AirLink (originally called AirExpress) operates rail services from Stepford Central and Leighton to Stepford Airport, linking Berrily and Morganstown along the way. A full journey on the main line, which runs from Stepford Central to Stepford Airport Central, takes about eight minutes non-stop. This operator originally bore a yellow (#EFC931) colour scheme, but it later changed to an orange (#E27A14) colour scheme after the first rebranding in Version 1.3.1.
On 27 August 2022, AirLink introduced the AirLink Shuttle branding on the Class 345. This branding can currently only be found on the aforementioned train and there is only one route using this branding, that route being the Class 345-exclusive R060 (Terminals Shuttle).
The route is classified as semi-high-speed rail, but it is also considered (and is) an airport rail link. A majority of the trains on this route are capable of a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour, with the exception of the Class 397 and the Class 802, which can achieve 125 miles per hour and the Class 387, which can achieve 110 miles per hour. Trains commonly run at top speed on the section of the line between Stepford Airport and Stepford City or Leighton. After reaching Stepford Airport Central, some of the trains will terminate there. The other services continue through the station and move up to the airport terminals. (Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3).
History[]
2017[]
- November: Plans were announced to open a new route named AirExpress linking Stepford City and Stepford Airport.
- 13th December: For the first time, a Class 345 unit was used for a public test run for the route under the name AirLink.
2018[]
- December: Plans for the opening of the route were revealed, with Class 185 and Class 802 units as the rolling stock.
- 31st December: Services commenced with various routes running between Stepford Central and Stepford Airport Central, with the extension to the airport terminals being confirmed as well.
2019[]
- 24th January: Class 332 units were introduced, alongside Class 360 units on the 1 February.
- February: Airport Terminals 1, 2, and 3 opened for service.
- 24th May: AirLink received its first Next Generation fleet upgrade with the Class 185 being upgraded. With this upgrade, units also were given a new orange livery based on Gatwick Express.
- 8th June: Class 387 units were moved to AirLink from Waterline, having been upgraded similarly to the Class 185.
- 20th July: Class 360 units received the Next Generation upgrade.
- 16th September: Class 755 units were introduced and services were extended to Leighton Stepford Road to commemorate SCR hitting 5 million visits.
- 30th September: Class 802 units were upgraded to Next Generation.
- 31st December: AirLink celebrated its first anniversary, the day Version 1.1 was released a year prior.
2020[]
- 11th March: Class 332 units were upgraded in v1.4.3, which resulted in the whole AirLink fleet becoming Next Generation.
- 18th March: Stepford Central received its second upgrade of the year, the first being in V1.4.1, which gave it a more modern appearance. This upgrade added an uncompleted lounge near the AirLink platforms, supposedly for first class passengers.
- 11th August: A second rebrand of AirLink was sneak peeked, with a completely remodelled Class 802 in a new livery, with an orange and white livery.
- 21st August: The rebranded and meshed Class 802 was released to the public, with its sister unit, the Class 801, yet to finish its upgrade.
- 14th September: A remodelled Class 387 was sneak peeked with the same upgraded livery as the Class 802 with a NGv3 rebuild. The Class 377 was also shown in the sneak peek.
- 29th October: The remodelled Class 387 was released into the game alongside its brother unit, the Class 377. The Class 802's speed was upgraded from 110 MPH to 125 MPH in Version 1.7 as a result of Stepford Express services using the Morganstown Branch.
2021[]
- 1st January: The Class 185 and Class 360 units received their new AirLink livery. Stepford Airport Parkway TMD has also been updated, Class 332 units received updated door sounds and the Class 387 received a new horn sound.
- 6th April: The Class 755 units received the new AirLink livery.
- 3rd July: A sneak peek showcasing the mesh model of the Class 332 was released.
- 7th July: The Class 332 units were upgraded to mesh models.
- 18th December: The Class 185 and Class 360 received a sound update, and the Class 755 received new door sounds.
2022[]
- 21st February: The sneak peek for the mesh model of the Class 185 units was released.
- 27th February: Version 1.8.2 was released. This update included the mesh update of the Class 185 units.
- 2nd June: Version 1.9.2 was released, featuring a second NGv3 upgrade for the Class 387 units and platform curvature and OHLE at Stepford East station.
- 19th June: A sneak peek of an overhauled Airport Terminal 1 was revealed.
- 26th June: A sneak peek of an overhauled Stepford Airport Central was revealed.
- 3rd July: A sneak peek of an unknown AirLink station was revealed. The image also contained a mesh Class 360 and a hard-to-see train that many speculate was a Class 345 returning to the game.
- 10th July: A sneak peek was released revealing the Stepford Airport Parkway overhaul. Some players in the community spotted something that looked like an unknown train in the picture, and they quickly speculated that it could be a Class 66.
- 14th July: A sneak peek was released featuring an unknown junction and 2 Class 345s.
