The Combine maximized the use of these transportation systems, developing ground-based APCs to patrol roads while utilizing pre-invasion trains and their own form of trains to transport citizens and goods in and out of City 17.

Several railway lines run throughout the city, with at least two large train stations connecting City 17 to other Combine controlled cities. In addition to highways and city streets, City 17 includes underground road tunnels that traveled beneath the city during the Resistance uprising against the Combine, portions of the tunnels could be seen, badly damaged, with areas flooded with toxic substances. Transportation systems Ī Combine Razor Train passes by a canal and residential apartments.Ĭity 17's transportation system had considerable variety. Īs there was little emphasis on maintaining non-essential parts of the city, many areas of City 17 suffered from urban decay prior to the Citadel's explosion. The industrial districts are seen linked to the city via railway lines and canals. The outskirts of City 17 features industrial districts and additional Soviet-style housing, most of which are considered off-limits to citizens. This is supported by the presence of a hospital, several cafés and restaurants, office buildings, and underground city systems, most of which are still intact but abandoned. The city was large enough to provide all necessary needs for the citizens before the Combine's occupation.

The Combine themselves occupied some former government buildings, such as the Overwatch Nexus, to help keep control over the city. However, some city infrastructure, such as power plants, are maintained by the Combine, and electricity is made widely available from both traditional sources and Combine generators. Conditions in such housings are typically seen as poor, with very few luxuries and constant inspection and raids by Civil Protection. Under Combine rule, certain residential buildings in the city are used as accommodations for citizens. The core of the city consists predominately of wall-to-wall buildings, with blocks of clustered low-rises made out of a variety of old and new buildings. At the heart of the city is the Citadel, a giant skyscraper which serves as the hub of the Combine. In addition, large television screens were installed in several public areas to address citizens regarding the Combine. Upon the Combine's arrival on Earth, many buildings were augmented using their own style of architecture with the intent of restricting citizen movement throughout the city. It features architecture styles dating from pre-World War II neoclassicism, post-war classical designs, Soviet modernism, and post-Soviet contemporary designs. The Trainstation Plaza, under surveillance by Civil Protection units and equipment, with a ' Breencast' monitor, which Doctor Breen uses to address City 17 citizens.Ĭity 17 visually resembles a post-Soviet harbor city featuring mostly Eastern European architecture.

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