Train Callouts & Map Guide
A Soviet-era trainyard rebuilt for CS2. Two open yards packed with train cars create a unique cover-hopping battlefield where angles multiply and AWPs rule the lanes.
Train Overview & History
Train is one of Counter-Strike's oldest competitive maps, dating back to the original game in 1999-era rotations. It was an Active Duty mainstay throughout CS:GO until May 2021, when Ancient replaced it. Valve shipped a ground-up CS2 remake in November 2024 and rotated it back into Active Duty for the 2025 season in place of Vertigo — before Anubis took its spot in January 2026. Today Train sits in the reserve pool and remains fully playable in Competitive matchmaking.
The layout is unlike anything else in the pool: both bombsites are open railyards filled with parked train cars. Instead of fixed walls, cover comes from the trains themselves — which means dozens of narrow gaps, under-train sightlines, and off-angles that change with every step. Callouts here name the individual trains (Blue, Green, Red, White, Yellow, Oil), and knowing them cold is essential.
The CS2 remake preserved the classic geography — A yard and B yard side by side, Ivy and Popdog flanking A, the halls complex feeding B — while opening up sightlines, adding the Z Connector between sites, and reworking T-side approaches. It plays faster and less CT-oppressive than the old CS:GO version, but the AWP still anchors both yards.
Train Callouts Map
Named positions on Train, plotted where they sit on the radar. Full descriptions for every callout are below.
T SpawnT Connector (Showers)Brown HallsB HallsPopdogA MainAlleyA SiteIvyB SiteUpper BB RampBack Site (B)Z ConnectorCT SpawnCT StairsAll Callouts (45 positions)
CT Side (29)
A Site
The A railyard bombsite among the parked trains, entered from A Main, Popdog, Ivy, and the CT side.
Bomb Train (A)
The train car beside the Z Connector that hosts the A plant zone.
Blue
The blue train directly outside A Main — the first cover on A entries.
Green
The green train on the Ivy side of the A yard.
Red (A)
The red train nearest the A plant zone.
Sandwich
The gap between the Blue and Green trains at the top of the A yard — a classic off-angle.
Olof
The pocket beside the Blue train facing A Main, named after a famous pro boost spot.
Hell
The cubby beside the Green train facing Ivy.
E Box
The electrical box between Popdog and the A bomb train — a common AWP and anchor position.
Heaven
The elevated platform overlooking the A yard, reached by ladder — the defence's vertical anchor.
Cubby
The alcove housing the Heaven ladder.
Camera
The wall section between the A2 and A3 passages on the yard's edge.
A1 / A2 / A3
The three numbered passages along the A yard's CT edge, used for rotations and retakes.
Old Bomb
The train in the alleyway connecting the CT areas to A — a landmark on the CT approach.
Ivy
The long connector from Alley into the A yard's CT side — the flank lane both teams fight over.
Dumpster
The dumpster outside Ivy's yard exit providing a cover angle into A.
B Site
The B railyard bombsite among its own set of trains, entered from Upper B, B Ramp, and the Z Connector.
Bomb Train (B)
The central train hosting the B plant zone.
White
The white train just outside the Lower B/B Ramp entrance.
Yellow
The yellow train behind the B bomb train.
Red (B)
The red train beside the Z Connector in the B yard.
Oil
The black oil tanker beside Headshot and Catwalk.
Spools
The cable spools opposite the B bomb train — anchor cover with under-train sightlines.
Summit
The space between the Bomb Train and the White train.
Headshot
The crouch-height position at the end of Catwalk overlooking the B yard.
Back Site (B)
The rear of the B yard near CT spawn — the anchor's fallback ground.
CT Spawn
Counter-Terrorist spawn in the garden area on the map's east edge.
CT Stairs
The stairway from CT spawn up toward Ivy and the A yard.
CT Tunnel
The back offices between Ivy and CT spawn.
T Side (12)
T Spawn
Terrorist spawn along the platform on the map's west edge, with routes to A Main, Popdog, and the halls toward B.
