From Train Director 3.7e, a schedule file can specify arrival and departure times as deltas from the train entrance time or from the trains previous scheduled departure time.
A normal train's schedule is specified like this:
Train: TEST1 Enter: 00:01, A 00:03, 00:04, B 00:07, 00:08, C 00:10, 00:11, D 00:14, -, E .
This specification requires the author of the scenario to enter all times for all stops. If another train has similar speed (thus it takes the same time to travel from station to station), the author has to enter all times again.
Moreover, the above specification does not allow to specify a minimum stop time at stations. The default 30 seconds time will be applied at all stops.
The following syntax can now be used to specify arrival and departure times:
Train: TEST1 Enter: 00:01, A 00:03, 00:04, B +180, +30, C +120+90, +60, D +180, -, E .
Here, station B's arrival and departure time are specified with the old syntax, but station C's arrival is computed to be 180 seconds (3 minutes) after the train's departure from station B. Additionally, the departure time from C is computed to be 30 seconds after the scheduled arrival time.
Station D's line is similar: it computes the arrival time to be 120 seconds after the train's departure from station C; in addition, it specifies that the train must stop for at least 90 seconds after its arrival, no matter what the departure time is.
Of course you can also specify a delta time based from the entry time, as in the following example:
Train: TEST2 Enter: 00:20, A +120, +60, B
This mechanism can be combined with the specification of a random delay and a minimum stop time after assignment, as in the following example:
Train: TEST4 Wait: TEST3 120 Enter: 00:52!300/50, C +120, +60, D +120, -, E .
This train will wait the arrival of TRAIN3. Then it will compute the departure time using the following logic: