LINE UP! Metro Tycoon cities are separate management maps grouped under regions. Choose a Region first, then select a City; once inside, build that city's station and railway network rather than treating the map as a cosmetic destination. The clearest documented examples are United States → New York City and Korea → Seoul. After choosing a map, use the lines guide to plan its first affordable route.
The game currently points players toward cities in the United States, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong, but it does not provide a confirmed complete city list, universal unlock order, or fixed unlock cost in the available reference material. Use the current city-selection screen for those mutable details.
LINE UP! Metro Tycoon city reference
The table separates confirmed examples from broader region entries. A region is the outer selection; a city is the map where stations, lines, trains, landmarks, passengers, and city progress are managed.
| Region or city | What it represents | How to reach it | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | The region selector for a group of city maps | Open the region or city selection screen | The available regions and unlock state can change; check the current list |
| United States | A region containing United States city maps | Select United States from Region | A video shows New York City being selected from this region |
| New York City | A city map with substantial room for lines | United States → New York City | It was chosen in a walkthrough for its large map and many lines, not as an official best city |
| Korea | A region containing Korean city maps | Select Korea from Region | The documented city names include Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Busan |
| Seoul | A Korean city map for station and line expansion | Korea → Seoul | The walkthrough starts at Seoul Station and connects a neighboring station |
| Japan | A region named in the game's world expansion description | Select Japan when available | Specific cities and unlock conditions are not confirmed here |
| Hong Kong | A region named in the game's world expansion description | Select Hong Kong when available | Specific cities and unlock conditions are not confirmed here |
| City | An independent operating map | Choose a city inside a region | Each city needs its own station and line network |
| City Stage | The city's longer-term progress layer | Advance through construction and upgrades | Stage thresholds and rewards should be checked in the current game panel |
| Move City | A way to shift your focus between cities | Use the city-switching feature | Moving is not the same as merging two cities' networks |
The table is a practical lookup rather than a promise that every named region or city is available on every server or account. The city-selection interface is the authority for what you can enter now.
How city selection works
The selection flow is hierarchical: Region comes before City. For example, the documented United States path continues to New York City, while the Korean path continues to Seoul. After entering a city, the map determines which stations are adjacent and which directions are available for line growth.
Choose New York City from the United States region
This moment supports the United States-to-New York City selection example and the first station connection described in this city-selection flow.
Choose the map according to your immediate goal:
- Open the region list and identify the regions currently available.
- Open a region and compare the city names shown there rather than relying on an old list.
- Enter the city that matches your available funds and desired expansion space.
- Inspect the starting station and nearby connections before spending on a long branch.
- Build the first useful connection, then let passengers and completed lines create income before widening the network.
New York City is a reasonable example for a player who wants room to experiment with a larger network. The walkthrough's choice reflects map size and line count, not a verified ranking. Seoul is a useful example of a city reached through Korea, with Seoul Station, Yongsan, Gwangmyeong, and Gyeongbokgung shown among the visible station names. Those examples should not be expanded into a complete list of every station or city without checking the live game.
Enter Seoul and connect its starting stations
This moment supports the Korea-to-Seoul route and the example of connecting Seoul Station to a neighboring station.
What city progress includes
A city is more than a destination label. Its progress combines several systems:
- Stations: Buy and upgrade stations to create more useful passenger connections. The map controls which neighboring stations can be reached.
- Lines: Connect stations and extend branches as the network earns enough money to support them. New connections become more expensive as expansion continues.
- Trains: Add trains and fill available train slots so the network can move passengers. Train capacity and maintenance affect whether further expansion is sensible.
- Landmarks: Build landmarks as part of city development. They contribute to the wider development picture, but the available references do not establish a universal reward table.
- City Stage: Advance the overall city-development layer through construction and upgrades. Exact stage requirements and rewards are not confirmed in the reference material.
- Happiness: Treat happiness as an expansion signal. Buying stations too quickly can lower it, so rapid map coverage is not automatically the best investment.
- Move City: Change the city receiving your attention after checking the current map's income, repairs, and unfinished upgrades.
The practical relationship is cumulative: stations create connection points, lines make the map useful, trains provide transport capacity, and landmarks and city stages extend development. No single city choice removes the need to manage these systems.
