One of the most requested routes and one of the most requested trains are coming to Train Sim World 6!
Coast along Britain’s Riviera Line with the return of GWR’s iconic branding and add more services in Deluxe Edition with the eagerly-awaited Voyager.
In this article we’ll dive deep into the Riviera Line’s timetable, outline all the trains you’ll get and opportunities for layering from other Train Sim World Add-ons.
Before we head into the details of Riviera Line, a quick reminder that this week marks the start of Train Sim World 6 Early Access for players who pre-order Deluxe or Special Edition.
This will commence on Thursday 25th September at:
1600 BST for PlayStation and Xbox players
1800 BST for Epic Games and Steam players
For Steam players, this will also mark the time at which Compatible Content can be downloaded.
For Special Edition players on all platforms, this will include the 5 back catalogue Compatible Content Add-ons included.
A full rollout plan for Compatible Content can be found in our FAQs.
If you can’t wait to become part of the action, there's still time to pre-order on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam!
Pre-ordering available bundles (including Standard edition) can entitle players to a 10% discount. Please see our TSW6 FAQs for more information on this for each game platform.
Both the Riviera and South Devon Main Lines were built in the mid-1800s. The challenging topography of the land saw rails navigate over hills and cling to coastlines, but was considered favourable over an alternative route over the granite Tors of Dartmoor. What followed was instant connections to seaside resorts and the ability to cross some of the most picturesque railway in England; as a result, the line soared in popularity.
In Train Sim World, the stretch from Exeter to Plymouth links Devonshire’s two cities via this dramatic and historic route. Long gone are the days of GWR’s infamous broad gauge and atmospheric railway systems, instead today, the Exeter - Plymouth line is part of the greater, modern UK railway network. It has often been described as one the most beautiful stretches of railway in Britain.
This is demonstrated as soon as players leave Exeter St Davids, heading south through the industrial estate of Marsh Barton, where a brand-new station was opened in 2023. A small opening party can be in-game celebrating the occasion! It is from here and on all the other station platforms in Riviera Line, where players can experience the new Platform Announcements feature!
From there, the line begins to hug the Exe River, passing through the grounds of Powderham Castle, where the Earls of Devon have resided for hundreds of years. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was granted permission to build his atmospheric railway through the estate in the 1840s.
The first station beyond Exeter’s confines is Starcross. From there, trains through the harbour at Cockwood (a popular railfanning spot) and down to Dawlish Warren where the River Exe ends and meets the English Channel. Red sandstone cliffs, split by the occasional tunnel and accompanied by a coastal walkway (also good for railfanning), follow the railway line through to Dawlish town, famous for its black Swans and the storm of 2014 that necessitated extensive rebuilding of the railway line. The coastal running then continues through to Teignmouth.
At Newton Abbot, the line splits, with the main line continuing on to Plymouth, via Totnes and Ivybridge and the Paignton branch line heading back towards the coast via Torre and Torquay.
The route reaches its southern extremity at Plymouth, where trains will run out of the map to serve Cornwall. Laira Depot is also included in the route, where GWR and CrossCountry trains stable and are maintained.
Train Sim World 6 sees the return of the iconic GWR branding to the game, since its first appearance way back when Great Western Express first released for TSW in 2018. Showcasing a livery that’s celebrating 10 years in 2025 is the modern Class 802 IET.
Though this train may look similar to the LNER Class 801 Azuma included in East Coast Main Line, it performs and sounds very different! The GWR Class 802 is bi-mode, with full diesel engine power to cope with the undulating terrain of the non-electrified Riviera Line as well as overhead electric power for use elsewhere.
The interior also looked markedly different from the LNER variant, with the smart grey and green passenger areas which will have the new passenger announcements and passenger ambience features implemented for increased levels of immersion.
available in Deluxe / Special Edition
It’s been requested enough times... the Voyager is finally here in Train Sim World!
These distinctive trains were born from the idea to revolutionise some of the busiest and longest services in the UK, including the vast CrossCountry network. Entering service in 2001, the fleet of 34 Class 220s got busy traversing England & Scotland, with each member of the class clocking hundreds of miles per day.
