Time to cross yet another border! Alpine mountains, snow covered track and steep, steep gradients are coming soon with Berninaline: Tirano - Ospizio Bernina, releasing on January 16th courtesy of Rivet Games!
Pre-order now on Steam with a 10% discount!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2584110/Train_Sim_World_4_Berninalinie_Tirano__Ospizio_Bernina_Route_AddOn/
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The Route
It’s time to adventure up into the Alps courtesy of the world-renowned RhB services that weave and wind their way through Switzerland and over the border into Italy. Another new country sneaks its way into Train Sim World with the Italian town of Tirano forming an end point of this latest route Add-on.
First opened in 1908, this historic single-track metre-gauge (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) railway line winds its way up into the mountains along gradients as steep as 7% (1:14), some of the steepest gradients for an adhesion railway in the world! Built primarily to serve tourists and locals as well as facilitate access to hydro-electric plants, this spectacular line continues to wow passengers from around the globe.
In-game, the route extends out from Tirano, which sits at 429m above sea level and heads up to the highest point of the line at Ospizio Bernina, in Switzerland at a height of 2253m. Along the way, the route twists and winds up the gradients, first looping back on itself via the Brusio Spiral Viaduct, just south of Brusio, before passing by the Lago di Poschiavo and traversing a number of tight turns prior to the summit. Beyond the impressive natural landscape, trains head through towns with some street running and custom road traffic features in-game that stops for each passing train.
Dramatic mountains, wintry landscapes and alpine scenery define the views for both passengers and drivers throughout, recreated through use of 1m LIDAR and other landscaping tools. Custom winter features include the ice at Lago Bianco and glacier assets at Alp Grüm.
The ABe 8/12 Allegra EMU
Making the steady climb up to Ospizio Bernina is the ABe 8/12 Allegra EMU, operated by the Rhaetian Railway or RhB. First introduced in 2009, this dual voltage EMU is able to run off the 1000 V DC power of the Bernina Line in addition to the 11 kV, 16.7 Hz power seen on the rest of the Rhaetian Railway’s core network. The Allegra even holds the speed record for metre-gauge railways, clocking 139 km/h (86 mph) during a test run on another railway in 2009.
Though the RhB might be familiar to players of previous Swiss route Add-ons, this modern and stylish EMU provides contemporary traction to get to grips with. The 3-car unit has the ability to attach to and haul additional cars up the mountain and this function extends to freight, giving players an unusual operational opportunity.
The Allegra’s performance ensures that it can handle the tight curves and steep climbs with ease, but drivers will have to be wary of stopping and hill starting when perched high upon the mountaintop!
Also included in this route Add-on is a selection of additional rolling stock to allow for the running of mixed consists behind the Allegra:
- RhB ZA Tank Wagon
- RhB SP-W Timber Wagon
- EW-1 A and B coaches
Services and Gameplay
Services on this stretch of the Bernina Line consist primarily of Tirano – St. Moritz services that stop at Ospizio Bernina before running out of the map. There are 49 services in total, with six half-way services from either Tirano or Ospizio Bernina to Poschiavo, where shunting moves can be operated in the morning.
Three BEX (Bernina Express) services form part of the timetable, consisting of a run up and down with a shunting manoeuvre at Tirano. These trains feature the open-air coach from the RhB Anniversary Collection Add-On for players that own it.
The Allegra will feature fully implemented passenger announcements, building on a similar feature found in Rivet Games’ ScotRail Express Add-on. Unlike the Class 385 however, these will automatically play out at relevant points and will feature the three different languages spoken in the region: English, German and Italian.
Five Scenarios are included – which are centred around picking up additional stock and freight wagons:
- Scenic Views: Takes the player along a winter ride from Ospizio Bernina to Tirano, stopping along the way at scenic locations.
- Early Morning Shift: Starts with the player boarding an AI train to travel to Poschiavo, where they then take over a new train to Tirano.
- Hot Wheels: Takes the player from Tirano all the way up to Ospizio Bernina, with coupling up another wagon at Campocologno and then decoupling one due to a hot axle in Cavaglia
- Close Call Delivery: Takes the player from Poschiavo up towards Ospizio Bernina, delivering tanker wagons along the way.
- A Train Filled with Christmas Spirit: Santa was a bit delayed getting to the mountains in this Christmas-themed scenario! This service operates from Ospizio Bernina down to Tirano through a snowstorm, delivering presents to each station, which the player unloads manually.
The difference in voltage between routes prevents locomotives such as the RhB Ge 4/4 II from Arosalinie running on Berninalinie, so there are no service layers from that route Add-on, but the dual-voltage Allegra can be operated in Free Roam on Arosalinie. This offers a distinctly different feel to operating the Allegra, due to the difference between AC and DC power systems, which are fully simulated.
Along the Bernina Line there’ll be some unique collectibles to find, including Italian Pizza and distinct Alpine Hats!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2584110/Train_Sim_World_4_Berninalinie_Tirano__Ospizio_Bernina_Route_AddOn/
Join the Railfan TV team, joined by guests from Rivet Games on Twitch and YouTube at 18:00 UTC on January 11th for a preview of Train Sim World 4: Berninaline: Tirano - Ospizio Bernina.
Find out more about Train Sim World 4 by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.
