📰 What Happened: Subway Builder lets players build and test subway networks in 26 U.S. cities, including Baltimore. Players start with $3 billion and must design routes, place stations, and manage train schedules to attract riders and, ideally, turn a profit. The game uses overseas pricing to keep things viable, highlighting how expensive U.S. transit construction has become.

🔍 A Closer Look: Baltimore’s subway was supposed to mirror D.C.’s but stalled after its first line opened in 1983. Subsequent light rail extensions reused abandoned rail corridors, but comprehensive plans were shelved. In the game, players can test-build lines based on a 2002 state proposal, with population and employment centers visualized as red and gray dots.

🧠 Why It Matters: While it’s just a game, Subway Builder offers a serious platform for reimagining stalled transit plans and raising awareness of the challenges facing U.S. infrastructure. For Baltimore in particular, it could rekindle public interest in long-forgotten mobility solutions—one virtual track at a time.