The People's Train

**The People's Train** is the sixteenth mission of the classic campaign of Railroad Tycoon II. It is the fourth mission of the Rest of the World act. The premise of the mission is the development of the People's Republic of China's railroads in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. The map used is a representation of China.

## Overview

### Introduction Spiel

> *Strange how these quiet hills could hide such chaos. The Chinese Civil War is now over, and the People's Republic wants you to fix up that raggedy rail system of theirs. Crops are going bad in the fields, and the nation's exports are suffering without any good transportation in place. There's not a lot to work with either, so you'll need to be very resourceful. I know you can do it, though. And the People's Republic will be most grateful.*
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### Victory Conditions

* **Bronze:** Build the Rail System to a Book Value (Equity) of $10 Million by 1972.
* **Silver:** $20 Million by 1967
* **Gold:** $40 Million by 1962

A loss will be triggered if the company does not have a company book value (equity) of at least $10 Million by 1972.

### Available Bonuses

* **Choice 1:** -20% Track Maintenance
* **Choice 2:** +10% Passenger and Mail Revenue
* **Choice 3:** +20% Station Profit

### Starting Situation

* **Starting Year:** 1949
* **Player Name:** Mao Zedong
	+ **Starting Player Cash:** $550K company cash
	+ **Starting Scenario:** Baotou, Chongqing, Beijing, Xuzjhou, Zaozhuang, and 1 Train.

The player starts with a scattered and disconnected railway system with one train sitting in Zaozhuang

### Ending Spiel

> *Nice job in China. Now that the economies of the Far East are on track, we need to make our way back to Australia. Increasing competition without regulation has taken its toll since your last visit.*
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## Strategy

You start with a Book Value of $5,072,000—halfway to the Bronze goal. The problem is, a large portion of what you have will need to be scrapped or re-routed to become profitable. Despite the sky-high starting share price, you can't issue stock. You can, however, issue bonds.

Passenger revenues here are high in this scenario. Choice #2 is therefore a good selection. Choice #3 can also be powerful if you max out your station bonus buildings (Large Hotel, Large Restaurant, Saloon). The profit generated by these buildings is increased an extra 20%. Plus, the cost of these buildings goes toward your Company Book value, so this strategy can be effective.

There is a LOT of scattered rail throughout the map. Bulldoze as much unused rail as possible (you are charged for it). Especially in the mountain areas, the track cost (and therefore track maintenance cost) is high, and you won't need it for this scenario.

Focus on Beijing and Xuzhou to start. Only purchase Diesel engines, so your rail system doesn't need water. Start by moving passengers and mail, then expand to producing food and goods for your connected cities. Just build one central network through the plain, you don't need to worry about he mountainous regions.

#### Bronze Medal

Start by cleaning up the mess. Pause the game and take stock of what you start with. Most of what you see can be used, but you need to use some of your initial funds to bulldoze useless track that is costing you money. There are several routes in the west that go nowhere—bite the bullet and get rid of them or maintenance will come back to haunt you on them. In fact, you’ll wish you could bulldoze more than you can, but concentrate on getting rid of the most useless track first. Re-route your existing train appropriately and bulk up your stations with appropriate upgrades.

Beijing is the best "hub" for your railway. Keep the stations and track around Beijing and expand upon it. Run passenger trains to Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and other nearby medium-sized towns. Keep the trains to less than three cars to move things along.

Upgrade to electric track as soon as possible. With the great distances involved between major cities, you’ll need the benefit of electric trains. Upgrade the short routes first, then take care of your longer hauls. Passengers like speed, so get this done as soon as you can to increase passenger revenues further.

Buy industries to bolster your Book Value. Book Value (Equity) is calculated by subtracting your Debt from your Assets. Since you won’t have any debt—remember, you can’t issue bonds—you can drive up your equity by purchasing industries and adding stations and track (assets). Getting the $5 million you need in addition to your starting Equity should be a breeze, and will win you the Bronze.

#### Silver Medal

Double your equity through aggressive expansion. It’s very likely you won the Bronze with very few stations and trains. You won’t win the Silver if you don’t build more routes. This translates to more revenues, and more assets (stations and track). Just make sure your cash stays ahead of maintenance costs and you’ll take the Silver easily.

#### Gold Medal

Time to play with the big boys. Winning the Gold here will require that you keep profits high and invest heavily in industry from the start. Industry Investment, Track, and Buildings should be your largest assets. You can grow by leaps and bounds by buying up lucrative industries (or by buying marginal ones and making them lucrative yourself).

You will need to expand aggressively in order to achieve gold. Use different Managers to save money when expanding (reduced track costs, reduced station costs, reduced engine costs). Long-distance express routes will be your cash cow, but consider establishing some industry chains to make additional money and be sure to buy up all the industries to enhance your book value!