Bypass switches & bypass towers

Secret track bypasses are routes that Railborn players open through exploration on foot. Washbear Studio says not every track is immediately available and that most bypasses are indicated by a bypass tower. Some are deliberately more secret. This establishes a connection between leaving the train and opening railway routes, although the announcement does not describe the exact interaction used at a bypass.

Bypass switches lead Update 013, published on 6 July 2026. The post introduces them by challenging the idea that a large railway network is fully accessible at once. It places on-foot exploration alongside upgrading the train to overcome inclines and weather effects. These are separate examples of gaining access; the announcement does not present a fixed sequence in which players must complete them.

Bypasses connect on-foot exploration to the branching track network, while incline capability connects train development to traversal. The Track Switcher has another published job: selecting a direction at an upcoming intersection. Nothing in the bypass announcement says that operating a Track Switcher opens a secret bypass. Likewise, bypass towers indicate routes, whereas information towers reveal local map information.

The published requirement is to explore on foot to open secret bypasses. A tower is a common indication, not a promise that every bypass has a visible marker. As of the July announcement reviewed on 7 September 2026, there is no stated activation procedure, required tool or guarantee about where a bypass leads. The available description cannot establish that a bypass avoids every incline or weather restriction.