Forum Rocket German German Vocab nächste - next or nearest?

nächste - next or nearest?

Peter--252

Peter--252

I notice in grammar lesson 6.6 (superlatives) that nächste is the superlative of nah, and here it is translated as nearest or closest.
There is also an example sentence Die nächste Haltestelle ist Alexanderplatz, translated as The nearest station is Alexanderplatz.  But elsewhere (e.g. lesson 2.1) it is translated as next or the next.  

It is sometimes capitalised to make it a noun (Der Nächsten, bitte!), but it is sometimes an adjective: e.g.  
Hier geradeaus und an der nächsten Ampel linksStraight ahead here and left at the next traffic lights
from Lesson 3.2.

I assume that both meanings are correct, but is there any distinction between the two?

UPDATE: I've just spotted that this is mentioned briefly in the lesson - sorry!

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