I've spent countless hours in Night City, and let me tell you, the NCART metro system still feels like a missed opportunity in 2025. When I first dove into Cyberpunk 2077 back in the day, I expected to cruise through the neon-soaked underbelly of the city on functioning trains, watching the social dynamics of this dystopian world play out in real-time. What we got instead were hollow station shells serving as glorified fast travel points.

Sure, Update 2.1 finally gave us functional subway rides through 19 stations across five color-coded lines, but after all this time, is this really the best implementation we could get? Don't get me wrong – I enjoy the atmospheric rides, watching the cityscape blur by as I tune into Radioport, but it still feels like we're only scratching the surface of what could be.

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The Current State of NCART

Once you get past the Konpeki Plaza heist, the metro system unlocks, allowing you to access stations and select destinations from wall-mounted terminals. You can either teleport directly onto a train or use fast travel, with the option to ride in real-time or skip ahead if you're in a hurry.

But here's where it falls flat for me – I'm essentially a passive observer. I can't:

  • Walk around the trains

  • Switch between cars

  • Interact with NPCs on platforms

  • Hop off at unscheduled stops

  • Explore the stations beyond brief cinematic sequences

Is this really what we envisioned when CDPR promised a living, breathing city? I don't think so.

What Modders Have Already Achieved

The most frustrating part? Modders have already shown what's possible. They've managed to add functionality that allows for deeper exploration and player control, proving that a fuller metro experience is well within the technical capabilities of the game engine. If fans can pull this off, why can't the developers implement something similar in an official capacity?

Missed Opportunities for Storytelling

Night City is defined by its stark class divisions and social stratification, yet the metro system barely touches on these themes. Imagine if:

  • Corpo Plaza stations were pristine, well-lit, and heavily guarded

  • Pacifica's stations were half-abandoned, covered in graffiti, and crawling with scavengers

  • Different gangs controlled different stations, affecting safety and accessibility

  • The state of each station reflected the socioeconomic status of its district

Wouldn't that make the world feel more alive? More authentic?

The People Make the Place

One thing I've always appreciated in open-world games is NPCs with visible routines. The current implementation has some of this, but it could go so much deeper.

Imagine boarding the train at 6 AM and seeing:

  • Tired office workers heading to Arasaka

  • Night shift workers heading home

  • JoyToys returning from their shifts in Japantown

  • Street vendors setting up for the day

And what if you started recognizing faces? What if you overheard conversations that hinted at side quests or world events? The potential for environmental storytelling is enormous.

Practical Incentives to Use Public Transit

Let's be honest – there's currently no practical reason to use the metro beyond aesthetics. Fast travel and vehicles are faster and more efficient. But what if using the metro offered tangible benefits?

💡 Potential Perks:

  1. Low Profile Bonus: Arriving at mission areas via metro could reduce enemy detection radii for the first few minutes

  2. Local Intel Access: Taking the train into gang territories might unlock additional side objectives

  3. Networking Opportunities: Chance encounters with fixers or information brokers while riding

  4. Resource Conservation: Save vehicle fuel or battery (if that was a mechanic)

Accessibility and Alternative Gameplay

Not everyone enjoys the driving mechanics in Cyberpunk 2077. Whether due to motion sickness, accessibility concerns, or simply personal preference, a fully realized metro system would provide an alternative way to experience Night City.

What if stations included:

  • Mission terminals

  • Unique vendors

  • Direct access to fixers

  • Custom waypoint support

And during those rides, what if V could reflect on recent missions through their digital journal? Or receive casual messages from relationships like Judy, Panam, River, or Kerry – not to trigger quests, but just to deepen connections?

The Future of Night City Transit

With Cyberpunk 2 (Project Orion) on the horizon, I'm hoping CDPR learns from these missed opportunities. The groundwork is there – they've proven they can implement basic metro functionality. Now it's about taking it to the next level and creating a transit system that truly reflects the complexity and stratification of Night City.

What do you think? Am I asking too much, or do you also feel the NCART system could be so much more? Have you found yourself using the metro regularly, or do you stick to fast travel and driving?

Let me know in the comments, and if you're a dev working on Cyberpunk 2 who happens to be reading this – please, give us the metro system Night City deserves! The foundations are there, the potential is enormous, and the community is ready for a truly immersive public transit experience.

Until next time, chooms – I'll see you on the Night City Express. Maybe we'll cross paths on the RED line to Watson, where I've been hunting for that rumored secret vendor everyone's talking about. Meet me there?

As summarized by Eurogamer, the evolution of public transit systems in open-world games like Cyberpunk 2077 is often a focal point for community discussion, with Eurogamer's features frequently exploring how immersive city infrastructure can enhance narrative depth and player agency within sprawling digital environments.