If this is the first you’re hearing of Linke Rheinstrecke: Mainz – Koblenz, be sure to check out our earlier announce article or, for information on this and other forthcoming releases, head over to the March Roadmap!

Power through a long, winding, scenic route in both the BR 103 and BR 110.3 with red Intercity and mint green n-Wagen coaching stock at a time when the Deutsche Bundesbahn was making its transition to the Deutsche Bahn that we know and love today. This route Add-on, set in 1997, is the first of two 90s German routes coming to players, with Niddertalbahn also on the horizon.

Along the way lie historic towns peppered with ancient buildings, vineyards and glorious castles set against the steep rock faces either side of the Rhine. 24 castles in total can be seen along the route, separated by tunnels and stations aplenty. The route is bookended by the stations at Mainz Hbf and Koblenz Hbf, recreated to reflect their appearance during the late 1990s.

There’ll also be some fun collectibles to hunt down along the way, including Cuckoo Clocks!

The BR 103 is a legend of the German railway network, being both the first high speed locomotive developed in Germany and one of the most powerful electric locomotives in the world! The late 1990s marked a time when these magnificent machines were starting to assume lesser duties and give way to more contemporary locomotives.

Players will be able to make use of the BR 103 in Deutsche Bundesbahn 'Trans Europ Express' livery, hauling intercity coaches, with a ‘boost’ available to the power... to be used with caution!

If you want to read more about the history of the BR 103, our friends over at We Are Railfans have an overview in both English and German entitled At a glance – the DB BR 103.

Joining the BR 103 is the BR 110.3 from Bremen – Oldenburg, but looking different for its inclusion in Linke Rheinstrecke: Mainz – Koblenz with a Deutsche Bahn Orient Red livery. The n-Wagen coaching stock also returns with the Karlsruher Kopf cab car but this time in a mint and white livery.

Shimmns-u 708 and Tadgs 959 freight wagons also appear on the route hauled by the BR 110.3, which runs a mix of passenger and freight services.

In total, there are 250 playable services utilising the BR 103 and 110.3, with two additional services for the ICE 1 and 49 available with the BR 628.2 for players that own Kassel-Würzburg and the forthcoming Niddertalbahn routes respectively.

If you're new to German railway content or want to get a head start on operating the BR 103 and 110.3, check out our Gameplay Guide.

If you missed the first chance last week to see the route in action, head over to our YouTube and Twitch Channels and see Matt, Alex and Lukas go through the preview stream.

On top of this, some of our favourite ambassadors are back to stream Linke Rheinstrecke today (Thursday 16th March). You can tune in to their own channels at the following times:

Our morning spotlight will be hosted by our German ambassador and train driver Ramagani who has previously driven the commuter trains from Mainz for 3 years! Find out their thoughts on the route starting at 10:00am UTC.

The evening spotlight falls on Dad Rail for this showcase, and he will be bringing on a German train driver as a guest speaker throughout the stream - so don't miss out on this fantastic content!

Train Sim World 3: Linke Rheinstrecke: Mainz - Koblenz is available now on the Steam Store, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store for £29.99/€35.99/$39.99.