• Are there goods whoose transport is more expensive (to say, do we earn more from transport an oil unit per kilometer than a passenger?)
• How are the distances calculated? From here (/forums/topic/trick-exploit-ish/) I know it is not the beeline distance between origin and destination. But is it instead the distance travelled in transport vehicle?! If so, that would mean building a nice, expensive straight tunnel line gives you less revenue than the curvy tour around the mountains (assuming you still stay within the 20 min frame window). Which doesnt make sense to me.

What I found out so far

• Prices per kilometer are are a decreasing function of distance (as in TT for example).
• Transportation speed does not play a role (high speed train kilometer price is the same as slow train kilometer price), just that the high speed train might get you more clients as their ways fall into the 20 min time frame.

yes, your findings are arcording to mine. It’s a pity that the prices are decreasing for distance, I would like I could build longer distances.

Prices per kilometer are are a decreasing function of distance (as in TT for example).

In OpenTTD it is the opposite: prices per km increase with distance and decrease with time (fast and long route gives more money than long and slow or short and fast).

How are the distances calculated? From here (/forums/topic/trick-exploit-ish/) I know it is not the beeline distance between origin and destination.

I think it actually is, only that the origin and destination are your own stations and not the global route the cargo/passenger is on.

So if the passenger/cargo takes two lines on its journey, it will pay the beeline prices from you first to your second station and then from your second to your third. The exploit is exactly forcing the cargo through an unnecessarily far away middle station.

I have two cities, A and B, and transporting passengers A->B brings me more money per passenger (about +30%), than B->A. There is only one train and a single track, so the distance is definitely the same. Travel time is also the same as the loco is powerful and gains the max speed very fast and maintains it for the whole route.

The only difference  is that city A is near the river, and B is quite uphill.

So, I suppose, hauling goods or passengers uphill brings more money.

It would be very nice if developers would actually tell us stuff like that.