The Clivilius Global Rail Network (CGRN) is the primary rail infrastructure system, connecting settlements, industrial zones, and strategic hubs across the expanding territories governed by Bixbus. Owned and administered by the Clivilius Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (CDTI), the network has grown from a single 60-kilometre line between Bixbus and Brierly in 2020 into a multi-corridor system spanning hundreds of kilometres, linking Xylora, Dunwich, Colchester, and Skegness through a combination of passenger and freight services. The Bixbus Rail Authority (BRA) oversees day-to-day operations in and around the capital, whilst regional expansion continues to integrate new settlements into the network. By 2025, the CGRN had become the backbone of Bixbus' transportation, trade, and economic development, reshaping regional relationships and reinforcing Bixbus' position as the dominant centre of commerce and governance.
The Clivilius Global Rail Network emerged from an urgent need to connect a world that was developing faster than its transport infrastructure could support. In the years following the founding of Bixbus in 2018, the settlement's rapid growth quickly outpaced the capacity of rudimentary road networks and slow overland convoys. With no established trade routes and an increasingly complex web of economic relationships forming between Bixbus and the settlements it was discovering, the case for a dedicated rail system became impossible to ignore.
The CGRN was conceived not merely as a transportation network but as the connective tissue of an emerging civilisation. Owned and administered by the Clivilius Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (CDTI), the network was designed to remain under full public ownership, ensuring that the infrastructure underpinning Clivilius' growth would serve the collective interest rather than private gain. The Bixbus Rail Authority (BRA), the first operational government-controlled rail entity, was established to manage services in and around the capital, reporting directly to the CDTI and overseeing maintenance, scheduling, and local expansions.
From its earliest planning stages, the CGRN carried a dual mandate: to facilitate the efficient movement of people and goods across the Bixbus region, and to extend Bixbus' economic and political influence into regions that had, until then, existed in relative isolation. This tension between service and strategy would come to define the network's expansion, shaping not only where tracks were laid but how relationships between settlements evolved.
The first major railway project of the CGRN was the Bixbus–Brierly Line, completed in December 2020. Stretching 60 kilometres northwest from the capital to the historic settlement of Brierly, the line represented both a monumental engineering achievement and a significant diplomatic effort. Brierly, founded in 1810 and renowned for its vineyards and traditional winemaking, had thrived in seclusion for over two centuries. Many of its leaders and landowners viewed the prospect of a railway connection to the rapidly industrialising Bixbus with considerable suspicion, fearing that it would erode their agricultural traditions and bring unwanted external influence.
Economic incentives ultimately proved persuasive. Brierly's wine production, whilst locally celebrated, had long been constrained by the settlement's isolation. A rail link to Bixbus promised access to larger markets and expanded trade opportunities. Construction began in September 2019 under the supervision of Aaron Caldwell, a veteran rail foreman whose demanding leadership and uncompromising standards kept the project on schedule despite harsh terrain, logistical setbacks, and several landslides near the hilly sections of the route. The first official train ran on 1 December 2020, reducing a journey that had previously taken days on foot to a matter of hours and opening a new era of commerce and cultural exchange between the two settlements.
The Bixbus–Brierly Line proved transformative for both communities. Bixbus gained direct access to Brierly's fertile lands and agricultural products, diversifying its economy beyond industrial production. Brierly, in turn, saw its wine exports reach previously unreachable markets. Yet the railway also brought tensions, with traditionalists in Brierly viewing the influx of traders and industrial influence as a threat to their centuries-old way of life. These dynamics would echo through every subsequent expansion of the CGRN.
The CGRN's second major corridor connected Bixbus to Xylora, the secluded settlement deep within the mountains. Completed in 2022, the Bixbus–Xylora Line covered 60 kilometres across plains and rocky foothills, reducing travel time between the two settlements from several days on foot to just 45 minutes by rail. Rather than tunnelling directly into Xylora's vast cave network, engineers designed the CGRN Xylora Surface Hub as a transition point, where electric underground trams would carry passengers and cargo the final distance into the settlement itself.
