Can you use both double routes in a 2 or 3 player game of Ticket to Ride?
No. With 2 or 3 players, only one track of each double route can be claimed. Once someone takes one track, the other is closed. With 4 or 5 players both can be used, but never by the same player.
The rule:
In a 2 or 3 player game of Ticket to Ride, you can’t use both tracks of a double route: once one is claimed, the other is closed to everyone. With 4 or 5 players both can be claimed, but never by the same player.
Some cities are joined by double routes: two routes of the same length between the same cities.
- Any player count: the same player can never claim both routes of a pair.
- 2 or 3 players: only one route of the pair can be claimed at all. A player may take either one, and then the second is closed to everyone.
- 4 or 5 players: both routes can be claimed, by two different players.
Example:
In a 3-player game, Kai claims one of the two tracks between two cities. The other track is now closed to everyone. In a 5-player game, Ana could claim the second track, but Kai still couldn't.
Why players argue about it:
The parallel tracks look like two separate routes, so players assume both are always open. The player-count rule is a short note that's easy to miss.