{"id":73477,"date":"2026-10-07T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=73477"},"modified":"2026-10-07T16:31:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T07:31:11","slug":"transport-fever-3-developers-sit-down-with-the-creators-of-the-a-train-series-for-a-railway-geek-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/interviews\/transport-fever-3-developers-sit-down-with-the-creators-of-the-a-train-series-for-a-railway-geek-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Transport Fever 3 developers sit down with the creators of the A-Train series for a railway geek-out: \u201cJapan is the real-life Transport Fever\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Paradox Interactive released Transport Fever 3<\/a><\/strong>, the latest installment in the popular logistics management simulation series by Swiss developer Urban Games, on September 30. The game lets players build and manage transportation networks using railways, ships and aircraft, among other forms of transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considering their shared passion for railways and transportation, AUTOMATON recently brought together the developers of Transport Fever 3 and A-Train \u2013 Artdink\u2019s series of railway company management simulations \u2013 for a roundtable interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Transport Fever 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Transport Fever 3<\/a>, players manage and operate logistics networks spanning railways, roads, and shipping routes across four different environments: temperate, desert, tropical, and subarctic. By combining more than 250 types of trains, buses, trams, trucks, ships, aircraft, and other vehicles, players connect cities, stimulate numerous industries, and build a vast economic network. The game also introduces new features such as day-night cycles and dynamic weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The A-Train series, meanwhile, differs from other city-building simulation games in that players do not directly designate and develop individual plots or areas. Instead, cities are developed indirectly through the operation of a railway company. As people gather around stations and railway lines, towns emerge and expand, allowing the games to depict not only railway company management but also modern cityscapes that grow and evolve alongside the railway. The latest entry in the series, A-Train 9 PRIME LINE<\/a>, is scheduled to launch on Steam<\/a> on December 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A-Train 9 PRIME LINE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For this interview, we spoke with Nico Heini, Publishing Manager at Urban Games, as well as Junmei Ono, director of Artdink\u2019s A-Train series, and Takayuki Seido, producer of the series. Although the two games have distinct styles, they share a common focus on expanding railway networks and developing cities. We talked to the developers about the ideas and development processes behind both titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two game companies with \u2018railways\u2019 at their roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2014First, could you please introduce yourselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nico Heini (Urban Games, hereafter \u201cHeini\u201d):<\/strong>
Sure. Urban Games is a game development studio based in Switzerland, and I\u2019m responsible for a wide range of publishing-related work, including marketing and PR. The company was founded more than 15 years ago by two brothers. Back in the 1990s, they played Transport Tycoon and thought, \u201cOne day, we\u2019d like to make something more modern and better.\u201d That idea gradually took shape, eventually leading to the creation of our first title, Train Fever.
Interestingly, although the new Transport Fever 3 is numbered \u201c3,\u201d it is actually the fourth title in the series, with Train Fever being the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Junmei Ono and Takayuki Seido (A-Train Development Team):<\/strong>
Artdink is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. We used to be based in Makuhari, but our office is now located in Tsukishima, near Tsukiji in Tokyo. We\u2019ve developed a wide variety of games over the years, but our very first title was the first game in the A-Train series. The A-Train series itself is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nico:<\/strong>
Congratulations! The brothers who founded our company also played A-Train when they were children, so I think it was probably an inspiration for them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A-Train Development Team:<\/strong>
Did you play the PC version when you were a child?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nico:<\/strong>
I believe it was the PC version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A-Train Development Team:<\/strong>
It\u2019s amazing that you were practically raised on A-Train! (laughs) There have been so many games in the A-Train series over the years that I\u2019ve lost count. I think one reason we\u2019ve been able to keep the series going for so long is that we\u2019ve continued to release titles for the hardware of each era, including Switch, Switch 2, and PlayStation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014A-Train is a simulation game that deals with railways and economics. How do railways, transportation, and the economy interact in Transport Fever 3?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nico:<\/strong>
First of all, you can transport not only goods, but also passengers. The player’s job is to introduce transportation into the world, and how you go about doing that is entirely up to you.
With Transport Fever 3, we wanted to move away, at least somewhat, from having money as the sole central focus for the first time in the series. In Transport Fever 2, once you had accumulated enough money, the game was more or less over. Of course, you could still spend hundreds of hours afterward building cities and transportation networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, we’re taking the game in a more tycoon-oriented direction. Each city has different stages of growth, as well as eight needs that can be fulfilled. These can be disabled if you don’t need them, but if you meet all of them in good condition, the city will grow to its full potential. In other words, there are many factors at play beyond simply making money, and whatever you do will inevitably have an impact somewhere else. The game is about managing that balance and successfully developing your region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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