- 27th August: A trailer was released on BanTech's YouTube channel showcasing the fully revamped Airport. On the same day, V1.10 released, fully overhauling all stations and scenery in the Airport Zone and introducing the Class 345 into public service. This update also introduced the AirLink Shuttle branding.
- 19th October: The Class 360 was upgraded to the mesh model, leaving the Class 755 as the only non-mesh train on the operator.
2023[]
- 26th March: The sneak peek for the mesh model of the Class 755 was released.
- 2nd April: Two sneak peeks for the rebuilt St Helens Bridge were released. The revamped St Helens Bridge station and the mesh Class 755 were released later that day, meaning that all AirLink trains are now mesh models.
- 17th July: Version 1.10.8 was released, bringing a remeshed Class 802, alongside a Class 801.
- 31th August: Version 1.10.9 was released, introducing the Class 397.
Rolling Stock[]
The following list represents the current, past, and future fleet of AirLink.
Current[]
Class | Image | Top Speed (mph) |
Price (Points) |
Carriages | Manufacturer | Train Family | Date put into service | Date converted to NG | Date converted to NGv3 | Routes Operated On |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class 185 | 100 | 1,500 | 3 (Single) 6 (Double) |
Siemens | Desiro |
31 December 2018 |
24 May 2019 | 27 February 2022 | All routes except R060 | |
Class 332 | 1,500 | 4 (/0) 5 (/1) |
Siemens and CAF | N/A | 25 January 2019 | 11 March 2020 | 7 July 2021 | |||
Class 345 (Terminals Shuttle) | 90 | 4,500 | 7 | Bombardier | Aventra | 27 August 2022 | R060 only | |||
Class 360 | 100 | 1,500 | 4 (/1) 5 (/2) |
Siemens | Desiro |
1 February 2019 |
20 July 2019 | 19 October 2022 | All routes except R060 | |
Class 387 | 110 | 3,000 | 4 | Bombardier | Electrostar | 8 June 2019 | 29 October 2020 (2 June 2022 remeshed) | |||
Class 397 | 125 | 3,000 | 5 | CAF | Civity | 31 August 2023 | ||||
Class 755 | 100 | 2,250 | 3 (/3) 4 (/4) |
Stadler | FLIRT | 16 September 2019 | 2 April 2023 | |||
Class 802 | 125 | 3,000 | 5 | Hitachi | A-Train |
31 December 2018 |
30 September 2019 | 20 August 2020 (17 July 2023 remeshed) | ||
Future[]
- Class 745 (speculated)
Former[]
- None at the moment
Train Models[]
Train Models | NGv1 | NGv2 (CSG Model) | NGv3 (Mesh Model) |
---|---|---|---|
Percentage | 0% of the fleet | 0% of fleet | 100% of the fleet |
Number | 0 | 0 | 8 |
*Main train and variants are considered one train.
Depots[]
Current[]
- Stepford Depot (A)
- Airport Parkway Depot
- Farleigh Depot (Road 11 & 17)
- Leighton Depot
Future[]
- None at the moment.
Former[]
- None at the moment.
Sidings[]
Current[]
Future[]
- None at the moment.
Former[]
- None at the moment.
Stations[]
The maps below are interactive: click the stations to see the pages.
Current[]
- Stepford Central (♿︎)
- Stepford East (♿︎)
- St Helens Bridge (♿︎)
- Elsemere Junction (♿︎)
- Berrily (♿︎)
- Morganstown (♿︎)
- Stepford Airport Parkway (♿︎)
- Stepford Airport Central (♿︎)
- Airport Terminal 1 (♿︎)
- Airport Terminal 2 (♿︎)
- Airport Terminal 3 (♿︎)
- Leighton Stepford Road (♿︎)
Future[]
- None at the moment.
Former[]
- None at the moment.
Routes[]
Trivia[]
- The second logo and livery were based off Gatwick Express.
- Between V1.1 and V1.4, AirLink was the only franchise of the two in the game (Connect and Waterline were both part of the Connect franchise prior to V1.5) that had express and stopper routes.
- However, Stepford Express now shares this trait after its addition in the 1.4 update.
- The scheduled timetable on routes R051 and R052 says that express trains from Stepford Central don't stop until Airport Central, which is around 7.16 miles.
- This was once the greatest distance between two scheduled stations until V1.7, when Express route R081 was launched, which had an 8.97-mile distance between Leighton City and Llyn-by-the-Sea.
- AirLink was the first operator to have all paper/legacy trains converted to Next Generation.
- Stepford Express doesn’t count because its trains were already Next Generation from the start.
- Before Version 1.7.2, AirLink tied the record of the longest train in the game, the double Class 185, having 6 coaches.
- The other train was the Class 43 on Stepford Express if you count the locomotives.
