A pocket track, tail track, or reversing siding (UK: centre siding, turnback siding) is a rail track layout which allows trains to park off the main line. This type of track layout differs from a passing loop in that the pocket track is usually located between two main lines, rather than off to the side. Found primarily on metro systems, rapid transit light rail networks, and tramways, a pocket track allows certain trains or trams to change direction, even on lines with high traffic flow, whilst others continue through the station. [1] [2] [3]
Pocket tracks also allow for the short-turning of trains, truncating services at an intermediate station to control train frequency, [4] truncating lower ridership lines or services at an intermediate station in the case of the DART Orange Line, [5] reversing the direction of special event trains or congestion alleviating trains, and storing trains when not in use. They are also used at terminal stations to allow for the construction of future extension of a rail track without disrupting existing service on the main tracks. [6]
A pocket track can have a platform on it to permit turning back of trains and letting passengers change trains, such as Stevenage railway station where a new platform 5 was built on a turnback siding, [7] or Bachman station, where the pocket track is incorporated within the station to allow for trains to terminate before heading to the yard without disrupting traffic.
Typically there will be two tracks, one for each direction of travel. The pocket track will be positioned between the two tracks, linked to both by switches, usually on both sides. Although most trains will pass through the station and continue in the same direction, an individual train may be directed into the pocket track by the control tower, before later exiting the pocket track and running in the opposite direction back into the station. This procedure allows a greater frequency of trains on a section of track closer to the city center, and reduced frequency on the suburban sections by allowing certain trains to run from the city center to intermediate stations, using pocket tracks to change direction within the flow of trains.
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems can use locomotive-hauled trains or multiple units, using electric or diesel propulsion. Distance charges or zone pricing may be used.
The Metropolitan line, colloquially known as the Met, is a London Underground line between Aldgate in the City of London and Amersham and Chesham in Buckinghamshire, with branches to Watford in Hertfordshire and Uxbridge in Hillingdon. Printed in magenta on the tube map, the line is 41.4 miles (66.7 km) in length and serves 34 stations. Between Aldgate and Finchley Road, the track is mostly in shallow "cut and cover" tunnels, apart from short sections at Barbican and Farringdon stations. The rest of the line is above ground, with a loading gauge of a similar size to those on main lines. Just under 94 million passenger journeys were made on the line in 2019.
A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines at a metro station. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named. In the United States and Canada, it is often referred to as a cross-platform transfer.
In railroad structures and rail terminology, a wye or triangular junction is a triangular joining arrangement of three rail lines with a railroad switch at each corner connecting to the incoming lines. A turning wye is a specific case.
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line is a commuter railway line on the Sydney Trains network in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926, it became the first railway in New South Wales to run electric train services.
Essendon railway station is a commuter railway station on the Craigieburn line, which is part of the Melbourne railway network. It serves the northern suburb of Essendon, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Essendon station is a ground level premium station, featuring three platforms, an island platform with two faces and one side platform. It opened on 1 November 1860, with the current station provided in 1871. It initially closed on 1 July 1864, then reopened on 9 October 1871.
The Cranbourne line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's second longest metropolitan railway line at 44 kilometres (27 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Cranbourne station in the south-east, serving 24 stations via the City Loop, South Yarra, Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong. The line operates for approximately 20 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 to 15 minutes are operated with services every 15–20 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Cranbourne line run with a seven-car formation operated by High Capacity Metro Trains.
Po Lam is the northern terminus MTR station of the Tseung Kwan O line. It is located on Mau Yip Road, Po Lam, in the New Territories of Hong Kong, sandwiched by Phases 1 to 3 of Metro City. Built by Maeda Corporation, it opened on 18 August 2002. The name of the station is taken from the nearby Po Lam Road North.
Bondi Junction railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Eastern Suburbs line, serving the Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is served by Sydney Trains's T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line services and NSW TrainLink's South Coast Line services.
The J Church is a hybrid light rail/streetcar line of the Muni Metro system in San Francisco, California. The line runs between Embarcadero station and Balboa Park station through Noe Valley. Opened on August 11, 1917, it is the oldest and has the lowest ridership of all of the Muni Metro lines.
A passing loop or passing siding is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or trams travelling in opposite directions can pass each other. Trains/trams going in the same direction can also overtake, provided that the signalling arrangement allows it. A passing loop is double-ended and connected to the main track at both ends, though a dead end siding known as a refuge siding, which is much less convenient, can be used. A similar arrangement is used on the gauntlet track of cable railways and funiculars, and in passing places on single-track roads.
The Liverpool & Inner West Line is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves the Inner West and Western Sydney. The Main Suburban railway line is the physical railway line which carries the section of the Inner West & Liverpool Line between Redfern and Lidcombe, followed by the Main South railway line between Lidcombe and Liverpool. On 30 September 2024, a significant portion of the line closed between Bankstown and Sydenham as part of conversion works to facilitate the extension of the Sydney Metro's North West & Bankstown Line along the existing rail corridor to Bankstown. The Bankstown-Sydenham section of the line will thus operate under the Sydney Metro network upon its re-opening in 2025.
Worksop railway station is a Grade II listed railway station which serves the town of Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England.
Rochdale railway station is a multi-modal transport hub in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It consists of a Northern-operated heavy rail station on the Caldervale Line, and an adjoining light rail stop on Metrolink's Oldham and Rochdale Line. The original heavy-rail element of the station was opened by the Manchester and Leeds Railway in 1839 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the south of Rochdale town centre. The Metrolink element opened in February 2013. Further changes to the station are planned as part of the Northern Hub rail-enhancement scheme.
A headshunt is a short length of track provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines.
Mexikói út is the northern terminus of the yellow M1 line of the Budapest Metro. Located in the Zugló district of Pest, the station was opened on 30 December 1973 when the line was extended from the original terminus at Városliget.
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separated rapid transit line below ground surface through a tunnel can be regionally called a subway, tube, metro or underground. They are sometimes grade-separated on elevated railways, in which case some are referred to as el trains – short for "elevated" – or skytrains. Rapid transit systems are railways, usually electric, that unlike buses or trams operate on an exclusive right-of-way, which cannot be accessed by pedestrians or other vehicles.
The application of railway signals on a rail layout is determined by various factors, principally the location of points of potential conflict, as well as the speed and frequency of trains and the movements they require to make.
A train station, railroad station, or railroad depot and railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing such ancillary services as ticket sales, waiting rooms, and baggage/freight service. Stations on a single-track line often have a passing loop to accommodate trains travelling in the opposite direction.
TEXRail is a hybrid rail line in Tarrant County, Texas that provides service between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with intermediate stations in North Richland Hills and Grapevine. It is operated by Trinity Metro. The line was opened for preview service on December 31, 2018 and started revenue service on January 10, 2019. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 714,800, or about 2,100 per weekday.