We've had threads before about what type of terminal layout is the most efficient in regards to obtaining the maximum TPH. I was in São Paulo a few weeks ago and while doing some railfanning on the Metro I observed one terminal station that I believe to have the most efficient way of moving trains. Here is a diagram that shows how this terminal works:
The first diagram shows the layout of the terminal. Two platforms and three tracks. One platform is for exiting only and the other is for boarding only.
In the second drawing, the first eastbound train arrives on the rightmost track and discharges the passengers. The T/O gets out of the cab while another T/O enters the rear cab for the journey westbound. The train is fully ATO, so the train automatically closes the doors and departs the station toward the yard leads with the second T/O in the rear cab.
In the third drawing, as the first train is departing, a second train is arriving on the middle track. The train opens the doors for the exit platform first, then about three seconds later, opens the doors for the boarding platform. The T/O exits the train while another T/O enters the rear cab, which is now the front cab for the westbound direction. Meanwhile, the first train is beyond the station switching directions.
In the fourth drawing, the second train closes the doors on both sides and departs westbound. As the second train departs, the first train is entering the station on the leftmost track. At the same time, a third train is entering the station on the rightmost track.
In the last diagram, the first train departs, a fourth train enters the middle track and the third train goes beyond the terminal to switch directions and the cycle starts all over again.
According to a operations supervisor that gave me a tour of the São Paulo Metro Operations Control Center a couple of years ago, the signal and switch system built by Alstom is designed to handle 70 second headways or about 51 TPH, although in practice the minimum headway they have been able to achieve is 92 seconds (40 TPH) on this particular line, mainly because a delay as small as 15 seconds could backup the entire line.
This line is only 22 km long (13.6 miles) with 18 stations and it manages to squeeze 42 trains along the route during rush hours. It carries 890,000 passengers on an average weekday. This terminal handles 73,000 passengers per weekday. Can anyone tell me of another terminal layout more efficient than this one?