There are a number of modes of public transportation in Cities Skylines. You can create and control buses, trains, airplanes, metro, and more. This guide is essentially an overview of transportation system in Cities Skylines.
Cities Skylines Transportation System
Buses
Buses are one of the first modes of public transportation in Cities: Skylines. In order to set up a bus route, you need a Bus Depot and a Bus Stop which can be funded using the Finance Screen.
It’s important to establish Bus Depots in order to construct routes/lines and even Bus Stops. For a quick introduction, Bus Depots are basically buildings in which buses are parked and a single Bus Depot can provide space for multiple buses.
In case you are wondering how to create routes/lines, the process is as simple as it can get. Simply choose a road where you wish to create a bus route/line and start building Bus Stops along the particular road.
Just keep on creating the Bus Stops along the road and the bus route/line will automatically get created.
Pro-Tip: You can use the very same method to create bifacial and looping roads as well.
Creating a Bus Depot and Bus Lines
In order to create a Bus Depot, simply select the Transportation Tab, then select Buses, and then select Bus Depots followed by choosing an appropriate location to deploy your Bus Depot. I would highly urge you to select a location which has access to almost your entire city.
Ideally, you should not need more than one Bus Depot to manage your entire transportation requirement, but going beyond 2 is overkill in my opinion. Or if there is something else I’m missing; do make sure to let me know.
Coming to Bus Lines, one of the most important things to note here is that these routes/lines do not necessarily have to be near the Bus Depot, but do note that buses will have to travel all the way from the depots to Bus Lines.
Furthermore, always keep an eye out on the happy faces feedback which will tell you a great deal about your Bus Lines’ effectiveness.
Lastly, do note that you can always create or delete a particular Bus Line and even color-code it for future references. In addition to this, a particular Bus Line can be taken from one place to another.
Metro
Metro can be considered as buses, but not entirely. In order to start building Metro Lines, build a Metro Station using which citizens will go in and out of the Metro. Following Metro Stations, create a tunnel-like structure connecting the two stations before drawing the routes/lines.
When we talk about Metro, it’s extremely important to click both sides of a Metro Line – one for each route/line. If you do not do this, the Metro will not pick up passengers which is something you do not want to do.
It’s always a good idea to create multiple Metro Lines in order to increase efficiency. With multiple Metro Lines, you can drastically shorten the time for citizens to get from one part of the city to another which will help you immensely in the long run.
Trains
There are 2 types of trains in Cities: Skyline, Passenger Trains and Cargo Trains. The functions of both these trains are provided below:
Passenger Trains
Like the name suggests, these trains are used to transport citizens in and out of your city. In order to spawn a train, simply connect a passenger terminal to the outside connections.
In addition to moving passengers in and out of the city, these trains are also used to move citizens inside the city. In order to do so, you need to build Train Lines similar to Bus Lines or Metro Lines.
Furthermore, similar to Bus/Metro Lines, each Train Line can further be modified to acquire color-code and more.
Cargo Trains
Opposite of Passenger Trains, Cargo Trains are extremely useful when it comes to move good inside and outside of the city. Similar to Passenger Trains, in order to spawn a Cargo Train, simply connect a Cargo Terminal with outside connections.
An interesting thing to note here is that when good arrive into a Cargo Terminal using the tracks, they are taken to final designated positions via Cargo Trucks. In addition to this, if a Cargo Truck brings goods to a Cargo Terminal, a Cargo Train will be spawned to take these goods to the final destination.
Airplanes
In order to create airplanes, simply build an airport. Unlike other transportation means, you do not have to create your own airlines; however, it is a good idea to have some pre-existing airlines which should connect to airport.
Another important thing to note here is that you must unlock the Metropolis city size in order to build an airport which would bring tourists and businessmen to your city.
Ships
Similar to Trains, there are 2 types of Ships in Cities: Skyline, Cruise Ships and Cargo Ships. Similar to airplanes, building a port automatically creates paths to it without needing any routes.
In addition to this, ports are unlocked once a city reaches the Capital City size. And lastly, harbor requires a ton of water, energy and creates high amounts of Noise Pollution.
Cargo Ships
Cargo Ships are used to take industrial good inside and outside of the city. In order to build a Cargo Harbor, you need 60,000 and 1,920 per week as maintenance costs.
Cruise Ships
Similar to Passenger Planes, Cruise Ships are used to bring tourists and businessmen inside and outside of your city. A Cruise Harbor costs around 80,000 to build and 1,600 per week as maintenance costs.
