Building reference
Streets are the city's skeleton: every lot needs one, and every utility runs beneath them. Transit and freight come later, once the charter trusts you with them.
Everything in Blockline hangs off the street network. A zoned lot only develops with a street in reach, and the mains for power, water, sewage and internet all run under the streets, so a building beside a connected street is a connected building. That makes the humble road the most important tool in the game, and the cheapest.
As the city grows, plain roads start to clog. Avenues and highways carry more traffic, bus stops take short trips off the roads, and trains and subways move commuters in bulk once you have linked two stations. Docks and the airport are freight businesses as much as transport: they earn income and give local industry somewhere to send its goods. The transport guide explains how the pieces fit together.
| Building | Cost | Upkeep / day | Unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road | $12 per tile | $0.08 | From the start |
| Avenue | $40 per tile | $0.2 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Highway | $65 per tile | $0.3 | 05 · A skyline of our own |
| Toll booth | $120 | $1 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Bridge | $45 per tile | $0.2 | From the start |
| Bus stop | $90 | $0.9 | 03 · More than houses |
| Train track | $25 per tile | $0.06 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Railway bridge | $80 per tile | $0.26 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Train station | $400 | $2.4 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Subway station | $550 | $3.2 | 06 · Opportunity for everyone |
| Dock | $900 | $4.5 | 04 · A town that pays its way |
| Shipyard | $700 | $3.5 | 06 · Opportunity for everyone |
| Airport | $3,200 | $18 | 07 · Connected to the world |
| Hangar | $500 | $2.5 | 07 · Connected to the world |
Connects neighbourhoods and can be constructed beneath existing power lines. Drawn square-on across straight train track, it makes a level crossing (barriers come down while trains pass).
Adds access without destroying overhead lines
A dual carriageway with a planted median, carrying 2× a road's traffic. Paint it over an existing road to widen it in place (you pay the difference); it is a little noisier for the homes alongside.
2× road capacity · less congestion and shorter commutes
A two-tile-wide motorway, laid with a 2×2 brush: drag to pave both carriageways at once, and turn a corner by dragging round it. Priced per tile ($65): each stroke pays only for the tiles it adds, so a fresh 2×2 block costs $260. Each carriageway tile carries 3× a road's traffic. Roads join it wherever they touch it (an on-ramp), but it cannot cross a street and has no driveways, so lots beside it still need a street. Loud for homes alongside; bulldozing takes up a whole cross-section.
6× road capacity per cross-section · relieves citywide congestion
Gates a stretch of road — or opens on empty land — and tolls the traffic passing through. Cars keep driving through it.
Earns up to $40/day from passing traffic (all booths together at most $0.25 per resident)
Carries the road network over rivers, lakes and sea inlets, one section per tile. Drag along the water to span it.
Roads and power lines can cross water
A kerbside stop facing a street. Homes within 5 tiles take the bus (up to 4% of trips), easing congestion and commutes; the stop lifts land value within 3 tiles.
Up to 140 trips/day off the roads · shorter commutes
Heavy rail line, one section per tile. Join at least two train stations with track to open the line. Drawn square-on across a straight road it makes a level crossing (extra for the signals; bulldoze it to lift the rail and keep the road). Avenues and highways cannot be crossed at grade. Dragged over a river or lake it builds a railway bridge. Trains run the whole line, end to end and round loops, stopping at each station.
Links train stations into a working line
Carries train track over rivers, lakes and sea inlets on a steel truss span, one section per tile. Drag along the water between two stretches of track; dragging Train track over water builds the same bridge.
Rail lines can cross water
Passengers board here. Stations connected to each other by track carry commuters and cut road congestion. Built by a crew over about 14 days; it opens when done.
+8 jobs · rail transit once linked by track
A surface entrance to the underground railway. Bore subway tunnels between stations from the underground view. Built by a crew over about 12 days; it opens when done.
+6 jobs · metro transit once tunnelled together
A four-tile harbour berth. Must sit on the open coast so cargo ships and ferries can come and go. Built by a crew over about 20 days; it opens when done.
Freight income · +18 jobs · ships call here
A four-tile yard that expands a nearby dock's cargo capacity. Several can be joined side by side. Built by a crew over about 24 days; it opens when done.
More freight capacity · +24 jobs
A six-tile airfield moving passengers and freight. Press R while placing to rotate the runway. Built by a crew over about 45 days; it opens when done.
Major freight income · +60 jobs · aeroplanes
A four-tile hangar that expands a nearby airport's freight capacity. Several can be joined together. Built by a crew over about 12 days; it opens when done.
More air freight capacity · +10 jobs
Figures are the game's base prices. Upkeep is charged every in-game day, and construction bills are drawn from the city's stock of materials, steel, copper wire and timber (see farms and trade).