This is one of the last DLCs created for Train Sim World 3. Despite the route itself being quite dull, this could have been a good opportunity to deliver one last well-created DLC. But what we actually got is another route with a lot of real-life services completely missing. In fact, its basically three trains looping around the tracks. This creates a frequency of two trains per hour. As numbers don't lie, lets have a look at the timetables.

These trains can only be seen at Manchester Piccadilly station, but you can't drive them as they head off towards portals or come from there. This timetable only shows the trains at the terminal platforms. There are some through trains too, I created a separate timetable for those.

These trains use the congested through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly.:

With the timetable being done, let's see what station is the most served one first. Its simply Manchester Piccadilly, but that doesn't help you much because the amount trains you can actually ride without being erased from existence in the despawn portal isn't any higher than at any other regularly served station along the line - for the most part.

The least used station that isn't left unscheduled is Ardwick with only a single departure in the morning towards Manchester and no return. This is followed by Gorton, where there are only departures in the morning to Manchester and to both directions in the late evening only.

Disappointingly the Hope Valley Line departures are missing, leaving Gorton (mentioned above) with only a few departures and Fairfield and Hyde North completely unscheduled. Some railtours might actually call at Hyde North, but most if not all of these trains don't open up their doors.

Compared to other British route DLCs, this is one of the most boring I ever came across. There are no new vehicles. The flagship of this route, class 323 EMU is basically a repaint of the BCC version of this train.

This route would have been the perfect chance to offer us a reworked version of the class 150 DMU we already know from the West Cornwall DLC. But nope! Trains of the Hope Valley line can not be seen on this route, which is another massive letdown. As a result, Gorton, Fairfield and Hyde North stations are almost or entirely left unscheduled.

Instead, the timetable is filled with lots of railtour services that are quite interesting, but also very confusing. There are no rush hour services. In real life, there are 3 trains during rush hours and you need to change trains in Dinting to reach Hadfield. That is not reflected in the timetable however.

The Glossop Line DLC goes as another example of missed opportunities. Half-hearted timetables are a bad habit in TSW and we know how hard it can be to change a bad habit. I fear that it won't be much better in Train Sim World 4. With a good amount of luck and goodwill, I might be proven wrong. I hope so.