T Stairs
The stairway from T spawn descending toward the halls complex and B.
Kitchen
The interior area between T Stairs and Showers on the T side.
T Connector (Showers)
The elevated passage running parallel to Brown Halls, linking T spawn toward Popdog and A.
Brown Halls
The narrow corridor connecting the T-side rooms to B Halls.
B Halls
The staging corridor behind the B yard — the launch point for B site hits.
Popdog
The famous ladder room between Showers and the A yard — the drop-in flank route onto A site.
A Main
The primary T entrance into the A yard, opening opposite the Blue train.
Alley
The long back passage from T spawn along the north edge toward Ivy.
Pigeons
The stretch between Ivy and Alley, named for its resident birds.
Upper B
The raised entrance into the B yard from the halls complex.
B Ramp
The lower entrance ramp into the B yard from B Halls.
Mid Control (4)
Catwalk
The elevated walkway after Upper B leading along the B yard's edge.
Ladder
The safe climb-down route from Upper B into the yard.
Sidewalk
The platform running from Lower B toward the Z Connector.
Z Connector
The connector bridging the A and B yards — the rotation and retake artery of the remake.
How to Play Train T-Side
T-side Train is about pressuring multiple entrances at once, because every yard entrance is watched by long AWP lanes. A standard default sets up presence at A Main and Popdog while a lurker watches Ivy/Alley, with the B halls kept as the swing option. Dry site hits into a set defence fail — the yards give defenders too many train-gap angles.
A hits combine A Main with Popdog: smoke the Ivy and CT-side lanes, flash the yard, and take space train by train — Blue and Green first, then the site trains. The ladder route through Popdog is the tempo-breaker: a player dropping the ladder behind an A Main engagement appears inside the defence's crossfire.
B hits run through the halls into Upper B and B Ramp, with the Z Connector as the follow-up route once A-side pressure pulls rotations. Post-plant, Train is a T-side dream: planted bombs can be covered from under and between trains at angles retakers struggle to clear. Spread wide — one player Z, one deep yard, one back in halls.
How to Play Train CT-Side
CT Train is traditionally AWP-centric: one sniper controls the A yard lanes (from Heaven, E-Box, or the site trains) while another — or the same player rotating — watches B from the site or Z Connector. Riflers fill the gaps: an Ivy player, a Popdog listener, and a B anchor playing off the trains.
The defence's core skill is cover discipline: holding train gaps at different depths each round so entry Ts cannot pre-aim, and re-positioning between cars after each kill. Utility goes to the chokes — molotovs for Popdog ladder and B Ramp, smokes to cut A Main when a hit starts.
Retakes reward methodical play: trains hide post-plant Ts everywhere, so clear in pairs, use Heaven for vertical information on A, and always check under the cars. The Z Connector is the retake artery — controlling it lets CTs re-enter either yard from an unexpected direction.
Key Duels & Angles
A Main vs yard AWP
The opening battle: Ts peeking from A Main into an AWP holding across the yard from Heaven or the site trains. Smokes and shoulder-peeks bait the shot; the AWP re-positions between cars after every kill.
Popdog ladder drop
The ladder room between the T side and A yard produces Train's signature move — dropping into the fight behind an engaged defence. CTs counter by molotoving the ladder or holding the door from Sandwich.
Ivy lane control
The long Ivy corridor flanking A is a rifle-range duel both sides need: CTs use it to hold A's flank, Ts to reach the yard's CT side. Whoever claims it forces the enemy to respect one more angle all round.
B Ramp vs site trains
Ts entering B from Ramp or Upper B fight anchors playing off White, Yellow, and the Bomb Train. Under-train sightlines cut both ways — pre-nading common gaps is standard on organised hits.
Z Connector crossfire
The connector between yards hosts constant mid-round skirmishes: lurkers, rotators, and retakers all pass through. Sound cues and off-angle holds decide these fights more than raw aim.