Of the many lines and locations the Voyagers have served for the past 20 years, including the bustling city of Birmingham, and across the towering Forth Bridge in Scotland, perhaps the most ubiquitous is their stretch along the Devonshire seaside towns. Whether as part of the long-distance Aberdeen to Penzance marathon, or the occasional Manchester-Paignton jaunt, the Dawlish Sea Wall scenery is a highlight for travellers of all kinds.
In Train Sim World 6, be a driver or conductor aboard busy CrossCountry services along the scenic Riviera Line. Accelerate out of Exeter and race by on express services to Plymouth, crest over the Devon Hills and hurry past the Dawlish Sea Wall.
Existing players will no doubt want to explore other UK routes in their collection by spawning the Voyager into timetable mode.
We’ll talk more about implementation into back catalogue routes later in this article.
Routes where Voyagers could be used in Free Roam include:
Midland Main Line
Fife Circle Line
West Cornwall Local (albeit, different era)
The Voyager will feature train faults (detailed further down) and passenger ambience in the passenger areas. Automated Passenger Announcements will be toggleable in settings – in reality, these are not automated on Voyagers and are instead read out by onboard train managers.
The CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager loco Add-on will be available to purchase separately once Train Sim World 6 has released on 30th September.
Serving local stations is a more contemporary version of the ubiquitous Class 150 previously seen in both West Cornwall Local and Cardiff City Network Add-ons. This staple of the British Railway network was first introduced in the 1980s and has since seen action across the breadth and depth of Britain, including the Westcountry coastline and Devonshire branch lines.
For Riviera Line, the Class 150 comes with a new GWR livery and reworked cab and passenger interior from the previous versions. In addition, sounds have been updated following an audio recording trip by our Audio Team which has also enabled the sounds for the TfW Class 150 in Cardiff City Network to be updated for Train Sim World 6 players. Some of these updated sounds are already implemented into the TfW version.
The GWR Class 150 is included in Train Sim World 6’s Riviera Line route. Players do not need to own previously released content to access this train.
Riviera Line and its trains will feature the new Train Faults and Random Events also seen in the other two core routes.
This includes Signal Delays and Temporary Speed Restrictions.
Train Faults can be toggled in the Settings Menu, making it possible for a variety of faults to be encountered during a run in timetable mode.
The list of faults available in the Class 150 and 220 trains are as follows:
Wiper Stuck
Diesel Engine stalls
Passenger Door Stuck
Wiper Stuck
Diesel Engine stalls
Passenger Door Stuck
Train Faults will be implemented into the GWR Class 802 in a post-release update.
You can read more about these features in our previous article.
The timetable for Riviera Line has been developed with the help of Tyler, a Game Designer at Rivet Games. You may remember Tyler from the West Midlands Railway / CrossCountry Class 170 article, where they described in detail the work they’d done for the new Birmingham Cross-City timetable (more on that later...)
The scenic Riviera Line boasts a surprising density and variety of traffic. Let's take a journey along the line for an overview of playable and AI services.
A priority for many players is accuracy, and we share that priority. The data for our timetable comes from the Working Timetable (WTT), an official publication for the railway industry in the UK. We're using the May 2023 version and have included every service listed in the passenger and freight timetables, whether playable or AI. Arrival and departure times from intermediate stations are straight from the WTT, not auto-generated. Station stops after a train leaves the modeled route, shown on platform and train information screens and known as "virtual destinations" are also from the WTT.
The shared trunk of the route is from Exeter St Davids to Newton Abbot, where the line splits: the Paignton branch follows the coast to Paignton and the main line climbs over the South Devon Banks to Plymouth.
Local stations on the trunk and Paignton branch are primarily served by the Class 150 on a half-hourly stopping service between Paignton and Exmouth (playable as far as Exeter St Davids, where the AI reverses in the station and heads out of the map for Exmouth). These trains are stabled at Exeter Depot, adjacent to Exeter St Davids, so early morning and late evening are a flurry of depot services shunting across the River Exe between the depot and station.
