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To generate Rust’s linked surface and underground railways, run a Procedural Map with a world size of 4250 or larger, enable both AboveGroundRails and BelowGroundRails in a procedural world-config JSON file, and launch the server with that file. The rail layout is generated from the seed, so changing the seed or generation settings changes the map and normally belongs in a planned wipe.

What you need before configuring rails

The rail network is part of Rust’s procedural world generation. It is not installed as a separate plugin, map download, or client-side mod. Your server must generate a new procedural world using the dedicated server build.

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  • A Rust dedicated server installed or updated with SteamCMD.
  • Steam application ID 258550 for the Rust server.
  • A server identity directory with permission to create configuration files.
  • A planned seed and wipe schedule, because generation changes alter the resulting map.
  • Firewall and router access if players will connect from outside the host machine.

Facepunch documents procedural world sizes from 1000 through 6000. Rail-specific behavior is narrower: the documented minimum for the above-ground network and the linked surface/underground tunnel behavior is 4250. A smaller procedural map can start, but it does not satisfy the documented rail requirement.

Choose the map settings that actually generate rails

Use Procedural Map

Set the level to Procedural Map. A hand-authored map or another level type does not use these procedural rail switches in the same way. Your startup configuration must include:

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+server.level "Procedural Map"

Set a world size of at least 4250

Use +server.worldsize 4250 or a larger value, up to the range Facepunch documents for procedural generation. The 4250 threshold is the important rail constraint, not merely a recommendation for larger servers. At that size, the world can contain the above-ground network and the linked tunnel connections described in Facepunch’s Coupling The Rails update.

Pick and record a seed

Specify a numeric seed so you can reproduce the same generated terrain when needed. The seed determines the placement of roads, monuments, rails, and other procedural features together with the world-size and generation settings. Keep the seed, world size, and configuration file in your wipe notes; changing any of them should be treated as generating a different world.

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Install or update the Rust dedicated server

Use SteamCMD to install or update the dedicated-server files, then start the executable in batch mode. The exact SteamCMD installation directory is up to your operating system and hosting provider; the important value for Rust is app ID 258550.

  1. Install SteamCMD on the server host.
  2. Open SteamCMD and authenticate in the manner supported by your installation.
  3. Point SteamCMD at the directory in which you want the Rust server files.
  4. Run the install or update command for app ID 258550.
  5. Change to the Rust server directory and start RustDedicated in batch mode with your level, seed, world size, and world-config arguments.

Batch mode keeps the dedicated process running without requiring the graphical client. Keep the launch command in a script or service definition so a restart uses exactly the same values instead of an improvised command line.

Create the procedural rail configuration file

Place the file in the server identity directory

In the identity directory used by your server, create a JSON file such as rail-config.json. The filename is arbitrary; the path supplied at startup must match it. A minimal rail configuration is:

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{
  "AboveGroundRails": true,
  "BelowGroundRails": true
}

AboveGroundRails enables the surface rail network. BelowGroundRails enables the underground network. Set both to true when you want players to use the complete linked system.

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Keep JSON limited to documented procedural keys

The same file can retain other documented procedural-generation settings, including roads, trails, rivers, powerlines, and biome percentages. Add only keys that your current Rust documentation supports, use valid JSON commas and quotation marks, and remove experimental or copied keys whose behavior is not documented. An invalid JSON file can prevent the intended generation settings from being applied, so validate the file before a wipe.

Tell the server to load the file

Add this argument to the launch command:

+world.configfile "rail-config.json"

If the file is stored in a subdirectory of the identity path, provide the corresponding relative path. Do not assume that creating the file alone enables rails; the server must receive the +world.configfile argument at startup.

Put persistent server settings in server.cfg

Use the identity-specific configuration file for settings you want to persist across restarts, such as the hostname, player limit, and other server console variables. The documented path is:

rust/server/server.identity/cfg/server.cfg

Entries in server.cfg omit the command-line + or - prefixes. For example, a setting written for the command line with a leading plus is written without that prefix in the file. Rust reads this file at startup, and the file has priority over values supplied on the command line.

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Keep the rail switches in the procedural JSON file and ordinary persistent server controls in server.cfg. Separating those responsibilities makes it easier to review a wipe’s generation settings without accidentally changing unrelated administration settings.

Example launch layout

The following shows the relevant arguments together. Replace the seed and identity name with your own values:

RustDedicated -batchmode 
  +server.level "Procedural Map" 
  +server.seed 12345678 
  +server.worldsize 4250 
  +server.identity "server.identity" 
  +world.configfile "rail-config.json"

The command illustrates the required relationship rather than prescribing a particular operating-system service. Keep the identity directory and rail-config.json together, and make sure the process starts from a location where the relative config path resolves correctly. If your host panel generates the command, enter the equivalent level, seed, world size, identity, and world-config fields in that panel.

Open the right ports and test locally first

Game and query traffic

Players need the server’s configured game port, and server browsers need the configured query port. These are UDP services. Open the same UDP ports in the host firewall and, for a machine behind a router, forward them to the server’s internal address.

RCON administration

If you will administer the server remotely, expose the configured RCON TCP port as well. Restrict it to trusted administrator addresses where possible, use a strong password, and avoid forwarding an unnecessary management port to the public internet.

