Let me start this thread by saying that I do really enjoy this route! In my opinion that’s the best route Rivetgames has done, even though it’s almost exactly one year old now. For me that meant one year of driving on this beautiful route- that does has some issues though. This is one of the three reasons I created this thread: To point out the problems again that occurred in my about 50-100 hours of being a Swiss train driver on this route! The bugs and problems: 1. The night lighting I have got to say that the darkness of the night is immense in TSW world in general, but due to the fact that the window of the RABe523 is tinted a lot it does make the night to a star wars adventure with a few small lights to see on your way; in Germany we say „Blindflug” for that! It means that you can see almost nothing and drive into complete darkness. Be aware of that if you buy this route! (But apart from that the route is pretty scenic so you wouldn’t want to miss the scenery anyways ;D) 2. the unit numbers This one is a smaller issue: The train you are driving always says ‘523 000’ because it doesn’t use the numbers for the second digits! It’s a small issue but still a bug. 3. The PIS The PIS is almost working perfectly, although the design on the platforms is the German one. The problem is: a few destinations are missing for the train! E.g. for the northbound RE services, which is also a small issue that shouldn’t be to hard to fix (as number 2.) But let’s move on to the biggest problem: 4. The safety systems. First of all: The systems that come with this route in game are: ETCS level 0 and 1, as well as STM. There is NO Sifa and also no ZUB, which is the standard safety system in Switzerland. The reason why Rivetgames used ETCS for this route is that this route was a test track for ETCS a few years ago. The fact that ZUB is missing is very disappointing, but not as disappointing as the missing Sifa. The missing safety systems are one thing. The problem is that although there were a few fixes for ETCS, it is still not working perfectly. The only way to drive with ETCS is from Luzern-Sursee; it’s impossible to drive the other way from Rothenburg on. Either there are missing speed limit signs or the breaking curve starts immediately at the speed restriction instead of dropping slowly with a braking curve. And we don’t want to talk about the switch right in front of Emmenbrück-Gersag where the speed limit drops to 40 km/h for no reason and gifts you a sweet emergency brake. 4. is also the fact that I don’t use any of the safety systems or only STM because the other thing is just not working properly 5. A few services are bugged If driving from Sursee to Luzern you will get some services that will get stuck in front of Emmenbrücke-Gersag because of a stuck AI service. Now these are the things that are bothering me. Especially 2. and 3. should be an easy fix and the list would be only half as long! But now let’s move on to: The reasons why I still love this route The first one might be quite obvious: It’s in Switzerland! The Swiss railways have always been my favourites by far and the Gotthardbahn for TSC is one of the best routes ever made for a train simulator game! The second place might be Luzern-Sursee- not least because of the RABe523. It’s a really nice train although it has the few bugs I’ve been speaking of in the bug list above. It has an immense acceleration, masters the gradients with ease and looks GORGEOUS! The sound is not 100% perfect but sits around 95%- where most of the TSW locos sit. This one is easily one of my top three TSW locos and a nice 9/10! Also the look of the route is amazing, especially on 9th gen console! My wishes for this route and the future: That’s quite easily said: Don’t give up on Switzerland Jasper_Rivet !This route is one of the examples why Switzerland should be included in more ways in train simulators! The train is amazing, the route looks very nice and is quite busy although there is “only” one train included. And that’s where I want to give a small list of input: The NPZ Domino RBDe 560 would be an amazing addition to this route. It’s an older EMU that is still used on various routes in Switzerland today- also on this one Also an Re460 with EW IV for the Interregio services from Luzern to Sursee and the other way around would be amazing and bring in a ton of variety! And also your gorgeous Gotthardbahn from TSC should come to TSW someday. It is a really nice route and one of the most well known tracks in Switzerland and would look gorgeous in TSW-especially if the mountains look like the ones in the TSW training center! So to sum up this post in one sentence: If you like modern Emus and a nice looking route for 20-30 minute adventures through Switzerland: This one is perfect for you! Route: 7/10 Rolling stock: 9/10 Luzern-Sursee 8/10
In my experience the fps performance of this route is pretty bad, while for example London Commuter runs just fine on my PC. Night lighting is pretty bad as well, with light poles missing the emissive light bulbs.
I didn’t notice the fps drops on Ps5- on Ps4 there were a few fps drops and the SBB logo became a set of two triangles when you went a few meters away though
Love the locomotive, love the route. But the safety system issues are definitely a buzzkill to an otherwise solid route.
Number 5 ruins this route for me. The stuck train at the bridge ends any hope of this having a useful timetable service. Unfortunately it will probably stay that way which is a massive shame for what is a unique and pretty route
I only got this route late last year - but was very surprised how much I actually enjoyed it overall, I just wished it was longer. However, saying that, there are still several bugs that should have been fixed long ago and should be a priority. Anyway, I would love to see more standard-gauge Swiss routes! I'd have to actually disagree regarding night lighting. I much prefer this type of route's night lighting - but why you ask? Because there are some routes which night time lighting looks almost like broad daylight, which for me completely ruins the immersion.
A quick question... Is the horn fixed ? On the PC version ( atleast ) when you use '2' camera, the horn wasn't audible !
I haven’t gotten this route despite being interested in the region (I live in southern Germany, not too far away from Switzerland). It’s a combination of… The shortness of the route. I’m just not sure if I’d be able to replay this over and over again. Including another S-Bahn branch might have been beneficial. The lack of patches/fixes. There are still several issues that have not been resolved at all. It was kind of abandoned after release.
I have just bought it in the sale. I would have paid full price had it not been for the reported bugs. However, it is a really nice route scenically. I like the difference between Luzern, which has an interesting approach and feels like an old city, some of the German city approaches feel very modern, and the Sursee end with the lake and distant mountains. The train is a bit uninteresting for me but it is nicely modelled. It definately could do with extending or more trains, especially freight added as there seems to be quite a lot of industry and sidings along the line.