Exeter St Davids is the busiest station on the route, with eight playable trains per hur plus AI trains from off map locations such as Barnstaple, Okehampton and Exeter Central. It is also the terminus of Class 159 services from London Waterloo, which are represented by the East Midlands Trains Class 158, layering in from Midland Main Line. It's "close enough" to our eyes, but if you disagree you can always disable the layer in Layer Selector.
Let's depart Exeter St Davids and head to the outskirts of the city. In 2023, the new Marsh Barton station opened as part of the Devon Metro improvement programme. In the "Grand Opening" scenario, you'll drive a VIP service to the station's opening ceremony, but the new station is also interesting in timetable mode for the Class 150: Outside peak times, every other Paignton-Exeter train skips the stations between Exeter St Davids and Dawlish, forming one stopper and one express each hour. Going toward Paignton, the stopper serves the new station, but in the opposite direction the stopper skips it while the express stops.
The next station, Dawlish Warren, is on twin passing loops forming a short stretch of quadruple line. Many stopping services wait here for a faster train to overtake them, giving you a chance to trainspot, look for collectibles, or simply get a cup of tea. That said, we value your time so we've split waits longer than 10 minutes into a separate service allowing you to get your score, go back to the menu, and start Part 2 immediately.
Leaving Dawlish Warren behind, we're soon winding along the coast until we reach the red cliffs at Dawlish. The sea can be rough here, with waves crashing onto the line, a theme explored in the Wave Wall Rescue scenario. The track further from the ocean is signalled bidirectionally between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth for flexibility in bad weather. We leave the ocean at Teignmouth for a short sprint along the River Teign to Newton Abbot.
After Newton Abbot, we split off the main line and head through leafy suburbs until we reach the town of Paignton. Some trains change ends in the station to form the next service, while others continue past the station to Goodrington Sidings. The carriage sidings use manual junctions, so make sure you set the points correctly before moving!
The Class 150 isn't the only train you'll see on the Paignton branch. The 802 and 220 also serve the town, but more on them in a bit. Nor is the Class 150 restricted to this branch, some run to Plymouth. Finally, if you own Great Western Express, the Class 166 will handle some of these services, bringing Turbos to the seaside.
Paignton shares a station with a steam heritage railway, which layers in using the Jubilee and 8F from Peak Forest Railway and Mk1 coaches from West Somerset Railway. The run-around shunting moves at Paignton are playable, and AI handles the off-route trips to Kingswear, all using the railway's real timetable and providing year-round service.
A trip to the seaside is lovely, but it's time for a workout. If we turn right at Newton Abbot instead, we immediately launch into a stiff climb of Dainton Bank, a two-mile slog as steep as 1 in 36 or 2.8%. This is the third-steepest main line bank on the British mainland. The steep gradients and winding curves of the South Devon Banks have challenged drivers since the 1840s, but today's trains are more than up for the task.
The GWR Class 802 is a bi-mode (diesel and electric) multiple-unit train known as the Intercity Express Train, or IET. These provide an hourly service between London Paddington and Plymouth, with some trains continuing to Penzance or Newquay. They also provide three daily round trips between London and Paignton. These operate in 5, 9, and 10-carriage sets.
The CrossCountry Class 220, or Voyager, also tackles this portion of line on hourly services between Plymouth and Edinburgh, as well as three round trips between Paignton and Manchester Piccadilly. These operate in 4- and 8-carriage sets.
The GWR Class 43 HST, layered from Great Western Express, has been bumped from top-line express trains by the IET but can still be found on the route working shorter four-carriage regional services between Penzance and Cardiff. In 2023, not enough modernised "Castle" sets had been completed so some unrebuilt classic sets were still in use, which is what is depicted here. You'll also spot static HST stock around Laira Depot.
The Dainton tunnel marks the summit of the first climb, so shut off power and be ready on the brake as you drop down into Totnes, where we find our second heritage railway holding a diesel gala. The Class 33 and Mk1 coaches from West Somerset Railway operate April-December, joined by the Class 101 from West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle from June to August. These services are AI-only but provide something interesting to look out for while driving past.
If you're running express through Totnes, put the power on as you pass the station to get a running start at Rattery Bank. It's not as steep as Dainton but it's twice as long. If you did stop at Totnes, you'll have a long, slow climb to Rattery Viaduct. The grades ease up for a while, before you drop down the steep Hemerdon Bank to Plymouth. In the past, some HST services were sometimes advised not to stop at Totnes in the down direction, in order to have a decent ‘run up’ before Rattery!
