Long Island Rail Road: Commuter is here! We return to New York for an entirely new experience courtesy of an upgraded, extended route and a brand new train to operate: the M9 EMU.
Steam players that own the original Long Island Rail Road release can still get a 10% loyalty discount until 14th May.
LIRR Commuter: The Story So Far...
If you’re been following the progress of this new route Add-on, you’ll no doubt be fully aware of all the additions, amendments, extensions, upgrades and new features that LIRR Commuter has to offer. If you haven’t, you can get up to speed with some of our previous articles and the all-important LIRR Commuter Manual.
A summary of our previous articles and information:
Announce Article:
Covering Licensor changes, route and train overviews and a deep dive on Brandon’s Signaling overhaul.
Pre-Order Article:
Breakdown of the schedule, including an overview of playable services and AI layers
LIRR Commuter Manual:
Important guidance on mandatory safety systems, in-cab signalling, cab set up and more.
Preview Stream:
Almost 3 hours of LIRR action! With JD, Brandon and Matt covering everything from the route, to the trains and the Double Duty Conductor Scenario
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Safety Systems Tutorial
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One unique aspect of LIRR Commuter is the mandatory safety systems in place on the new M9 and updated M7 EMUs. You can read more about this and our close working with Licensors in our announce article above.
To get to grips with the ACS and ACSES systems, head to the Tutorial video above. You can also access this in game by going to the Railfan TV section of the main menu.
The Route: New York - Long Beach, Hempstead & Hicksville
This part of suburban New York can now be seen with the full benefit of TOD4 lighting, Volumetric Fog and all the other standard features found in Train Sim World 4 routes. This is includes upgraded scenery textures and increased fidelity with the landscape texture blending as well as overhauled water textures which take prominence around the new Long Beach branch, which adds more route mileage and a host of additional LIRR services.
The route encompasses the entire Long Beach and Hempstead branches as well as the Main Line to Hicksville and the Atlantic Branch to Atlantic Terminal allowing for the busy network to run populated with a full schedule of services.
Trains running out of the map from other branches that are not represented exist too and are playable as far as the last stop on route, before continuing out of the map as AI. This can include Port Washington, Far Rockaway and West Hempstead trains which all run on sections of the network that are included in this route Add-on.
In total there are almost 600 playable services with the M9 & M7.
With almost 40 stations on the route (more than any other route Add-on), a representative PIS on platforms is another important feature in a number of different formats. This includes the simple displays found with blue or black backgrounds, others giving time of arrival and platform number and more complex displays at places like Jamaica, where the different line colors are displayed to make it easier for passengers (and players) to know which trains are going where.
Signaling is also a feature that has seen an entire overhaul for this route Add-on, which Brandon covers in both the announce article and preview stream. Approximately 1,900 signals had to be reimplemented individually to simulate how they interact with each other and the trains running between them.
Collectibles hidden throughout the route include the standard local route maps and signs seen in previous Train Sim World routes, as well as Bagel Stands representing the food that New York is famous for!
The Trains: M9 and M7 EMUs
New to Train Sim World is the M9 EMU, only introduced to the real-world LIRR in 2019 and featuring state-of-the-art technology compared to their predecessors.
Joining them is the M7 EMU that players may well be already familiar with, upgraded and overhauled in-game with updated audio (using Harlem Line as a reference) and in cab functionality.
A bit part of the interactivity in these trains are the modern screens that provide engineers with the information they need. In-game these screens are functional and are used for cab set up, fault clearing (though the faults do not affect operation in-game) and observing the train’s power. Players can even see the motors lose and gain power individually as their train runs over gaps in the third rail, which is important to avoid the risk of ending up stranded without power (known as ‘gapping’). The risk of this is low, but possible in certain places such as Long Island City.
Fans of the ‘Guard Mode’ we featured in the UK route Add-on Glossop Line will rejoice in another opportunity (albeit, very different) to once again play as the Conductor in the Double Duty Scenario. This requires playing in this important role for the entire run from Long Beach, checking tickets of passengers, but also interacting with the AI engineer and fulfilling some of the other duties that are required by LIRR Conductors.
Additional Service Layers
In addition to the playable services added in for those with the original M3 EMU loco Add-on, players with Northeast Corridor: New York – Trenton will see both Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT trains occupying the reworked Sunnyside Yard as static AI. Amtrak's Acela® will appeal for those with the loco Add-on.
Players of Northeast Corridor: New York – Trenton will also continue to see AI traffic from Long Island Rail Road layered in from the original LIRR route Add-on.
Train Sim World 4: LIRR Commuter: New York - Long Beach, Hempstead & Hicksville route Add-on is out now for $39.99/£29.99/€35.99
There is a 10% loyalty discount on launch for Steam players who own the original Long Island Rail Road route Add-on.
Steam Loyalty discount will apply to owners of Long Island Rail Road: New York - Hicksville in TSW2020, TSW2, TSW3, or TSW4.
The 10% loyalty discount will remain in place on Steam until 14th May.
Original Long Island Rail Road Add-ons
The original LIRR release is unchanged but will remain available to purchase as a separate TSW Compatible route Add-on for Train Sim World 4 and for previous Train Sim World core games.
The Original M3 EMU loco Add-on is also unchanged but will be available to purchase as a TSW Compatible Add-on to unlock additional service layers for both the original LIRR Add-on and this new release - Long Island Rail Road: Commuter.
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