Common Strategies & Executes
T-Side Attack
A Main + Popdog Split
Smoke the Ivy and CT lanes, engage from A Main, then drop the Popdog ladder behind the defence once the yard fight starts. Plant at the Bomb Train and spread across the cars.
B Halls Execute
Hit Upper B and B Ramp together behind a flash wave, with a molotov for Spools and a smoke cutting the Z Connector. The two-level entry stretches the site anchor.
Ivy Flank Round
Send two players the long way through Alley/Pigeons to Ivy while the rest hold A Main timing. The pincer collapses the yard from opposite corners.
A Fake → Z Swing
Commit utility and bodies at A Main, then swing the pack through the Z Connector into B as the rotation crosses the other way.
CT-Side Defense
Double-AWP Yards
One AWP holds the A lanes from Heaven/E-Box, another watches B from the site trains, with riflers on Ivy and Popdog. The classic Train defence, remade.
Z Control Retake
On a lost site, take the Z Connector first: it re-enters either yard from an angle post-plant setups rarely cover, while Heaven provides vertical info for the clear.
Tactical Tips
Learn the train names first — Blue, Green, Red, White, Yellow, Oil — or your calls mean nothing here.
Check under the trains: under-car sightlines kill more unaware players than any angle.
Use Popdog drops behind engaged defences — the ladder is Train's signature flank.
As CT, re-position between cars after every kill; static AWPs get pre-aimed.
Post-plant, spread across train gaps — one retake flash cannot clear three cars.
Train in Pro Play
Classic Train was famous as pro Counter-Strike's great CT fortress — deep AWP setups and 12-3 halves — and produced legendary sniper performances in the CS:GO era. The CS2 remake returned to top-level play in 2025 noticeably more attack-friendly: opened sightlines and the Z Connector gave T-sides real split options for the first time.
Its Active Duty stint ended in January 2026 when Anubis rotated back in, but one season of tier-one play showed the remake's identity clearly: AWP-anchored defences, train-gap discipline, and post-plant chaos in the yards. The stats module above reflects tracked competitive data where available.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Train still playable in CS2?
- Yes. Train left the Active Duty pool in January 2026, when Anubis rotated back in, but it remains in the game as a reserve map and is playable in Competitive matchmaking. Premier's pick-ban only covers the seven Active Duty maps, so you will not see it there.
- How different is CS2 Train from the CS:GO version?
- The November 2024 remake kept the classic two-railyard geography but modernised almost everything else: brighter, more readable yards, adjusted train placements, reworked T approaches, and the Z Connector linking the two sites. The result plays faster and less CT-dominated than the old version, which was notorious for its defensive AWP fortresses.
- What is Popdog on Train?
- Popdog is the ladder room connecting the T-side Showers area to the A yard — the name is inherited from graffiti in the original map. Dropping the ladder mid-fight puts a T inside the A defence's crossfire, which makes it the map's signature flank; CTs answer with molotovs on the ladder and a listener at the door.
- Why are the callouts on Train based on colours?
- Because the cover is the rolling stock: the yards are full of parked train cars, and the community named them by colour decades ago — Blue, Green, and Red in the A yard; White, Yellow, Red, and the Oil tanker at B. Calls like "one Sandwich" (between Blue and Green) or "under White" depend on knowing the cars, which is why learning them is step one on this map.
- How do CTs usually defend Train?
- Around AWPs. The yards' long lanes make sniper anchors unusually strong: one AWP typically controls A from Heaven, E-Box, or a site train while teammates hold Ivy and listen for Popdog, and the B anchor plays off the trains with under-car sightlines. The discipline is constant re-positioning — a static AWP on Train gets pre-aimed and traded.
- When was Train in the Active Duty pool?
- Classic Train was an Active Duty fixture for most of CS:GO's life until May 2021, when Ancient replaced it. The CS2 remake shipped in November 2024 and was rotated into Active Duty for the 2025 season in place of Vertigo, then left in January 2026 when Anubis returned. It now sits in the reserve pool.