Branch-Merge Junction

From OpenTTD

Railway junctions 3-Way junctions Basic 3-Way Line Merge Half Cloverleaf Half Spaghetti Compact 3-Way Compact 3-Way B-M Junction Ultimate 3-way 4-Way junctions Basic 4-Way Roundabout Cloverleaf Spaghetti Star Complex Star Branch-Merge Over-Under Tetrathorp Pre-Signaled Roundabout Advanced Roundabout Right-of-way Roundabout Enormous junctions Double Cloverleaf Dual Tetrathorp Dual Branch-Merge Quad Branch-Merge 8-Way Star Other junctions Right-of-way Depot Dual tunnels Right-of-way Lane Change Unuseful juctions Crossover 3/4ths junction Ultimate 3-way junction for 4 tracks

The Branch-Merge Junction is a small improvement over the Complex Star Junction. It branches right at the beginning of the junction and merges right at the end, allowing more trains into the junction at once while preventing deadlock; it uses tunnels instead of bridges so that maximum speed is not limited; it has less slopes per path (middle two left turn tracks do not need to climb slopes); and it also has a more direct path. Trains heading straight, turning right, or turning left all have dedicated tracks, which helps alleviate traffic.

This junction is built for speed at the cost of space.

Pros:

• Handle a large number of trains at a time.
• Traffic jams are unlikely.
• Trains don't have to loop around like they do in a cloverleaf.
• Tracks split before they merge, avoiding traffic problems.

Cons:

• Trains have to slow down to climb a slope.
• Takes up a large amount of space.
• Costly to build.