For centuries, Xylora had existed in relative isolation, sustained by advanced subterranean agriculture, bioluminescent technology, and a self-sufficient way of life. The railway fundamentally altered this dynamic. Passenger traffic surged as scholars, traders, and workers from Bixbus engaged with Xylora like never before, whilst the line facilitated the large-scale transport of Xylora's scientific equipment, minerals, and bioluminescent materials in exchange for industrial goods, agricultural products, and construction supplies from the capital.
A dedicated freight corridor, the Bixbus–Xylora Freight Corridor, was established alongside the passenger line, ensuring that cargo operations could run at full capacity without disrupting passenger services. Together, these two corridors transformed the relationship between Bixbus and Xylora from one of cautious cooperation into deep economic interdependence.
With Xylora connected to the capital, attention turned to extending the network deeper into the mountains. The CGRN Xylora–Dunwich Line, completed in 2023, was one of the most technically ambitious projects in Clivilius' history. Spanning 30 kilometres, the route required a 15-kilometre tunnel bored through the mountain range separating Xylora from Dunwich, a settlement that had long served as a small but vital agricultural support town.
Geological surveys commenced in February 2022, with engineers assessing potential tunnelling routes through the mountains. By July of that year, excavation began at the Xylora Surface Hub, with construction teams using advanced drilling technology to carve a path towards Dunwich. The work was dangerous and gruelling, with crews contending with unstable rock formations, ventilation challenges, and the ever-present risk of cave-ins. A breakthrough was achieved in June 2023 when tunnelling teams successfully connected the Xylora entrance to the Dunwich exit. The final tracks were laid by October, test trains ran in November, and the line officially opened on 1 December 2023.
The railway transformed Dunwich from a quiet agricultural town into a major logistics hub. Its famous rockfruit, livestock, and cliffstone—a durable building material increasingly sought after for Bixbus construction projects—could now be transported in bulk to Xylora and onwards to the capital. Within months of the line's opening, Dunwich saw a significant rise in population as new trade businesses and industries developed around the railway station, positioning the settlement as a critical midpoint between the mountains and the regions beyond.
The CGRN's reach extended to the sea with the completion of the Dunwich–Colchester Line in 2024. Spanning 50 kilometres across open plains and rolling terrain, the railway connected the now-thriving logistics hub of Dunwich with Colchester, the largest coastal city and maritime centre in the region. Unlike the Xylora–Dunwich Line, this route was built primarily on the surface, though engineers still had to navigate hilly terrain, seasonal flood zones, and farmland to minimise disruption to existing communities.
Surveyors mapped the route in August 2022, and the Dunwich–Colchester Railway Plan was formally approved in November of that year. Construction began in February 2023, with two separate crews—one starting in Dunwich and the other in Colchester—laying track towards a midpoint junction. A critical railway bridge was completed in August 2023, allowing trains to safely cross a seasonal floodplain along the route. By December 2023, the two halves of the railway were connected. Following test runs in April 2024, the line opened for full passenger and freight operations on 5 June 2024.
The line's impact was immediate and far-reaching. Farmers in Dunwich and surrounding settlements gained faster access to coastal markets, enabling mass exports of grain, livestock, and rockfruit. Colchester's shipbuilding and fishing industries benefited from rapid and cost-effective deliveries of timber, textiles, and manufacturing supplies. The transport of cliffstone from Dunwich and seastone from Colchester—two of the most valuable building materials in the region—could now be handled in bulk, accelerating Bixbus' urban development programmes. Travel time between the two settlements was reduced to under an hour, encouraging migration, tourism, and workforce mobility. Colchester quickly became the primary export hub for goods flowing from Xylora, Dunwich, and Bixbus, cementing the capital's control over regional commerce.
Not every expansion of the CGRN proceeded smoothly. The proposed connection to Skegness, a mineral-rich mining settlement, became the most politically fraught chapter in the network's history. Unlike Dunwich and Colchester, which had largely embraced Bixbus-backed infrastructure, Skegness was deeply sceptical. The settlement's economy revolved around high-value mineral exports, smelting, and industrial processing, all controlled by the powerful Skegness Industrial Council—a coalition of mine owners, refinery operators, and resource traders who were wary of any arrangement that might increase Bixbus' leverage over their economic autonomy.
