Railways of Australia

About this expansion

Railways of Australia is a 2–6 player expansion map for Railways of the World, playable in about 120 minutes with pieces from either the Railways of the World or Railways of Nippon base game.

Set against the railway expansion of late-19th-century Australia, the map reflects the colonies’ failure to agree on a standard rail gauge. Different gauges must meet at stations, creating breaks where passengers and cargo switch from one line to the next. These conditions bring new challenges in rail-line efficiency for aspiring Rail Barons.

This large map introduces several distinctive features. Towns are a new terrain type: when built, each becomes a Gray New City on the map. Railroad Operations cards can also automatically build all 10 towns, adding another way for these locations to enter play.

• Region borders: Players cannot build across them unless connecting through a city or using a “Triple Gauge” Railroad Operations card.
• Rebound Railroad Operations cards: A new card feature included with the Australia map.
• Switch Tracks support: Junction track tiles show the two lines coming together in each configuration.
• Switch tokens: Included so the Switch Tracks mini expansion can be used with the map right out of the box.

With its regional restrictions, town development, gauge changes, and dedicated Switch Tracks components, Railways of Australia offers a distinct setting and set of map rules within the Railways series. It requires a base game to play and supports groups of two to six players.