Why is your line losing money?

What to do

1. Select the line and record its transported amount, vehicles, frequency and Balance for a comparable period. The manual says a higher blue income bar than red cost bar indicates a profitable year. Early construction cash flow is a separate question.
2. Follow one vehicle from loading to a valid destination and back. If it stays empty, fix origin demand or cargo compatibility first. If freight returns aboard, inspect the receiving connection and stock rather than buying more vehicles.
3. Locate the time-consuming leg. Separate loading, station waiting, traffic, signal delays and maintenance effects. A faster vehicle cannot eliminate a queue or an unreachable terminal.
4. Compare fleet capacity with the actual demand and completed trips. Try one smaller, route-appropriate change and measure the next comparable period. Avoid a fixed fleet-size recipe copied from another map or difficulty.
5. Review the company's wider costs separately before expansion. Include new infrastructure, warehouses and borrowing obligations in the decision. Do not mistake a new loan or proceeds from selling a vehicle for recurring route profit.

How to tell it worked

The intended deliveries or passenger trips complete, and the line's observed income exceeds its running costs over the compared period. The company can also fund its wider obligations. One paid load does not prove the whole network is sustainable.

If you are still stuck

A red line despite full loads: inspect turnaround time and running costs. Cargo at a full consumer: use the oversupply checks. Revenue formula claims conflict between an older developer answer and the current modding text; use the distance guide's explicit limits rather than guaranteeing a best distance or interest rate.