Explore Train Sim World German routes and DLC, including cross-border lines, locomotive packs, compatibility, layers and what to buy first.
Train Sim World offers 17 routes set wholly in Germany, plus three cross-border routes that enter Germany. They cover ICE high-speed running, S-Bahn work, regional diesel lines, heavy freight and classic InterCity traffic. Separate locomotive DLC adds stock and timetable layers, but many packs require a specific home route.
German Train Sim World route DLC by corridor
These are the principal German routes released across the Train Sim World generations. A route carrying older branding such as TSW2, TSW3 or TSW4 Compatible is not a different railway; it is an earlier add-on packaged for use with later titles.
| Route | Section represented | Main driving style |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid Transit | Dessau–Markkleeberg via Leipzig | Leipzig S-Bahn commuter services |
| Ruhr-Sieg Nord | Hagen–Finnentrop | Heavy freight, banking and regional passenger work |
| Main-Spessart Bahn | Aschaffenburg–Gemünden | Mixed traffic over the Spessart gradients |
| Rhein-Ruhr Osten | Wuppertal–Hagen | S-Bahn and freight through the Wupper valley |
| Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr | Duisburg–Bochum | Dense Ruhr regional and InterCity traffic |
| Schnellfahrstrecke Köln–Aachen | Cologne–Aachen | ICE high-speed and regional services |
| Hauptstrecke München–Augsburg | Munich–Augsburg | ICE running and Munich S-Bahn operations |
| Hamburg–Lübeck | Hamburg–Lübeck | Regional passenger and freight traffic |
| Nahverkehr Dresden | Dresden–Riesa and associated branches | Busy regional, S-Bahn and freight operations |
| Tharandter Rampe | Dresden–Chemnitz | Tilting diesel units and steep-gradient running |
| Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel–Würzburg | Kassel–Würzburg | Long-distance ICE and freight driving |
| Bahnstrecke Bremen–Oldenburg | Bremen–Oldenburg | Regional services with older electric traction |
| Linke Rheinstrecke | Mainz–Koblenz | Classic German InterCity and regional trains |
| Niddertalbahn | Bad Vilbel–Stockheim | Rural diesel running and local shunting |
| Maintalbahn | Aschaffenburg–Miltenberg | Regional diesel services beside the Main |
| Kinzigtalbahn | Frankfurt–Fulda | Modern ICE, regional and freight traffic |
| Bahnstrecke Leipzig–Dresden | Leipzig–Dresden | Fast, regional and suburban traffic on a major corridor |
Readers comparing these with routes outside Germany can use our wider route-by-route catalogue organised by region.
German–Austrian cross-border routes
Three additional routes enter Germany but also contain substantial Austrian mileage.
- Vorarlberg: Lindau–Bludenz starts at Lindau in Bavaria before continuing into western Austria.
- Bahnstrecke Salzburg–Rosenheim links Salzburg with Rosenheim through the German–Austrian border area.
- Mittenwaldbahn: Innsbruck–Garmisch-Partenkirchen provides alpine passenger and freight driving between Tyrol and Bavaria.
Semmeringbahn and other Austrian-only routes are not German routes, even though they use rolling stock that can also appear in Germany.
Which German locomotive DLC is available?
Locomotive DLC adds a train, scenarios and usually timetable services rather than another railway. The principal dedicated German stock packs found across the compatible catalogue include:
| Locomotive or pack | Typical use |
|---|---|
| DB BR 182 | Passenger services associated with Rapid Transit |
| DB BR 155 | Heavy freight on Ruhr-Sieg Nord and supported layers |
| DB BR 204 | Diesel shunting and freight associated with Main-Spessart Bahn |
| DB BR 363 | Yard and trip freight work associated with Ruhr-Sieg Nord |
| DB BR 101 | InterCity services, originally associated with Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr |
| G6 | Industrial shunting and freight on Rhein-Ruhr Osten |
| DB BR 187 | Modern freight associated with Köln–Aachen |
| DB BR 423 expansion | Additional S-Bahn services on Köln–Aachen |
| Dispolok BR 182 | Private freight substitutions on supported German routes |
| Railpool BR 193 Vectron | Modern freight layers and substitutions |
| DB BR 218 | Diesel passenger work on Hamburg–Lübeck and supported routes |
| Expert DB BR 101 with IC driving trailer | A more system-intensive version of the BR 101 and push-pull InterCity operation |
| FlixTrain BR 193 Vectron | Private long-distance passenger services on Kinzigtalbahn |
| DB BR 111 with n-Wagen | Classic regional push-pull services on supported routes |
Trains such as the DB BR 612, BR 628, BR 642, BR 103 and ICE families also form part of the German catalogue, but many are supplied with their respective route rather than sold as independent locomotive DLC. Repaints and edition bundles can make a train appear to be a separate product when it is not.
Will older German DLC work in Train Sim World 6?
Most earlier German add-ons carrying Compatible branding can be used in Train Sim World 6 when the licence is owned through the same account and platform ecosystem. An Xbox, PlayStation or PC-store purchase does not normally transfer to a different ecosystem.
Installing a later base game does not automatically install every owned add-on. Routes and locomotives may need to be selected individually in the platform library. The locomotive’s specified home route must also be installed if its scenarios or timetable services depend on that route.
Compatibility does not guarantee that an old route gains every newer graphics or gameplay feature. Some receive substantial updates; others retain much of their original scenery, lighting and timetable structure. Our breakdown of how TSW4 and TSW5 packages differ explains how Kinzigtalbahn and inherited DLC fit into the later generations.
Which German Train Sim World route should you buy first?
Kinzigtalbahn is the broadest first purchase for modern mixed traffic, while Nahverkehr Dresden is stronger for timetable density and operational variety. The better choice changes with the type of railway work wanted:
- High-speed ICE: choose Kassel–Würzburg for sustained high-speed running, or Köln–Aachen for a shorter corridor mixed with regional traffic.
- Busy mixed traffic: choose Kinzigtalbahn or Nahverkehr Dresden. Extra owned trains can make Dresden considerably busier.
- Freight and gradients: choose Ruhr-Sieg Nord or Main-Spessart Bahn. Both are older releases, so expect less modern scenery than on newer DLC.
- Rural diesel operation: choose Niddertalbahn for slow, detailed branch-line work or Maintalbahn for a more conventional regional service pattern.
- Classic German electric traction: choose Linke Rheinstrecke for BR 103 and BR 110-era InterCity and regional driving.
- Cross-border mountain running: choose Mittenwaldbahn for alpine gradients and German–Austrian operation.
For a closer look at driving style, timetable depth and add-on requirements, see our comparison of the strongest Train Sim World route choices.
Why is an owned German train missing from a route?
An installed locomotive appears in a scheduled timetable only when the route contains a layer or substitution rule for that exact train. Owning a German electric locomotive does not make it appear automatically on every electrified German route.
- Check the dependency: install both the locomotive pack and the home route named in its product description.
- Confirm the timetable: some routes offer more than one timetable version, and the train may be present in only one of them.
- Remove filters: clear operator, traction and train filters that could hide the service.
- Restart after installation: allow the simulator to rebuild its list of installed content after adding or updating DLC.
- Distinguish timetables from Free Roam: Free Roam can permit broader stock placement, but it does not create authentic scheduled services or AI traffic.
The usual cause is a missing route dependency rather than a faulty locomotive installation. Our guide to timetable layers and their dependencies explains why the same German route can look sparse with one DLC collection and extremely busy with another.