Initial talks between Dunwich trade representatives and Skegness industrial leaders began in April 2022, but the Skegness Industrial Council formally rejected the first CGRN expansion proposal in September of that year, citing concerns over autonomy, trade control, and mineral rights. The rejection did not end the matter. With internal divisions emerging within Skegness' leadership, unofficial discussions resumed in February 2023 between pro-trade factions and Dunwich representatives. A compromise proposal was formally submitted in July 2023, offering Skegness greater local control over mineral exports and a partial stake in the railway's operation. By November 2023, the Skegness Industrial Council finally voted in favour of a freight-only rail link, clearing the way for construction.
Work began in April 2024, with engineers facing the challenge of constructing reinforced freight tracks capable of supporting heavy mineral loads across 45 kilometres of terrain, whilst avoiding disruption to existing mining operations. Crucially, the line was designated as freight-only—a condition imposed by Skegness' leadership to prevent unwanted migration and external oversight. By January 2025, the final tracks were laid, and in April 2025 the first fully operational freight train departed Skegness carrying a load of processed minerals and industrial materials. Though operational, political tensions persist, with Skegness' leaders continuing to assert their economic independence even as Bixbus gains direct logistical access to one of the most mineral-rich regions in Clivilius.
The CGRN operates under a clear governance structure designed to balance central oversight with regional flexibility. The Clivilius Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (CDTI) holds full ownership of the network, allocating resources for expansion, maintenance, and upgrades, and establishing the policies, safety regulations, and long-term strategic plans that guide the system's development. The department is headquartered at Unity Plaza in Bixbus, the administrative and economic heart of the capital.
The Bixbus Rail Authority (BRA) serves as the first and, to date, primary operational body within the CGRN, managing day-to-day rail services across the network. The BRA oversees scheduling, maintenance, and coordination with urban planners—particularly the Bixbus Urban Development Authority (BUDA)—for station placement and integration with the city's broader transport infrastructure. Unity Plaza itself is planned as a central rail hub, connecting the CGRN's passenger services with Bixbus' growing urban transit network.
Whilst the CGRN remains publicly owned, provision exists for private companies to lease track access for commercial freight or passenger services under government oversight. Any future private operators would be required to comply with CDTI safety regulations and CGRN operational standards. As the network continues to expand, the establishment of additional regional rail authorities beyond the BRA remains a possibility, particularly as more distant settlements are integrated into the system.
The CGRN supports a range of services across its expanding network. Passenger rail connects Bixbus to Brierly, Xylora, Dunwich, and Colchester, offering regional and commuter services that have dramatically reduced travel times and encouraged economic mobility between settlements. Freight services operate across all corridors, with dedicated freight lines serving the Bixbus–Xylora and Dunwich–Skegness routes. Standard freight operations transport goods, raw materials, and industrial products, whilst specialised services handle agricultural exports, construction materials, and high-value mineral cargo from Skegness.
The network also maintains capacity for strategic and government use, including emergency response transport, security logistics, and classified government operations. This dual-purpose design ensures that the CGRN serves not only the commercial economy but also the broader governance and security requirements of an expanding civilisation.
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Men are vanishing across Tasmania, and Detective Senior Constable Karl Jenkins is running out of time, patience, and sanity. Every lead points to Luke Smith—but proving it means crossing lines Karl can't uncross. He breaks into houses without warrants. He sees faces in windows that shouldn't be there. He chases the wine-soaked Gladys Cramer through high-speed pursuits only for her to slip away. His partner becomes collateral damage. His sergeant's warnings go ignored. Karl knows something monstrous is happening on this island, and he'll tear through every boundary to expose it. Even if it destroys him.
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Gladys Cramer wasn’t looking for trouble—just a quiet glass of red and maybe a cat that actually came when called. But when a Portal opens, a body turns up, and a man with too many secrets begs her trust, Gladys is pulled into something vast, strange, and far too dangerous. She doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t want the job. Dryly funny, quietly furious, and not at all qualified—Gladys is about to learn that staying out of it doesn’t mean staying safe.