When trying to describe and measure a complex phenomenon such as capacity, it is
important to have a good measure that considers all relevant aspects of the property it is
trying to describe, or it risks being less useful. Besides having a good definition, it should
preferable also be easy to measure. One definition of maximum capacity is when the point
is reached where the cost of scheduling one more train slot becomes higher than the benefit. Comparing costs and benefits can be achieved by, for example, applying socio
economics to put monetary values on delays and frequency of service etc. Trafikverket
(2014). Another definition that is commonly used in practise is to restrict the number of
train paths so that e.g. punctuality does not drop below a certain limit. More allowances
can be introduced in the timetable to reduced delays and improve punctuality Sipilä
(2010), but making travel times longer on the other hand, is not good from a market
perspective when for example trains are competing with other modes of travel.