Put your strategies here.

[ThatGuyWho]

I want this topic to be a good list of strategies that can eventually become stickied, as to help newcomers to the game.

Here's one I use: I have one train making the trip from the oil field to the refinery, then another train takes the gasoline from the refinery to the gas station.

[ojii]

(pak128, 1970+) Pick a big city that is central. Build airport. Build airports in the two biggest other cities. Add planes to those two from the central airport. add busses/streetcars to connect the airport to the city. grow from there.

[Václav]

ThatGuWho, I think you would find at least one similar topic if deep search could be done ... but ...

Without regard of played pakset, I use mostly railways.

At first I connect two cities (without regard of size, but with any industry) - and then, third city is connected only to one of two cities previously connected. And the fourth city too. And so on.

Small cities have connection to only one bigger city. And big cities have connection to two or three cities, rarely to more cities, if it is needed or possible.

And if two or more cities are very close to each other, then I connect them with tram. Sometimes, they are far at the beginning of game, but later they may be close to each other. So then they may be connected with train and tram together. Or train connection is eliminated.

And sometime, when any city that lays along track between two big cities sufficiently grow up, connection between big cities is eliminated. And instead this long connection, two short connections are founded. But of course, there must be suitable conditions for this.

And airports I build mostly on city outskirt - to one of railway stations. So great transportation hub is created. And money (for transportation of people and post) are rolling in.

Cargo transportation is basic source of money in beginning  of game, but later it is transportation of people and post that makes money. But without good web of lines of buses/trolleybuses or trams it is impossible to make money - while these lines may not be profitable.

And of course, it is good to use add-on vehicles (and industry chains). Add-on vehicles are cheaper in their price and running cost - and add-on industry chains may help to make money easier - that is useful mostly in beginning of game. But on other side, it is good to avoid their using.

[Ters]

My strategies, the first two of which is very much in opposition to everybody else's it seems:

   
• Intercity transports, including freight, only stop at two stations/terminals. Sometime I bend the rule to three, and usually regret it.
  Reason: Easier to have correct capacity.
• No choose signals. (A few exceptions at freight loading stations.)
  Reason: Choose signals can quickly turn unwieldly as the station grows. Choose signs for road vehicles are less dangerous.
• Avoid circles of an even number of interconnected lines. Odd number is good.
  Reason: When there are two possible routes of equal length, the flow can become unbalanced with vehicles running almost empty in one direction yet full the other. This often causes the lines to be unprofitable.