Where's the train?

[wannabesuperman]

I sat in Black Brush Station for three days and still haven't seen a train. Am I blind?

[Sunah]

I feel really bad for you if you really waited for that train.

[wannabesuperman]

I guess I could ride my chocobo, but I prefer to use mass transit...

[Dotsusama]

I thought this was going to be about the Phantom Train, too. I kept expecting it to be an optional boss in one of the story duties, or otherwise, but nope.

[Enkidoh]

Yeah, sadly the train never appears despite what the npcs at Black Brush Station say. I'm still hoping that SE will add them in at a later date - the whole rail line could be used like the small ferries are in Gridania and Limisa, in providing access directly out of the city into Thanalan.

[Sensyon]

The Phantom Train is in CM...

[dubstephalflife]

If I remember correctly, early on in the Thanalan storyline, the npcs near Papashan say that they're trying to rebuild and reconstruct the railway (after the Calamity) to provide more transit throughout Thanalan. The Sultana wants transit for all Thanalanians, but the Syndicate is blocking her progress. I can't remember specifics, but it's about the point when the Syndicate first gets presented to the player.

[DoctaruRavenbe]

Kinda makes sense for the Syndicate to slow up the train repairs. Some of the members may lose profits from their caravan routes if a Rail system can bring goods from across the citystate faster and with some more modicum of protection from Beastmen and scoundrels... though would by cool for train robbers.

[Enkidoh]

The irony is, the railway is actually a new innovation - it never existed prior to the Calamity (the tracks never existed in 1.0), unless you count minecarts as a 'railway', so the 'repairs' comment seems a little odd and contradictory. Even the main FFXIV website (found here)suggests that Ul'dah's rail network is newly constructed:

The arcane technologies created by exiled Garlean engineers are slowly, but surely, taking root across Eorzea. It will not be long before a marriage between magitek and the mine carts of Ul'dah results in a web of iron causeways spanning the very wastes themselves!

But yeah, it's definitely logical as to why it's not been implemented yet story-wise, but I hope SE still does find a way to bring it into the game as a mode of transport.

<Loves trains by the way in case you couldn't tell.

[wannabesuperman]

I think both Warin and Papashan mention that there are freight trains that use those tracks. The "Spriggan Cleaning" quest specifically says that a derailment is possible.