The Dispatcher/Signaller really after years of evolution in the platform should be doing better, I have been giving the 218 a go on the RE50 (I think) Riesa to Dresden Hbf. This is a great run and challenging to keep time. I made an error and got a full brake application. Got to a regulating point just after a station a few kms from Dresden and was held for 3 freights whilst waiting to switch lines. This put 10 mins delay on to my train and something else was in the section behind. This rigid routing is not realistic and I doubt that a long distance regional train would be held for multiple freights. I sometimes wonder if anyone else feels similar and its a shame as junctions and signalling are modelled correctly to have a train stood for 15 minutes so that another can pass on adjacent track when there is enough alternative lines and points that can be used. The UK one that springs to mind is why the freights are run through the platform lines at Middlesborough when the goods lines handled the majority round the back of the station. TSW5 or whatever the new version is called really needs some smart Signalling/Dispatching, this would also mean runs can be a bit different each time potentially at busier locations making train watching and driving more interesting, realistic and maybe more robust in the long run.
That's a feature I'd definitely love to see! If my train is severely delayed for some reason already, the dispatcher could call and stop me at the next larger station, to let 1 or 2 faster trains pass. Or if I'm on a double-track route and the train in front of me is delayed, having a call with the dispatcher who allows me to use the opposite track for a while to literally overtake the other train. Stuff like this would add another little nugget of realism. I'd appreciate it On a sidenote: The dispatcher calls in their current state are beyond useless. Simply telling me if I can go or can't go on, that's usually the signals' job. More interaction options with the dispatcher would be fun.
Have you tried that run again without the mistake? Perhaps if you were running on time before you reached the regulating point, you wouldn't have had to wait. If you arrived too late, the signaller will give priority to other trains. Example: If you are running a service from Riesa to Dresden that requires a service from Grossenheim to wait, the timetable will be set so that you have a higher priority. However, if you start to run late before you reach Coswig, the dispatcher will let the Grossenheim service run in front of you. (I have no idea if this would happen, but I needed to think of a branch line and this was the first that came to mind). Actually, the reason the Bakerloo Line timetable was only upgraded a while after release was because DTG needed upgrades to the signaller. Dynamic routing, where you send trains down a different track instead of the planned one, is still not a feature, though, and is one DTG have been trying to implement for years. EDIT: Actually, I am not sure if I have understood your post correctly. Please ignore the above.
