Out Now Tadami Line - Out Now

Tadami Line: Journey Through Rural Japan


The Tadami line is here.
Train Sim World 7: Tadami Line: Aizu-Wakamatsu - Tadami, developed by Union Workshop, brings Japan to Train Sim World for the very first time, taking you deep into the mountains, valleys and rural communities of Fukushima Prefecture.

Travel across 88 km of single-track railway, call at 28 stations and take control of the classic KiHa 40 as you follow the Tadami River through one of the most scenic railway landscapes in Japan.
Tadami Line releases for Train Sim World 7 on September 29th for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store and Steam at £29.99 / €35.99 / $39.99.





Driving the KiHa 40
The KiHa 40 offers a very different driving experience from many of the modern trains found elsewhere in Train Sim World 7.
Its controls are mechanical and hands-on, with the driver making use of a removable master handle across several different systems when preparing the train.

To start up, you'll first use the master handle to activate the cab before moving it to the Engine Start-run switch to preheat and start the diesel engine. Once running, the same handle is removed again and inserted into the Transmission Selector, ready for driving.
There's a separate removable brake handle too, giving the start-up process an old-school feel.



Once moving, the KiHa 40 uses a semi-automatic hydraulic transmission.
Start in Hydraulic drive and apply power to get moving. As you reach around 50-60 km/h manually change the transmission into Direct-drive and then apply power again for higher-speed running.
Braking is handled through a manual-lapped automatic air brake, so getting comfortable with positions such as Apply, Lap and Release will be an important part of mastering the train.

It's straightforward once you understand the process, but there's plenty to learn if you want to operate the KiHa 40 authentically.
For a complete guide to preparing, driving and operating the train, including Japanese signalling and the ATS-SN safety system, check out the full Tadami Line Driver's Manual.
See the drivers manual here






Five Scenarios Across the Seasons
Tadami Line includes five Scenarios, each offering a different way to experience the railway and its changing landscape.

Hanami
Spring has arrived in Fukushima!
Take on a morning service surrounded by cherry blossom, giving you an opportunity to enjoy the brighter colours and scenery of the route at one of the most picturesque times of year.

Revival
A repaired KiHa 40 is ready to return to the railway, but the weather isn't going to make things easy.
Head out in heavy rain and put the train through its paces as you experience Tadami Line in much more challenging conditions.

Leaf Peeping
Autumn transforms the mountains and valleys surrounding the railway.
Take charge of a special railtour and journey through the changing landscape, with forests taking on their autumn colours around the Tadami River.

Midsummer
It's festival season!
Operate an additional train to Aizu-Yanaizu, helping passengers reach the local summer celebrations and adding an extra working to the usual railway timetable.

Going Home
Winter brings one of the more demanding journeys on the route.
Take control of a delayed evening service through thick snow, tackling reduced visibility and wintry conditions as you make your way home through the mountains.



A Day on the Tadami Line
Tadami Line recreates the slower rhythm of a rural Japanese railway, with 14 scheduled trains forming the core timetable.
Seven operate in each direction, with a mixture of shorter workings and longer journeys across the route.
Services use a mixture of 2-car, 3-car and 4-car KiHa 40 formations, helping give different journeys their own character throughout the day.

Some trains cover large portions of the route, while others operate shorter sections around locations such as Aizu-Wakamatsu and Aizu-Kawaguchi.
Longer workings are divided into manageable sections in Train Sim World, so you can experience the railway at your own pace without committing to an entire end-to-end journey every time.




Sights to See
Tadami Line is as much about the journey outside the cab window as it is about operating the train.
The railway follows the Tadami River deeper into Oku Aizu, threading its way through forests, mountain valleys, bridges and tunnels. The landscape changes dramatically with the seasons, giving familiar locations a completely different atmosphere depending on when you choose to travel.
Here are just a few places worth keeping an eye out for.

Cherry Blossom at Takiya
Spring brings bursts of colour to the route, with cherry blossom around Takiya creating a particularly picturesque railway scene.
Slow rural stations, traditional surroundings and blossom lining the landscape make this an ideal place to step out of the cab, explore on foot or find the perfect Railfan Shot.

Crossing the River
Bridges are a defining part of the Tadami Line.
Around Aizu-Hinohara, the railway stretches out across the water, opening up views along the river and surrounding forested mountains.
These elevated crossings offer some of the route's most dramatic views, particularly when the landscape changes colour in autumn or becomes covered in winter snow.