At Plymouth, both the IET and Voyager are stabled at Laira Depot. This fully-playable facility bustles with traffic throughout the day, and also includes a triangle (wye) for turning trains and a train wash. Three Class 08 shunters are stabled at the depot, and we've included several of these in railtour layers (more on those later). Plymouth Station is a mile past the depot, giving plenty of empty coaching stock gameplay between the station and depot. You'll also find some longer stock movements between Laira, Exeter, and points north. Many trains terminate at Plymouth, but others continue as AI services toward Penzance. The station is also served by AI traffic including Class 150 services to Gunnislake.
The Riviera Line has less freight today than in the past, but what remains will give you a run for your money. Many freight services start or end at Exeter Riverside Yard, just north of Exeter St Davids, which is fully playable.
Sand from Burngullow flows to Bow for making concrete. While the empty train handles 16 wagons at once, viaduct weight restrictions restrict loaded wagons to eight at a time, so the loaded train runs twice, leaving the first batch of wagons at Exeter Riverside Yard and then running light back to Plymouth to pick up the rest. Requires WCML: London Euston - Milton Keynes and Southeastern Highspeed
China clay is mined in Cornwall and flows from Burngullow through Exeter Riverside Yard. These are represented by the PGA wagon, standing in for the CDA wagons which handled clay traffic until 2023. This layer is seasonal to represent the "as-needed" traffic which doesn't run every day. Requires WCML: London Euston - Milton Keynes and BR Class 20 'Chopper' loco Add-on (with Tees Valley Line)
Nuclear waste is transported from Plymouth Dockyard, removed from decommissioned submarines. Like the real services, these operate with top-and-tail DRS Class 66s, two flask wagons, and an aircon Mk2F rider carriage. These services have been planned into the in-game timetable ahead of Skyhook Games’ Cargo Line Volume 5: Nuclear release, currently on the Train Sim World Roadmap. Further updates on release plans will be detailed in future Roadmaps and articles.
Requires Edinburgh - Glasgow: Engineering Express, Cargo Line Vol. 5 - Nuclear, and BR Class 86/2 & Mk2F Coaches.
Exeter Riverside Yard stores disused aggregate wagons, included as static stock to match satellite reference photos. Requires Great Western Express
Every railway needs inspection and engineering to keep the infrastructure in good condition.
The Rail Head Treatment Train works a full tour of the line to blast leaf debris off the rails, twice daily in October and November.
An ultrasonic inspection train makes weekly visits to the line to check for internal defects within the rails. This is formed of top-and-tail Class 37s and several modified Mk1 and Mk2 coaches, and visits the entire route plus a trip to Exeter Depot for fueling. This layer is seasonal to represent the once-weekly schedule and is represented by existing rolling stock from other Add-ons albeit in their native liveries and variants. Requires West Cornwall Local, West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle, and BR Class 86/2 & Mk2F Coaches
We don't have any sleepers in TSW, but how could we have the Riviera Line without the famed Night Rivera sleeper? We've substituted a heritage railtour using first-class Mk3 carriages, pulled by a Class 47. Requires West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle
When it comes to the other railtours, we referenced a variety of photos and videos to research accurate consists and routings. Some are a combination of multiple tours to create interesting and varied gameplay that's still as realistic as possible.
The South Devon Banks will give you a run for your money at the throttle of a steam engine or Class 52 "Western”, so naturally we started there. Three railtours run from Exeter St Davids to Plymouth and back. Each unloads at Plymouth and turns on the triangle at Laira Depot, staying there for a few hours for servicing before returning to Plymouth to board. Because Laira Depot is a mile away from Plymouth, another locomotive is needed on the rear of the train to lead the way.
