How do trains select stations?

[zigdon]

I'm thinking of setting up all my resource outposts with a shared station name. I have a generic unload station, and would like to be able to just copy/paste the same train schedule to all trains.

The question is, how will trains select which station to go to?

Some ideas I was thinking of that might affect this:

- If I use signals to make a particular station inaccessible, would trains just try to go to other stations?
- If a signal changes while a train is in route to a station, will it redirect to another? Will it just sit at the signal and wait?

[mophydeen]

the closest station

[zigdon]

The closest station that's routable? Or just all the trains will always try to go to the same station and queue up there?

[DaveMcW]

Trains will recalculate their route if the current station becomes un-routable due to circuit signals.

A station blocked by another train is still routable, it just gets a distance penalty that makes it less likely to be the closest.

This means trains are biased towards the first station. They only try for other stations if the first station is busy when they choose a route.

[Yoyobuae]

You're asking for a ton of headaches.

Yes, in theory you can control where trains go by opening/blocking stations. In practice though it's almost impossible to guarantee the ENTIRE route to the desired target station will be open (no other trains in path!). Might work if you have a single train in your entire network, maybe.

And then you need to keep the distance (actually number of signals) to each potential destination balanced to some degree, otherwise trains will ignore all your red signals and go to nearer station anyway.

Trains will recalculate their route if the current station becomes un-routable due to circuit signals.

Signals don't make stations un-routable. They just add a distance penalty.

A station blocked by another train is still routable, it just gets a distance penalty that makes it less likely to be the closest.

Which together with this means that a train might very well route straight into a red light, if that route takes it to the nearer station. Train sees one closer station behind a red light (circuit forced) and some other further station behind a red light (due to other train), so it chooses the nearer one.

[Deadly-Bagel]

Just thought I'd add that trains don't look at distance, they look at number of signals. It will prefer a train stop that is further away if there are fewer signals to pass than a closer stop.