Transport Fever 3 Beginner Guide: First Lines and How to Make Money

Quick answer

The official manual suggests two safe openers. First, a direct bus line between two neighboring towns. Second, a simple cargo chain, such as delivering vegetables or fish to a town's commercial zone that demands them.^[1] Then cut empty running, keep trains fully built, and revisit your lines as towns grow.^[1] New players should also try the first few campaign missions, which introduce the major features step by step.^[2]

Step 1: your first passenger line

• Start "with a direct bus connection between two neighboring towns".^[1]
• Use a passenger station. Passenger and cargo stations are different types.^[1]
• Every station has a limited catchment area. To reach passengers across a whole town, add several stops per town or a small bus line inside the town.^[1]

Step 2: your first cargo chain

• Pick an end product that a town already demands. The manual's example is "transport vegetables or fish to the commercial zone" of a town that requires them.^[1]
• Each town's demand is shown in its info window and next to the town name.^[1] The list of which industries make what is in our industries and cargo guide.

Step 3: build cheaply and buy the right vehicles

• Follow the terrain. Terraforming is expensive, steep hills slow vehicles down, and cutting trees or reshaping land harms your reputation with nearby towns. Use the contour-lines overlay and build along rivers.^[1]
• Vehicles need a line. Buy vehicles in a depot, then assign them to a line in the line manager.^[1]
• Full trains only. "Buy enough wagons for a train, otherwise it is likely to make a loss." Match locomotive and wagon top speeds.^[1]
• Platforms as long as your trains. Short platforms slow down loading.^[1]

How you actually earn money

The manual says revenue grows with speed and with distance measured as the crow flies. So an S- or U-shaped detour costs you maintenance on track length without paying more.^[1]

Conflicting official information on cargo pay: in a September 11 reply on the official site, a developer wrote that cargo delivered within its time limit earns "the same amount regardless of how far that cargo has needed to travel".^[3] We could not confirm which rule the release version uses. What both sources agree on is that fast, on-time delivery matters.

Avoid losing money

• No empty runs: "Empty vehicles aren't earning any revenue". Let trucks or trains that bring raw materials carry finished goods on the way back. Freight wagons, trucks and cargo ships refit automatically at stations.^[1]
• Expect a dip: complex networks usually need upfront investment and may lose money for a few months first.^[1]
• Loans: if you run out of money, borrow in the finance window. The offers have different conditions, so plan what the money is for.^[1] The finance page advises paying loans back "as soon as possible because there is a monthly interest rate".^[4]

Subsidies: free money with strings attached

Subsidies are time-limited contracts, and declining one has no penalty. If you accept and miss the deadline, "The upfront reward is reversed, and an additional fine or loss of town reputation may apply".^[5] Rewards on completion can include town XP, an extra payment, or a limited-time 2× income effect on eligible lines.^[5] Only accept contracts you can finish in time.

When towns start growing

Towns demand more cargo and more passenger capacity as they grow, and they add new cargo types, so check your lines regularly. Any bad town rating stalls growth.^[1] See how towns grow.