Rechte Rheinstrecke traffic out of Koblenz Mosel route operations out of Koblenz Lahntalbahn BR 628 services out of Koblenz Nahetalbahn services around Bingerbrück BR 218 regional traffic around Boppard BR 218 regional trains mixing with BR 628 services from Mainz toward Bad Kreuznach The route could become one of the richest German timetable experiences in TSW. 5 – The Bigger Opportunity Make use of what is already being developed! With the upcoming Neckertalbahn release introducing classic German Am/Bm coaching stock, TSW is building another foundation for authentic pre-2000 German operations. The Bm and Am variants used during the era often differed only in smaller details such as doors, maximum speed or interior appearance, including seating fabrics and color schemes. The IC-oriented Bm235 variants additionally introduced Verkehrsrot paint schemes later in the decade. This creates a much larger opportunity beyond Linke Rheinstrecke itself. Reusable 80s and 90s German rolling stock packs could benefit multiple routes simultaneously. Given the development effort required and the impact such releases could have, payware add-ons would likely be very acceptable, potentially even as two separate packages. Possible Regional / D-Zug Pack This could provide: authentic regional consist variety proper D-Zug formations more realistic locomotive-hauled regional traffic Possible IC / IR Pack This could provide: mixed IC variations, bringing both ocean blue/beige and orient red variants freshly developed blue IR coaches based on the Am/Bm coaches more authentic long-distance formations mixed EC traffic Especially the IR trains would completely transform the atmosphere of Linke Rheinstrecke. Looking even further ahead, this could also open the door for a BR 120.1 development, which many other German routes could benefit from as well. The route already has the stage built. The traffic density is there. The scenery is there. The historical setting is there. What is missing is the operational atmosphere that defined this extraordinary period of German railway history. And unlike many other proposals, much of the required foundation already exists inside TSW today. Linke Rheinstrecke already has the stage built. It just needs the actors.
I completely missed this thread until now You got some very valid points there! Clearly you put a lot of thought and energy into this. And I wholeheartedly agree Right now, Linke Rheinstrecke is one of the more unique and scenic routes in TSW. It's starting to show its age in some areas, and has its flaws, but overall it's one of the better routes in my eyes. A new, overhauled timetable could indeed improve things massively, just like what happened to Köln-Aachen. The E94 timetable has already been a huge step forward, but still remains a compromise. And now that we have the 140 available and Stuttgart-Heilbronn showed that the 3 n-Wagen variants work very well together, I'd love to see someone implement all this here And if (very big if) some developers would be brave enough to couple this new timetable with a modernisation/expansion of the route, the two branches from Gau-Algesheim to Bad Kreuznach and Bingen to Bad Kreuznach would lend themselves well for some extra diesel action! Perfect playground for the 218, n-Wagen diesel cab and 628 As well as the small appendix from Boppard to Emmelshausen, another small diesel route. Actually one of the steepest routes in Germany, and the steepest German route ingame so far if added... the route leaves Boppard with a gradient of up to 6,3%, don't tell me that wouldn't be interesting to drive on
