Takaoka gets rail: a fully upgraded rail yard and a cargo train terminal next to the highway for the growing industry, an elevated commuter station from Paradox Mods with paved platform access, tracks kept above road level — and a slope mistake at 11.4% that had to be undone — plus Milestone 8 and a reserved plot for the central station.
What happens in this episode
Takaoka has buses since episode 3, but people still take lots of taxis, and the single highway access into town is busy with commuters between industry and homes. Rail should take some of that traffic. The city’s demand was healthy again across all zones.
How it was built
A rail yard and cargo terminal by the highway
The rail yard is affordable at 15k upkeep a month, so I sometimes just start placing things before over-planning. It goes close to the highway, on a one-way access so traffic stays controlled, and is upgraded to the maximum straight away. Next to it, a cargo train terminal serves the industrial area that’s about to grow, with a second track for later and a storage warehouse. It gave me some of the weirdest crossings I’ve ever built, and a path that turned into a tunnel by itself, which I quite liked. The rebuild was paused until there was more money, and the unfinished station was taken out of service to avoid costs.
An elevated commuter station
For passengers I wanted an elevated station and found a small one on Paradox Mods. I hadn’t used it before, so it took some testing to connect the platforms. Paving textures under the station make a huge difference to realism; changing the texture under a building is one of those details people notice. Snapping is off so the station can sit at an angle, and the two-way track is raised by about ten metres.
I prefer tracks above ground: keeping roads and tracks on different levels looks far more realistic. But the first attempt produced an 11.4% incline on the railway, which is way too much. Fixing it with Move It broke a road, which I reverted to a two-lane road without snapping to existing geometry, and then rebuilt more carefully. Trees (pines, oaks, palms, shrubs) dress the embankment, and the rail yard will need more textures later.
Milestone 8
Waterfront housing and medium-density homes go in, and Milestone 8 unlocks the first North American high-density housing. At this point the money really started coming in, and the game stopped being much of a challenge financially. A water tower that’s no longer needed is removed. Geothermal power is still too expensive while the wind turbines suffice, though space for more is running out.
One way into town
As predicted, the highway is the only access into town, which is a real problem. Tunnelling roads underneath for extra on- and off-ramps is the plan, but the road into town would need to be bigger too. That’s for the next episodes.
Reserving the central station
The plot for the central station in the future downtown is reserved. The historic central station has through tracks, which I didn’t want there, and a station belongs on a side street rather than the arterial, which only causes trouble. The parking fee is set to 15. A medical clinic helps with a cluster of deaths in one area, and a road maintenance depot, forgotten last time, is built and upgraded straight away. The plan from here: a downtown around the central station and suburbs around the hill. The passenger line opens in episode 5.
Video chapters
- 00:00Traffic and the single highway access
- 04:29Rail yard and cargo terminal by the highway
- 08:35Odd crossings and a tunnel
- 12:44Landscaping and an elevated station
- 16:46Textures under the platform
- 21:47An 11% incline — and the fix
- 33:15Trees, waterfront homes, Milestone 8
- 42:18Reserving the central station
- 50:51Road maintenance and next steps
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Where should the rail yard go in Cities: Skylines 2?
Close to the highway and the industrial area, on a one-way access so traffic stays controlled. Together with a cargo train terminal next to it, the industry can export by rail as it grows.
Why keep train tracks above road level?
Separating tracks and roads on different levels looks much more realistic and avoids level crossings on busy roads. Watch the gradient, though — 11% is far too steep for a railway.
Where should a central station go?
On a side street rather than directly on the arterial, which only causes trouble. In Takaoka the plot in the future downtown is reserved for it.