- However in V1.7.2, the Class 43 on Stepford Express gained two additional variants, one of which is the 5-coach variant, so the Class 43 5-coach variant beats the double Class 185 on the record of the longest train in the game, but since V1.10 it is tied with the Class 345 on the record of the longest train ever in the SCR history, with 7 coaches.
- The other train was the Class 43 on Stepford Express if you count the locomotives.
- AirLink does not use the 2xxx headcode, as there are no stopping routes on the line.
- Even the Shuttle services do not use a 2xxx headcode, because if it did, the route would share headcodes with the Port Benton routes. (P is used for both Port Benton and Stepford Airport Parkway)
- AirLink and Stepford Connect are the second 2 operators to share tracks, as of the 16th of September 2019 because of the extension to Leighton Stepford Road.
- AirLink also uses the Stepford Express tracks to Leighton Stepford Road for trains to Leighton Stepford Road and used to terminate at the same platforms as Stepford Express and Stepford Connect at Leighton Stepford Road (only when Platform 1 has a train on it).
- Now, all AirLink services use Platform 1 only.
- AirLink also uses the Stepford Express tracks to Leighton Stepford Road for trains to Leighton Stepford Road and used to terminate at the same platforms as Stepford Express and Stepford Connect at Leighton Stepford Road (only when Platform 1 has a train on it).
- This operator and Stepford Connect have many stations in common.
- The only stations AirLink does not share with Stepford Connect are Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 3.
- Every AirLink route passes at least one station’s platforms that are in use, except for R060 which stops at every station.
- On AirLink's old map, St Helens Bridge was written as St Helen's Bridge. This was fixed when AirLink got a new map with Version 1.7.
- If the player zooms out at T1, T2 or T3, they can see an actual airport.
- Ironically, the AirLink Headquarters can be found at their least used station, Berrily.
- This is the first operator to feature First Class sections in trains, followed by Stepford Express.
- Strangely, Leighton Stepford Road was not shown in the selection of spawn locations of AirLink for passengers. They would have to choose either Connect or Express to spawn there. This was fixed in Version 1.7.
- Stepford Airport Central, Stepford Airport Parkway, Airport Terminal 1, Airport Terminal 2, Airport Terminal 3 and Elsemere Junction are operated by AirLink.
- Before SCR Version 1.7, AirLink trains used to have nonstop platforms at East Berrily and Beaulieu Park with signs that said TRAINS DO NOT STOP HERE. These platforms were removed when these stations were upgraded.
- A similar thing happens with Stepford Express at Millcastle and Millcastle Racecourse.
- The most plausible reason why AirLink does not serve the route from Stepford Central to Leighton Stepford Road even though there are tracks at Morganstown for this purpose, is because if this happened, this route will not serve the Airport Zone and it does not match the primary purpose of AirLink.
- However, Stepford Express uses these tracks since it was extended to Morganstown, which made this station the fourth interchange between AirLink and Stepford Express.
- This operator gives you 3 routes (R052, R053 and R054) when you first purchase a train.
- This operator has the only train with the top speed of 125 MPH that is not a Stepford Express train; the Class 802.
- Even though Morganstown Siding is on tracks used by AirLink, no AirLink service can spawn there, likely because Stepford Airport Parkway Depot is just a bit further away and can spawn trains towards Leighton Stepford Road.
- AirLink has had the most logo changes at three.
- It is also the only operator to be reliveried three times.
- This was the first operator with a NGv3 train: the Class 802.
- All stations served by AirLink are now step-free.
- Currently, AirLink and Stepford Express are the only operators which have routes that only serve step-free stops.
- The new AirLink logo is based off of the Academy Logo from Train Simulator.
- Prior to Version 1.10, this was the only operator where all of its trains could operate on all of its routes.
- This is no longer valid after the introduction of Class 345 in the said update, which can only be operated on the Terminals Shuttle exclusive to it.
- The original AirLink brand was heavily influenced by an old helicopter shuttle between London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport between 1978 and 1986 also called Airlink. From the name, to the font of the logo and even the colour scheme of yellow and blue.
- Prior to V1.8, there was still an old station sign at Stepford Airport Central, which could be seen at the end of Platform 4.
- The only station with one platform on AirLink is Airport Terminal 1, a station only served by trains heading to the other terminals.
- Berrily does not count as there are three other platforms for Stepford Connect heading in both directions.
- This situation is similar to the Piccadilly line at Heathrow Terminal 4.
- Berrily does not count as there are three other platforms for Stepford Connect heading in both directions.
- Various users still believe and still root for AirLink to have a service to Llyn-by-the-Sea, but SCR staff have said that for now, and possibly forever, the station will only be served by Stepford Express and Stepford Connect.
- The conversion of the Class 755 to NGv3 in V1.10.7 makes AirLink the second operator to have an exclusively mesh-only fleet, after Stepford Express in V1.8.3.
Gallery[]
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