section_path: Operations/Scheduling and dispatching
section_name: Scheduling and dispatching
paragraph_text: Scheduling and dispatching
  
  To prevent collisions or other accidents, trains are often scheduled, and almost always are under the control of train dispatchers. Historically, trains operated based on timetables; most trains (including nearly all passenger trains), continue to operate based on fixed schedules, though freight trains may instead run on an as-needed basis, or when enough freight cars are available to justify running a train.