The Cathedrals Express railtour, behind Flying Scotsman and assisted by a Class 08 based at Laira Depot. Requires LNER Class A3 60103 Flying Scotsman and West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle
The Western Pilgrim railtour, behind D1015 Western Champion in BR blue and assisted by a Class 08 based at Laira Depot. Requires Diesel Legends of the Great Western, West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle, and BR Class 86/2 & Mk2F Coaches
The Devonian Double railtour, behind double-headed Class 40s and assisted by the Class 47 on the rear of the train. Requires BR Heavy Freight Pack (with Northern Trans-Pennine) and West Coast Main Line: Preston - Carlisle
A further railtour runs from Exeter St Davids to Plymouth, continuing off the route before returning several hours later for the return trip.
The South Devon Explorer railtour, behind a maroon Jubilee. Requires West Cornwall Steam Railtour
Two railtours run from Exeter St Davids to Paignton.
The Western Sunrise railtour, behind D1015 Western Champion in red along with a green Class 47, unloads at Paignton and continues to Goodrington Sidings to run around its train before returning to Paignton for the return trip. Requires BR Class 52 'Western', West Somerset Railway, and LNER Class A3 60103 Flying Scotsman
The Torbay Express railtour, behind a green Class 47, continues as AI onto the steam railway at Paignton, returning several hours later for the return trip. Requires West Somerset Railway
We've reached the end of our journey through the timetable. I hope you enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed creating it!
For clarity, the full list of Add-ons required for all playable and AI layers is as follows:
Great Western Express
Diesel Legends of the Great Western
Class 33 loco Add-on
Class 52 loco Add-on
Midland Main Line
Class 86/2 loco Add-on
Southeastern Highspeed
Railhead Treatment Train
West Cornwall Local
West Cornwall Steam Railtour
Northern Trans-Pennine
BR Heavy Freight Pack
Tees Valley Line
Class 20 ‘Chopper’ loco Add-on
Cargo Line Volume 5: Nuclear (yet to be released)
The Seasonal Variation of Services is as follows:
Class 52, Western Sunrise: April
Jubilee, South Devon Explorer: May
Flying Scotsman, Cathedrals Express: June
Class 47, Torbay Express: July
Class 52, Western Pilgrim: September
Class 40, Devonian Double: October
Clay, 6V05 and 6C10: March-December
Clay, 6C99 and 6C53: May-September
Ultrasonic Test Train: May-September
Railhead Treatment Train: October-November
South Devon Railway Class 33 AI: April-December
South Devon Railway Class 101 AI: June-August
The in-game month can be altered in the timetable menu, along with the weather settings.
After further reviewing performance on previous-generation consoles, we've amended the timetables to provide a suitable experience for these players (Xbox One and PlayStation 4).
There will be no additional services (playable or AI) from layered content from other Add-ons.
Rivet Games have confirmed that gaps were planned for the CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager service in their recent Class 170 Birmingham Cross-City timetable. These layers will be implemented in a future update.
Players with the West Somerset Railway Add-on and Riviera Line will see the Class 150 services replaced with the GWR version, which was used in real life during the 2019 shuttle trials that took place. The Class 220 Voyager will also appear as AI on the short section of Great Western main line, for players with Deluxe/Special Edition or the loco Add-on. These changes will be implemented in an update post-launch.
These additions will apply to the Steam Gala timetable, available for players with the Peak Forest Railway and West Somerset Railway Add-ons.
ATS similarly have plans for an update implementing the Class 220 Voyager into Manchester Airport Commuter and the first post-launch Add-on by All Aboard Studios, WCML: Birmingham – Crewe, will also have Class 220 Voyager layers available to play.
Game Designer Liam has also confirmed that AI Class 220 Voyager services will appear in the Great Western Express Remaster.
There are 8 Scenarios in total for the Riviera Line: 5 with the route and 3 with the CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager Add-on. These feature situations themed around Hallowe’en, the inclement weather causing trains to fail at Dawlish and the opening of Marsh Barton Station.
Mastery Challenges are also included, requiring you to perform certain tasks on a route, like completing certain Scenarios or travelling a certain number of miles in a specific locomotive. Tier 1 Challenges unlock Posters that can be seen throughout each route. Tier 2 Challenges unlock toggleable Scenery Tiles.
Join Jamie and Matt on the Railfan TV team, with guests Tyler and Joe from 1800 UTC on Wednesday 24th September on YouTube and Twitch.