Increase rail cost

[Zardu]

That's mainly coming from multiplier games

The train system is one of the top things that people feel giddy about. Everyone wants to do it. Problem is that player don't feel savvy about it. They will implement two-way rails for absolutely no good reason because it is easy and cheap. It doesnt matter that just barely 2 trains are on the tracks and however distant points are that you want to connect, the vast majority of routes will be made 2 tracks even though few extra signals and a passing point will just do absolutely fine

Also looking at the tutorial, I can take a wild guess that developers though rail systems with a passing point would be more common. But as it stands in MP they basically non-existent.

So yeah

1. Everyone loves making tracks
2. Increased pricing may encourage some more efficient and interesting designs
3. Should be rewarding if more effort is needed

[leadraven]

In Factorio any building cost is negligible.

[conn11]

To expand on that. Rail is using stone, raw and not otherwise alterated. Steel and iron stick wich both are made from iron plate. So no complex production chains involved. Quantities and crafting time are both marginal.
Making rail an more demanding recipe would require massive alterations. A little much for a maybe more interesting (based on the viewpoint) rail system on the one hand. Or on the other hand, just more tedious construction of the same layouts. Like in the times of straight and curved rails.

[Koub]

One would need to rebalance purple science pack too. This should remain in the mod realm imho.

[ptx0]

They will implement two-way rails for absolutely no good reason because it is easy and cheap.

so you want them to be forced into some other building style for no reason other than it is hard and expensive? nope

[picklock]

In my opinion it is one of the main features of factorio to play your own style. To limit this only because someone does not like the style others play factorio and how they build up their rail system is no reason to increase the cost of rails. So you get a nope from me, too.

[ptx0]

In my opinion it is one of the main features of factorio to play your own style. To limit this only because someone does not like the style others play factorio and how they build up their rail system is no reason to increase the cost of rails. So you get a nope from me, too.

mostly suggestions like this come from someone who has never experimented with "Expensive" or "Marathon" modes. note the '1' post count for the user

[MEOWMI]

Early on, rails are kinda expensive... and in late game, even expensive rails would be cheap.

(BTW rails cost the same in normal and expensive mode.)

[wobbycarly]

Early on, rails are kinda expensive... and in late game, even expensive rails would be cheap.

(BTW rails cost the same in normal and expensive mode.)

Except that it's more expensive to produce the steel and iron.

[Oktokolo]

They will implement two-way rails for absolutely no good reason because it is easy and cheap.

The real reason is, that single-rail systems are incredibly prone for deadlocks. You have to be very careful when designing them. With a dedicated track for each direction, robustness and throughput are much higher.
Rails are also infrastructure investments. So if they are more expensive people will just lay one of the tracks first and then add the other as soon as they can afford it. All it does is delaying the player a bit. Ultimately, railways will still be two-way.

In the real world, the pricy thing about rails is the cost of the property they are laid on. Land is free in Factorio (you have to clean it from the natives and then defend it against immigrants though).
It also does not help, that you can't build the pretty real-life waiting bays because of limited curved rails in Factorio.

[ptx0]

Early on, rails are kinda expensive... and in late game, even expensive rails would be cheap.

(BTW rails cost the same in normal and expensive mode.)

what? the steel and iron are much harder to obtain.

[netmand]

So yeah

Ah no.

You can't dictate fun.