Percentage Population

[OldGamer]

Hi fellow transport gurus

I am wondering if someone can tell me what does it mean when it says "poor", "good" etc under the population bit of a city. It omniously states "line useage", yet you can set up 4 lines and click play and move to "Good" when no one has used this. Therefore is this about coverage?
If so, a part B to my question is, is there a finite number of population you go to, even if your coverage of the city is 100%? (without any kind of goods input)

My builds are often:
Bus routes - clockwise circle, anti circle and a "centre" line (that goes directly in the city centre thus)
Train station (maybe two or three) in the city, going to multiple routes.

My particular question is about:
LONDON
it has:
1 main station, 8 platforms, of which 2 are unused.
1 west station, 8 platforms, 4 are used
It goes to 10 places on the map by train
1 airport
1 by air
it has 5 bus lines, covering all of the city.
1 goods transport (food) - I find the production mechanic unbearable, but got this up to 70%.

However, it fluctulates from 30% (mediocre) to 49% (good), since I have hit electric trains in the 50s/60s. It like london stopped growing in the 80s...(which is quite ironic (IRL thats when the big bang happened))

So just wondering how can I make it 100%?

Is it more, or is it how effectively I have done this?
They are all A to B lines...I can't do massive rings, they always end up going south. LOL.

Thanks,
OG

[Vimpster]

100% is nearly impossible under normal circumstances. The number is what percentage of the population of the town are using your transport services for at least one of their 4 possible journeys (To work, to home, to shopping, back to home). It has nothing to do with how much of the town you have in your actual coverage. Though obviously if you don't have total coverage it will diminish what potential service rating you can reach. But you could have 100% coverage and have almost 0% service rating because of how poorly you have designed your lines.

[OldGamer]

Originally posted by Vimpster:

100% is nearly impossible under normal circumstances. The number is what percentage of the population of the town are using your transport services for at least one of their 4 possible journeys (To work, to home, to shopping, back to home). It has nothing to do with how much of the town you have in your actual coverage. Though obviously if you don't have total coverage it will diminish what potential service rating you can reach. But you could have 100% coverage and have almost 0% service rating because of how poorly you have designed your lines.

It's probably the last bit then. LOL.
How many changes do they make to get somewhere...
So all my line are literally A to B when it comes to trains. So if you wanted to get to Stockholm from London, you would have to go to Copenhagen or Trumiso first, then go to Stockholm.
I have seen a person go to work in Trumiso and live in Berlin which is the same sort of journey (you have to go through Stockholm, making possibly 4 connections, Tram (TSO) - Train (SKM) - Train (to BER) - Bus (in BER) - Home)

When I do "rings" aka a continous line, it always messes up the trains running smoothly, they always get turned around or just stop for no apparent reasonable explanation and basically is a total disaster. Probably not the game's fault, actually I know it isn't, yet my know-how being absolute near zero. I've watched so many youtube videos to try and get a ring/loop system working...but it seems when I do it, it never works forever...

[cszolee79]

It's not that difficult, you just have to set up the terminals and directions correctly for the lines.
It is best that you make the loops in both directions.
Say Stations go in a circle, like 1-2-3-4
Loop1 1-2-3-4
Loop2 4-3-2-1

If not a circle, then you do one line with dual tracks, and proper signals. I have such lines running between 5 cities with 10 trains each, like a clockwork.
1-2-3-4-3-2

Same for bus lines, make a central stop next to your main train station and make 2-3 separate loops with buses on both directions (4-6 lines).

Check out the signals guide, it helps a lot. Make your signals at least 1.5 trains length and it should be OK.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372231022
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372231052
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372232550
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372237901
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372237954

[chrisasnyder]

As Vimpster said, people have 4 travel plans. Only those 4. When constructing your travel networks you need to consider that part of the game mechanic. People will use fast or cheap when choosing how to move about. The more direct the path, the more likely they will use it.

Consider a single train station in a city. People living in that city will only travel to that station from the residental when going to work/shop in another city. Assuming the other end has enough reasons to make the trip.

People from another city arriving will want to get to either shop or work. Higer level buildings can support more people coming to them.

Even though a loop design will hit satisfy these things, it's not optimal. People have a limit in both time and cost as to how far they will tavel and as speed increases the cost per ticket, it will shrink the effective range of a buildings draw. Meaning a path a person used early in the game when things were cheaper, will stop using it as costs increase. The games counter mechanic to this behavior is increased building density and levels.

Ideally a station in a residential area of a city, would connect directy to another cities commerical area and to a third cities industrial area. Supply cargo to those zones to encourgage building upgrading, there will be excellent usage of those lines. Now, enter in the randomness of maps, terrain, city grown, comes in to create the puzzle part of the game when trying to keep that optimal setup.

[canophone]

70% is pretty excellent for a line usage (for me, it's quite average for well served cities):

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372367544

Highest line usage city:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1372378047

[OldGamer]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1373797583

London has seven lines inner city for bus services. We have 4 circular routes, (one clockwise, another anti) this is replicated in the old town [1800s] and new town [circa 1950]
Then you have two lines that link to the stations (Linkage *old) and Shuttle (new).
Then an airport line in the old sector part which goes to Algiers ATM. I just wanted concordes lol.


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1373828401

London (Central) Train station has 6 lines out of. The most successful being to Copenhagen, as it goes to a work/shopping area. (Most londoners work in Denmark (probably get more wages lol))
West Station is still in construction, as the Americans are a little slow (on building up) so the trans-atlantic lines (Firstly New York to London, was built and founded in 1925, then later in Tornoto to London in 1987). The trade unions in Americas, are currently discussing routes all over america, but they are in their planning stages with only six destinations being connected to the 1999 built network track. They New York to Tornoto (1927), Tornoto to Port Nelson (1891), Tornoto to Chicago (1932) and recent lines New York to Atlanta (2021) and Charlotte to Atlanta (2021) with plans to reach out to Kansas and Miami later in this decade (2030s currently).

London has also dabbled in Food production making a regular 77% for many years via the Sheffield & Newfield Tins and Beans Association forming in 1852. It soon went to 89% coverage of London in 1899 but hit fluctuations in the 1930s (I assume the depression) and 1980s (maybe due to the coal miners striking?) but has steadily restregthened, due to no competition...anywhere. Literally no one has food. They probably manufactures vitamin pills by now that sustains a 3 course meal in one tablet! But it may also be that O.G (aka GOD, aka Oldman on Cycles etc) is inept in cargo pulling...

[CashonWheels]

If you get 60%-70% line usage that fine. If its 80% or more you get an achievement. 80% is doable with a small town a bus line and one rail line/airport/port out. No roads! It was always in between 65%-81% usage. I crammed that town with excessive buses and bus stops and line usage fluctuated between 77% to 89% during that year