What is the longest route in Ticket to Ride?
The longest single routes on the USA map are 6 trains long, and claiming one scores 15 points, the top of the route scoring table. Don't confuse it with the longest path bonus: 10 points at the end of the game for the longest continuous line of your own trains.
The rule:
The longest single routes on the Ticket to Ride USA map are 6 trains long and score 15 points when claimed. That’s separate from the 10-point longest path bonus, scored at the end for your longest continuous line of trains.
Points for claiming a route (scored right away, as you claim it):
| Route length (trains) | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 7 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 15 |
Long routes pay far better per train: a 6-train route earns 2.5 points per train, while a 1-train route earns just 1.
Longest route vs. longest path bonus:
| Longest single route | Longest path bonus | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One route of 6 trains | Your longest unbroken line of trains, across many routes |
| Points | 15 | 10 |
| When you score it | As soon as you claim it | At the end of the game |
| Who scores | Whoever claims it | The player with the longest path (every tied player scores) |
Which routes are 6 trains? The rulebook doesn’t list them; count the spaces on your board.
Other maps: Ticket to Ride versions with other maps have their own route lengths and scoring tables, so check that game’s rulebook.
Example:
Ben claims a 6-train route and moves his marker 15 spaces. At the end, Ana's chain of shorter routes forms an unbroken 21-train path, longer than anyone else's, so she takes the 10-point longest path bonus without ever claiming a 6-train route.
Why players argue about it:
"Longest route" sounds like the end-game bonus, so players mix up the biggest single route with the longest continuous path. They're scored at different times, for different things.