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Local connection test

  1. Start the server and wait for it to finish loading the procedural map.
  2. Open Rust’s client console and run connect localhost:28015, replacing 28015 if you configured a different game port.
  3. Confirm that you can join, spawn, and move around the generated world.
  4. Only after the local test succeeds, test the public address from a separate network.

A local connection proves that the process is listening and the game port is usable. It does not prove that router forwarding, an external firewall, or query visibility is correct, so perform the second test from outside the host network.

What players will find in a correctly generated world

Surface and underground networks are connected

Facepunch’s Coupling The Rails update states: “The surface and underground rail networks are now linked, train signals have been added.” On worlds with a size of at least 4250, the update says players will find one or two rail tunnels that allow seamless travel between the networks.

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To change levels, drive a train into one of those tunnels and continue down its short slope. The transition is part of the generated world; it is not a teleport command that you need to enable separately.

Secondary surface lines

Above-ground layouts can include secondary lines that branch from the main line and merge back into it. Facepunch describes these as additional lines branching off and rejoining the main route. The exact arrangement depends on the generated world, so two seeds with the same world size can present different junctions.

Long trains and hills

If a long train cannot climb a hill, couple multiple Work Carts to provide additional power. This is an in-world operating technique, not a server setting. Test the consist on a short section before committing a long train to a steep route.

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Compare the practical setup choices

Decision Option A Option B Effect on rails
World size Below 4250 4250 or larger The documented surface-and-tunnel rail behavior requires at least 4250; Facepunch’s general procedural range is 1000–6000.
Surface generation AboveGroundRails: false AboveGroundRails: true False omits the surface network; true permits its procedural generation.
Underground generation BelowGroundRails: false BelowGroundRails: true False omits underground rails; true enables them for a complete linked setup.
Hosting Self-hosted Managed host Self-hosting gives direct file and firewall control; a managed host requires entering equivalent settings in its control panel or requesting file access.
Access Local-only Internet-facing Local access needs no router forwarding; public access requires the configured game/query UDP ports and, if used, RCON TCP forwarding.

No authoritative current figure is established for train population, rail CPU cost, or memory cost in the official material used for this setup. Do not choose a world size or promise a performance level on the basis of an invented benchmark.

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Changing rails, seeds, and wipes

Rail placement is generated from the seed and procedural settings. Editing the JSON switches, changing the seed, or changing the world size changes the generated map rather than merely toggling a live decoration. Plan such changes with your normal wipe procedure, announce the new seed and size to players, and preserve a copy of the previous configuration for rollback documentation.

Turning a rail switch off for a future generation does not remove tracks from a map that has already been generated. Start a new generation with the desired settings, then verify the resulting map before inviting players back.

Troubleshoot a missing or incomplete rail network

No rails appear anywhere

  • Confirm the server started with +server.level "Procedural Map", not a different level.
  • Check that +server.worldsize is 4250 or larger.
  • Open the JSON and verify exact capitalization and Boolean values: true, not a quoted string such as "true".
  • Confirm the startup command includes +world.configfile "rail-config.json" and points to the file in the active identity directory.
  • Inspect startup output for a malformed JSON file or a path that could not be read, then restart after correcting it.

Surface tracks exist but tunnels do not

  • Check that BelowGroundRails is enabled in the file actually loaded at startup.
  • Verify the world size is at least 4250; the linked tunnel behavior is documented for that threshold.
  • Confirm you generated a new map after changing the setting rather than checking an older world.

Players can join locally but not from the internet

  • Verify the external address and game port from a separate network.
  • Forward the configured game and query UDP ports to the correct internal host.
  • Open those UDP ports in the host firewall.
  • If remote administration is required, check the RCON TCP rule separately and do not confuse it with the game port.

A train stalls on an incline

Couple additional Work Carts to increase pulling power. A stalled train is an operating problem on the generated route, not evidence that the rail switches failed.

Operational checklist before inviting players

  1. Install or update the dedicated server through SteamCMD using app ID 258550.
  2. Set Procedural Map, record a seed, and choose a world size of 4250 or greater.
  3. Create the identity-directory JSON with both rail switches set to true.
  4. Add +world.configfile "rail-config.json" to the launch configuration.
  5. Place persistent hostname, player-limit, and other convars in rust/server/server.identity/cfg/server.cfg without command-line prefixes.
  6. Start RustDedicated in batch mode and watch for configuration or JSON errors.
  7. Join locally with connect localhost:28015 or the game port you selected.
  8. Inspect a surface line, locate a tunnel, and verify that a train can descend between networks.
  9. Test an external connection only after local connectivity works, then confirm query visibility and any RCON access.
  10. Document the seed, world size, JSON file, identity name, and port rules as the canonical wipe configuration.

Bottom line for a rail-focused Rust server

The reliable recipe is simple but strict: generate a Procedural Map at 4250 or larger, enable both rail switches in a loaded world-config JSON file, and keep the identity and network configuration consistent across restarts. The seed determines the actual junctions and tunnel locations, while the 4250 threshold determines whether the documented linked surface-and-underground experience is available. Validate locally, forward only the ports you need, and treat generation changes as a new wipe.

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