Welcome to another suggestion from me, a very big one indeed. With the recent releases of Manchester Airport Commuter from ATS, I have been craving for more Northern traction, specifically Diesel Traction along this new DLC I am suggesting. Personally I would like this line to be set around the modern era ( ~ 2023 / 2024 ) This is more of a network style of suggestion that branches into the countryside. So I do not expect all of this line to come. This is the Manchester Suburban & Valley Commuter, featuring both the Buxton and Hope Valley lines. The Buxton Line (Manchester Piccadilly -> Buxton via Stockport) The Buxton Line runs for around 26 miles from Manchester Piccadilly to Buxton, it follows the same line as MAC out to Stockport for around 6 miles before branching off to Hazel Grove, where the electrification ends. The run is around 1 hour and provides a good lengthy stopper run in Northern DMU's and Northern EMU's until Hazel Grove. Buxton is already seen in the Peak Forest DLC but would need refreshing and it uses a different station just seen a mere little walk away. The Buxton line in 2025 currently uses class 150/1, 150/2 & 156's with 323's until Hazel Grove. More on the trains later on. Class 150/2 @ Dove Holes, 1 stop out from Buxton. The Hope Valley Line (Manchester Piccadilly -> Sheffield) For the sake of mileage, I have decided to cut out the line via Guide Bridge The Hope Valley line is a key network along the South Transpennine to Sheffield, and is a key route for many commuters into Manchester, it follows the same line as the Glossop line splitting off Ashburys in this DLC before heading down to Romiley where it meets up with the alternative line via Guide Bridge (AI in this scenario as said before). The line continues to New Mills where you could see the Buxton line across the town before heading along where you may see the Buxton line again across the valley. After that you will be going along at speed to Sheffield with some services stopping throughout. Those lines via Romiley are soley operated by Northern, compared to the line via Stockport which is operated by TPE, Northern and EMR (EMT in game) utilising the same track down to Hazel Grove then splitting off at said station and joining at New Mills South Junction. The Rose Hill Branch is a short branch around a mile which goes via Guide Bridge, but if included would only be playable to Romiley, it again is Diesel only. The average run from Piccadilly to Sheffield is around 1 hour to 1 hour 20 dependant on what type of service you get. Class 195 along the Hope Valley countryside operating a service to Sheffield. The Hope Valley line utilises a variety of trains, with Northern, TPE & EMT. Northern operate the Class 150/1, 150/2 & Class 156, and additionally operate the Class 195, one of the newer trains. East Midland Trains operate the Class 158 and Class 170, but only the 158 would probably be used in this route, operating a fast service calling only at Stockport. Transpennine Express, utilise only the Class 185 here, operating a very fast service from Piccadilly calling at Stockport only, like EMT, however some trains rarely stop at Dore & Totley. The lines around here for Northern services can be very confusing so I will explain it now with information from Wikipedia. The line from Manchester Piccadilly operate a regional service via Reddish North, only skipping Ardwick (now of which is mainly disused), Ashburys, Belle Vue & Ryder Brow before stopping at every station after that. However some services skip stations as seen below, information has been taken from Wikipedia. As said previously, the Rose Hill branch goes via Guide Bridge but would only be used to Romiley if included. The Trains: Now that we have gone over the rail network, we need some trains to run on them. In my opinion, I think there should be 2 main trains in this route, as it is a very busy network, so I have decided to have the Class 195 & Class 156 to be included standard with the DLC. Class 195: The Class 195 will provide the main services along the Hope Valley line from Manchester to Sheffield. Class 156: The Class 156 will provide the main services along the Buxton line and some services along the Hope Valley line. I have very little clue on freight in this area so I have not included it. DLC Trains: The Class 150's, both /1 & /2 would ideally be listed as a DLC, providing another variant of the /2 and a new variant of the /1, it would be priced the same as every other loco pack. The Class 185 would most likely be a DLC train if it ever came to the game, providing the same service pattern as EMT but stopping at Dore & Totley on some services. This train can also be used as layering on the Manchester Airport Commuter route, providing extra services for that. Layered Trains: Class 158: Running services from Piccadilly to Sheffield via Stockport Class 390: Running services from Piccadilly to Stockport Class 150/153: Running TFW from Piccadilly to Stockport Class 323: Running services to Hazel Grove & Stockport AI Trains: Class 43 EMT Class 323 NT Key Landmarks & Stations: Totley Tunnel, just outside of Sheffield, lasts for about 3.5 miles. Stockport Viaduct, making another appearance in this game. Beautiful Rolling hills and fields of the Hope Valley. Sheffield Station Buxton Station Romiley Station Piccadilly Station, as you have seen would utilise the same model from MAC (I'd hope) Now we have come down to my favourite section of the suggestion, the reason why this route should come, and not just: *bang* "do this please" This DLC is a massive route and task, trying to perfect beautiful Peak District scenery and infrastructures throughout Manchester Suburbs, however it is quite a challenging route, with gradient changes and beautiful scenery, many new stock and a busy timetable. Those are just the key points. But here's some more: - Huge amount of layering & Ai - providing a busy timetable for this route and routes in the future. - Many good opportunites for further DLC with new traction available - More of a use to utilise route hopping - a key point of Train Sim World 5 that hasn't been utilised that much. - Good service variety, with short branches, stopper services, express services and different variety it may take a long time for people to be tired of a route like this. I know this route is a huge task to take, but even if shortened down to Chinley would provide a good variety and a more reasonable distance. So there you have it, another suggestion from me and another few hours gone writing this, I hope you enjoyed reading it and apologies if stuff isn't correct, I am not from this area in the UK. Thanks for reading or skipping to the bottom! Like all my other suggestions I will try to check up on this and discuss when possible. Thank you!