Tutorial:Train throughput

The maximum throughput of a Freight Platform can be calculated as follows:

Time to fill

First, you need time to fill, which is reliant on cargo stack size and Freight Car capacity. As mentioned on the Freight Platform page, you need to keep in mind that platforms have a 28.07s lockout timer whenever a train docks. 1560 is used as the max capacity number as it is the throughput of ×2 Mk.5 Conveyor Belts. The 27.08s lockout duration is converted into a per-minute value, resulting in 0.451333 min.

$Time\ to\ fill={\frac {Stack\ size\times Freight\ Car\ capacity}{1560}}+0.451{\overline {3}}$

Then, the time to fill is compared with the round trip duration.

• If $Time\ to\ fill\geq Round\ trip\ duration$ then ${\frac {Round\ trip\ duration-0.451{\overline {3}}}{Round\ trip\ duration}}\times 1560$
• If $Time\ to\ fill<Round\ trip\ duration$ then ${\frac {Time\ to\ fill}{Round\ trip\ duration}}\times 1560$

Maximum throughput numbers

After solving the above, the maximum throughput numbers based on stack size are as follows:

• 50 per stack
  • 88.62s round trip duration
  • 1083.3 items/min

• 100 per stack
  • 150.16s round trip duration
  • 1278.66 items/min

• 200 per stack
  • 273.23s round trip duration
  • 1405.4 items/min

• 500 per stack
  • 642.46s round trip duration
  • 1494.25 items/min

• Fluid trains
  • 107.08s round trip duration
  • 896.52 items/min

If your round trip duration is shorter or longer than the listed value, your attainable throughput will be lower than the maximum.

Note about fluid trains

Freight Trains with Packaged Fluid are equal to the 100 per stack values, but if you're recycling the Empty Cans back, you need twice the amount of Freight Cars. This means in either case, you're using 2 Freight Cars to move 3200 units of fluid. This changes the comparison to:

• Freight Trains, 100 per Stack
  • 150.16s round trip duration
  • 1278.66 items/min

• Fluid Trains
  • 107.08s round trip duration
  • 1793.04 items/min

Use of external buffers

It is recommended to build out from Freight Platforms some Storage Containers to act as "buffers".