This article is a list of important rail yards in geographical order. These listed may be termed Classification, Freight, Marshalling, Shunting, or Switching yards, which are cultural terms generally meaning the same thing no matter which part of the world's railway traditions originated the term of art.
These are important marshalling yards for the formation of freight/goods trains, and/or with a large volume of traffic, and/or with a very extensive track systems; including classification yards, hump yards, freight handling yards, and intermodal (container) terminals.
By state in alphabetical order:
Source: [1]
Within the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland there are no notable marshalling yards still extant. North Wall yard in Dublin is used for loading permanent way materials trains and stabling unused stock. Also host a small wagon repair shop used to maintain ore and container wagons.
British Railways undertook a major programme of investment in marshalling yards in the early 1960s, some of which were arguably obsolete before they even opened. [5] [6] [7] Many have since been closed entirely. Those that remain have been substantially dismantled. None retain hump facilities and instead see only very limited flat-shunting.
As of 2009[ out of date ], DB Schenker Rail (UK) operates the following marshalling yards, [8] defined as sites "where trains can be marshalled or re-marshalled using resident pilot locomotives, ground staff and train examination staff".
In Germany due to ongoing consolidation it is likely that some yards will close. The ones likely to continue in operation are marked in bold.
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