Once your first line is running, you can fine-tune how it behaves: when trains leave a stop, when they are called to a station, which stops they skip, and when they refuel. These rules work on any line, from a simple two-stop shuttle to a large rail network. Train networks have their own equivalents and handle most of this automatically.

Controlling when trains depart

By default a train leaves a stop the moment its station finishes loading or unloading it, even if the train is not yet full or empty. <b>Depart conditions</b> hold the train there until a rule is met instead. Select a stop, press <b>{0}</b> (1), and pick a condition such as:

<b>{0}</b>: wait until the train is completely unloaded of all compatible products. Set this on an unloading stop so all cargo is dropped off.

<b>{0}</b>: wait a fixed amount of time, for example to let stock build up between trains.

When a stop has several conditions, choose how each one joins the next with <b>AND</b> or <b>OR</b>. Consecutive <b>AND</b> conditions form a group that must all be met together, and the train departs as soon as any group is satisfied (AND is applied before OR).

Controlling when trains arrive

A station's <b>{0}</b> tab decides when a train is called to it. Each cargo product has its own rules, which can be combined:

<b>Arrival sliders</b> (1): each product has a slider that requests a train only once its stock passes a threshold. By default the slider sits past the <b>∞</b> mark, so trains are always allowed. Drag it back and an unloading station calls a train only when its stock is at or below the value, while a loading station calls one only when stock is at or above it. Cargo already in transit is counted, so trains are never over-dispatched.

<b>{0}</b> (2): the maximum number of trains heading to the station at once. Keep it low at small stations to avoid pile-ups, and raise it where you need more throughput.

<b>Only full trains</b> (3): a train may approach only if the station can serve it completely - enough cargo to fill it at a loading stop, or enough free space to empty it at an unloading stop. Cargo already reserved by trains on their way is excluded, so a train never shows up only to be partly filled or emptied. Add <b>linked storages</b> to raise the station's capacity when a whole train would not fit otherwise.

Skipping stations

<b>{0}</b> (1): the train skips a stop if the station currently does not accept it, for example because its train limit is already reached. Without this option, the train would wait nearby until the station is free. This is useful on lines that have many optional stops.

<b>{0}</b> (2): the train skips a stop if the <b>next</b> station in the schedule is already free to accept it. A common use is a buffer stop. Place a waiting bay just before an unloading station: the train skips the bay when the unloader is free, and waits in the bay only when the unloader is busy. Only the very next station is checked, not the rest of the schedule.

A train automatically skips any station where it has nothing to do, for example because the product does not match. To force a visit anyway, mark the station as <b>do not skip</b> (3) in its inspector. This is useful at an end station where the train has to turn around. Waypoints are set to do-not-skip by default.

Refuel threshold

Trains automatically refuel while loading or unloading if compatible fuel is present at the station. It is also possible to designate a station to be a dedicated refueling station by clicking the <b>{0}</b> button (1). Then, you can adjust the slider (2) to set the threshold at which trains will stop at this station to refuel. If trains have more fuel than the configured threshold, this station will be automatically skipped.