Subway Builder challenges players to build a complete subway system from scratch under real-world constraints and cost pressures. This hyper-realistic simulation forces route planning to confront actual conditions, requiring you to weigh every investment to gradually implement the public transit network the city deserves, ultimately forming a system that serves the entire environment.
Subway Builder is a hyper-realistic public transport simulation game built using real-time data from cities in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Real-world passenger simulation
Millions of commuters are generated from census and Redistricter data and simulated using the same pathfinding algorithms found on your phone. Your task is to design a route network that gets as many people to their destinations as quickly as possible. Coordinate station placement, transfer dynamics, and train frequencies to maximize passenger flow.
In-depth analysis
Explore how each commuter weighs factors like wait times, transfers, income distribution, and delays to choose their mode of transport. Understand which lines, stations, and trains your commuters use, and leverage this information to optimize your network.
You must also use this analysis to find the right balance between cost and time. Too many trains on a line or overcrowded stations can lead to delays or operational disruptions.
Real data
Census data from the US and UK records locations of residence and workplaces. The game uses this to generate millions of commuters with home locations, then assigns them workplaces using a distance-based gravity model. They are also assigned commute times distributed similarly to real-world patterns.
This decision is then made based on the time required for each mode of transport, the associated costs, and the value of their time (which may vary depending on the commuter's income).
If they decide to take the subway, you can track their commutes as they travel to work (simultaneously tracking thousands of commuters). If a train is delayed or canceled, it will affect their commute, and future commuters will take this into account.
The game also simulates commuters from universities and airports, whose behaviors differ due to distinct income distributions and commute times. The number of university students is based on federal data, while airport figures use FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) data.
Cities currently included in Subway Builder are: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington in the US. Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Newcastle are available as UK cities.