Rice Paddies Beneath the Mountains
Approaching Tadami, the landscape opens out into sweeping rice paddies with the mountains rising behind them.
It's a very different view from some of the route's tighter valleys and forests, particularly during brighter summer journeys when the open countryside stretches away from the railway.

Aizu-Miyashita and the Dam
Around Aizu-Miyashita, the railway runs close to one of the area's dams, bringing together the engineering of the railway and the wider Tadami River landscape.
It's another example of how closely the route follows the geography of Oku Aizu, with water, mountains and railway regularly sharing the same view.

Through the Mountains
Not every view is wide open.
The railway regularly squeezes through narrow tunnels and unusual passageways, disappearing into the mountains before emerging into another valley or riverside landscape.
The constant shift between enclosed tunnels, forests, bridges and large open views is a big part of what gives Tadami Line its distinctive character.



Making the Most of Train Sim World 7
Tadami Line has been built to take advantage of a number of the features and improvements introduced with Train Sim World 7.

Enhanced Lighting is supported across the route, while PC players with capable hardware can make use of the new Epic graphical settings to push visual detail even further. With a route built around mountains, forests, changing seasons and dramatic weather, there's plenty of scenery to put those improvements to work.

Live Weather is also supported and synchronised to Japan, allowing you to experience conditions based on real-world weather for the region.
Train Sim World 7's Dynamic Weather improvements also carry across to Tadami, bringing more natural changes and transitions between weather conditions throughout your journey.

Want an easier way to learn the KiHa 40? Simple Controls are supported, giving players streamlined Power and Brake controls to help get moving more quickly. The existing Simple Controls limitations around some audio and physics behaviour still apply.

The route also benefits from Safety Systems On by Default, with Tadami's Japanese safety systems forming part of the experience from the start.
And if you'd prefer to concentrate on driving, AI Conductor can handle opening and closing the passenger doors for you.



Kaoru Akagawa Artwork
To celebrate the release, Dovetail Games has collaborated with Japanese artist Kaoru Akagawa on a bespoke piece of artwork inspired by the Tadami Line.
Akagawa builds her intricate illustrations based on her technique as a master of kana shodo, using traditional Japanese kana characters to bring the route's scenery to life in a unique way. You can see the short video here.
You can see more of here work via her website or Instagram.





Catch Up on Our Tadami Line Preview
Want to see the route in action before getting behind the controls yourself?
Matt and Jan recently took a closer look at Tadami Line, exploring the KiHa 40, Japanese railway operations and the beautiful rural landscape waiting for you across the route.
Catch up on the full preview below.



Tadami Line Arrives September 29th
Train Sim World 7: Tadami Line: Aizu-Wakamatsu - Tadami Route Add-On releases on September 29th for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store and Steam for £29.99 / €35.99 / $39.99.

Whether you want to learn the intricacies of the KiHa 40, tackle the full timetable or simply slow down and enjoy the scenery, an entirely new kind of Train Sim World journey is waiting in rural Japan.
Steam players can wishlist Tadami Line now.
Please note: if you wishlisted Tadami Line before Train Sim World 7 Early Access began, you'll need to wishlist it again on the new Train Sim World 7 Steam store page.

Train Sim World 7 Update - September 29th
Alongside the release of Tadami Line, a new Train Sim World 7 update arrives on September 29th with a range of fixes and improvements across the game.
Some of the highlights include:

• Beginner Controls - The HUD will now display speed limits and upcoming signals, alongside improvements for non-UK keyboard layouts and the correct triggering of red-light SPADs.
• Texture Memory Improvements - A memory optimisation pass has been made to rolling stock on Maintalbahn, Semmeringbahn and Frankfurt - Fulda, as well as the BR 147 and BR 442, helping to reduce texture blurring issues.
• Florida Tri-Rail - Added audio to traffic around Miami Airport, alongside adjustments to ensure traffic crossing points work as expected.

These are just some of the changes included in the update.
Read the full September 29th Train Sim World 7 Update Notes


Join us in the community
Make sure you’re joining our teams on our Dovetail Live forums and Train Sim Community community-led Discord that we are active in, and let us know what you’re looking forward to most.
Discover more on Train Sim World 7 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Discord