Build railroads on a real world map
NIMBY Rails is a management sandbox where you design train tracks on a fully detailed real world map with 1cm resolution. You set up lines, stations and rolling stock to move people and earn money. Your tracks have to respect existing roads and streets, so too many crossings can make a design unworkable. The world canvas is open, so links like Lisbon to Shanghai or Anchorage to Buenos Aires are possible to attempt.
The game covers trams, subways, commuter, regional and high speed trains, plus tunnels, viaducts and ground tracks. Each choice has trade offs for the environment, train speed and your company wallet. Stations can be built with automatic double track and automatic entrance/exit signaling, and linked in a couple of clicks. If you prefer manual control, you can disable the automatic aids in the track editor and handle every track, signal and building yourself, including flying junction concepts.
Play with friends on a hosted session
The game is single player and offline first, with optional cooperative multiplayer. You can build together in real time with friends and others you invite to your hosted server session. Everyone works on the same network at the same time, so one person can lay track while another sets up lines or tunes signals. Steam Workshop mods made by the player community are available in the NIMBY Rails Depot.
What the simulation tracks
Train and station demand is simulated down to individual passengers. Passengers can take trips that involve multiple trains and waiting at transfer stations. Demand flow changes with time of day and time of week, with time zone support, so starting a line ten time zones away keeps stations busy when night falls elsewhere. Passengers rate their experience based on trip time and the fares you set, and those ratings affect demand at the stations they visit. Circulation mechanics are streamlined so you can run a large network without getting bogged down, with complexity only as deep as you want it. The game is in Early Access.