Maximum train frequency?

[cimmic]

When trains wait for the station block to be clear, they always seem to wait outside even when the train in front is past the station?

[HOY3]

Michiel, you describe me a thing called "Marche à vue en canton occupé" in french. That's not a solution. The solution is, as for paris's metro, increase speed.

[Sjoerd]

If you really want to increase the capacity and frequency on a metrosystem; remove all the tracks and trains from the tunnels and install (very ) fast-moving walkways instead; that would mean infinite frequency (no waiting between departuretimes at all), but sadly not much comfort.




A little closer on topic; I have once seen a situation, I believe it was on the Paris RER-system (the C-line parallel to the river Seine), where a second train entered the station (along the platform) as the first was still in the process of leaving it. If you achieve that, you are at the absolute top of track-capacity. Regardless of the speed between stations.

[HOY3]

This picture shows a faster "trottoir roulant" than the habitual, but too often broken, so it's past.
For your example, that's not habitual: it's when an accident is occured. This (on A-line) permitted by "SACEM" system (Système d'aide à la conduite, à l'exploitation et à la maintenance , in english "Driving Exploitation and Maintenance Help System" :

[Michiel]

The solution is, as for paris's metro, increase speed.

Higher speed means longer intervals between trains, as the braking distance is longer. At 80km/h, you are limited to about one train every 65 seconds. At 40km/h you can improve this to about 50 seconds. But going to slow the effect reverses, at 10km/h the interval increases again to 70 seconds. And that is the main problem with using this method: it requires very precise timing, otherwise the interval may in fact become larger rather then smaller.

With shorter trains the intervals can be smaller then this, that's why for trams it does work, it's mainly the long trains having to drive slowly until the last car is next to the platform that cause delays.

[HOY3]

... and that is for this reason that the first line of paris's metro is fully automatic.

[Michiel]

Bit hard to make a simulator for a fully automatic metro though

[nstomjanssen2000]

I think that would be a little bit boring.