Choosing a first city
There is no evidence-backed universal best city. A larger map can provide more room for routes, but it can also demand more money, more stations, and more maintenance. A smaller or more manageable option may be easier to stabilize if your priority is reliable early income rather than maximum expansion space.
Use this decision rule:
- Pick New York City if you want the documented large-map example and are prepared to budget for a broader network.
- Pick Seoul if you want the documented Korea route and a starting point around Seoul Station.
- Pick another available city when its current map, cost, or starting connections better match your funds.
- Do not choose Japan or Hong Kong based only on their region names; verify which cities and requirements the current selection screen actually exposes.
Before committing to a new map, look for the starting station, nearby station density, available lines, and the cost of the next useful connection. The goal is not to own the most cities immediately. It is to make the current city generate enough money and capacity that its next purchase improves the network instead of creating an expensive unfinished branch.
Expanding without hurting the network
City expansion works best when the existing network is healthy. Begin with the initial station and connect a nearby target that can contribute to the route. After the line starts producing income, use that income to improve the parts that limit growth: train slots, station upgrades, repairs, or a strategically important connection.
The available gameplay guidance specifically warns that buying more stations can lower Happiness. It recommends filling train slots, upgrading stations, and repairing lines before purchasing additional city stations. That creates a useful checkpoint before every expansion decision:
- Are the current trains using the available slots?
- Is the key station upgraded enough for the present route?
- Are the lines and trains repaired?
- Is happiness stable enough to support another station?
- Will the new connection improve the active network, or only make the map larger?
If the answer to the first three questions is no, spend on the current network before opening another branch. If happiness falls after expansion, stop adding stations, restore capacity and repairs, and let the existing route stabilize. This is a recovery priority, not a claim that a particular happiness threshold unlocks a specific city.
City Stage and switching cities
City Stage is the overall progress layer that sits alongside stations, lines, trains, and landmarks. Automation references describe Auto Progress and Auto City Stage as ways to carry out activities such as building tracks, buying trains, upgrading stations, raising city stages, buying landmarks, repairing trains, and moving between cities. The exact automation costs, stage gates, and stage rewards are not established here, so read the in-game panel before enabling or budgeting around them.
Move City should be understood as a change of operating focus. Automation references also describe Auto Move City as moving according to return, while Auto Exchange can direct funds toward the next unlock. These features do not prove that two city maps share one merged station network or that progress transfers in a particular way. Before switching, check:
- current city income;
- unfinished station, line, landmark, or stage upgrades;
- repair needs;
- the target city's unlock state and displayed cost;
- whether moving now serves a better return than completing the current connection.
Keep the current city stable before switching. A move can broaden your campaign, but it should not replace the basic income loop of connecting stations, transporting passengers, upgrading useful infrastructure, and maintaining the network.
City list and unlock limits
The most important limitation for a city lookup is that the confirmed evidence is not a complete catalog. United States, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong are named regions, and New York City and Seoul are directly demonstrated city examples. Korean names including Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Busan are also shown in a regional walkthrough, but the material does not establish that every named city is currently selectable for every player or document a complete unlock sequence.
For that reason, avoid treating this page as a fixed price list or a definitive “best city” ranking. The game may expose different options as its city system changes. When a city is missing, locked, or shown with a different requirement, follow the current panel rather than assuming the older route is still valid. The same rule applies to City Stage requirements, landmark effects, automatic movement, and any displayed cost.
First-time LINE UP! Metro Tycoon city questions
Which city should I choose first?
There is no confirmed universal best city. New York City is the documented large-map example, while Seoul is the documented Korea route; choose between them based on your available funds, desired expansion room, and the options shown in the current city-selection screen.
Are New York City and Seoul the only cities available?
No complete city list is confirmed here. New York City and Seoul are directly demonstrated, and Korean city names including Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Busan are mentioned, but the live selection screen should decide which cities you can enter.
Does moving to another city merge my railway networks?
Do not assume that it does. Move City changes your operating focus, while each city is treated as its own map with its own stations and lines; check the current city interface for how any displayed progress or funds carry over.
Why can expanding to more stations be a bad idea?
Buying stations too quickly can lower Happiness and leave the network underpowered. Fill train slots, upgrade important stations, and repair lines before adding another station when the current network is struggling.