Build a useful and beautiful railway system in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): KiNGEN

Many SimCity 3000 mayors avoid using rail because it's too complicated, ugly and can be replaced. But if you are anything like me, you absolutely love the railways. So how do you make them look better and become more effective?

I have found that the most convenient and aesthetically appealing way is to build roads parallel to each side of the rail line, creating a "San Francisco-look" with railways looking like they're actually on the roads. This takes up alot of space but shouldn't be a problem for most mayors.

As you may have learned from other articles, it's very smart to use the "Subway-to-Rail Stations" instead of the big train stations (which you can use as principal train stations instead).

To connect the stops with the rail lines, simply build a rail line over one tile of the parallel road and put the transit stop inside the road grid where you built the railway (preferably in the corner):

= Road
# Rail
§ Rail on Road
X Subway-to-Rail Station

          =================
          ################=
          =============§=#=
                       X=#=
                        =#=
                        =#=
                        =#=
                        =#=

This road and rail grid makes beautiful cities, especially those built on uneven terrain, but it requires a lot of work. If your city gets really congested, you can easily create a subway system with the already placed Subway-to-Rail Stations.

See also
Build a dream railway station
Railroading: using grades
Railroading: intro to improve freight moving and realism