All cities require multiple transportation and travel methods, whether for going to work or other reasons. That is also the case in Cities: Skylines, where you manage a single city and build metros to get people where they need to go.
If you are unsure how the metro works, this article will teach you everything you need to know about building an efficient metro system.
What Is the Metro System in Cities: Skylines?
Metro systems are underground transportation, and you’ll find it highly beneficial for cities with dense populations or condensed towns. Tunnels are the equivalent of roads, and you need to loop the tunnels before citizens can travel in the metro. You’ll need a Metro Station first before you can place tunnels down.
Every International Airport in your city also has one Metro Station inside. You can connect it to other stations.
Before you unlock the Metro Station, you must reach the Big Town Milestone. A Big Town has a base population of 7,000 citizens, which shows how much you have to work for it.
Once you reach the Big Town Milestone, you can spend 15,000 Cells building your first Metro Station. It takes 240 Cells per week to maintain it. Other stats include:
- 160 meters3 of water consumption a week
- No pollution
- 50 noise pollution
Building a Metro Station will also unlock the Metro Tunnel. The tunnels are pretty cheap, though you’ll need plenty of them to keep a larger city connected. Here are the Metro Tunnel’s stats:
- 100 Cells to build
- 0.64 Cells of upkeep per week
- No pollution
- No noise pollution
By creating a loop of tunnels, your Metro System will be functional.
In the free Sunset Harbor update, Metro Tunnels gained two new functions. They are no longer underground only; you can place them at ground level or on elevated platforms. This change makes height adjustment necessary in more recent versions.
Building an Underground Metro System
Once you have enough Cells and reach the Big Town Milestone, you’re ready to construct your underground metro system. Here’s how to do that:
- Build some Metro Stations around your city.
- Adjust the height of the Metro Tunnels, so they’re below ground level.
- Connect the stations with underground Metro Tunnels.
- Repeat until you’re satisfied with the result.
Pressing Page Up or Page Down will change the Metro Tunnels’ height. You can mix tunnel heights to have some at a grade.
Many players enjoy modding Cities: Skylines which caused some issues. In 2020, players could not build underground Metro Tunnels due to an update to the original game.
The consensus is that the Fine Road Anarchy mod was the culprit. With the glitch, the Metro Tunnels would disappear from the building menu, and players could not build underground Metro services. Players either had to deactivate the mod, or they could not build Metro Tunnels.
No More Congestion
Congested cities aren’t fun, making the Metro System in Cities: Skylines effective. Not only is the system versatile, but it also doesn’t cause much pollution to the environment. With a connected city, your citizens will thank you immensely as they thrive.
Did you encounter a problem with the Metro Tunnels? How elaborate are your Metro lines? Let us know in the comments section below.
