> So, even with moving-block CBTC, you must always be capable of stopping before reaching the current location of the train ahead of you.
And even if you say 'I don't care, I think the risks of using relative braking distance are acceptable', every set of points that needs to be moved over between trains effectively poses a stationary obstacle while it is in transit and thereby effectively still forces you to use absolute braking distance between trains.
Yeah, great point, especially since points are often the next bottleneck after station dwells (I’m thinking especially of BART’s Oakland Wye here). Close following really does not solve what matters for throughput.
And even if you say 'I don't care, I think the risks of using relative braking distance are acceptable', every set of points that needs to be moved over between trains effectively poses a stationary obstacle while it is in transit and thereby effectively still forces you to use absolute braking distance between trains.