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96-402: The Carlingford railway line is a former heavy rail line in Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, which now largely forms part of the Parramatta Light Rail . It was opened from Clyde to Subiaco (later renamed Camellia) in January 1885, then by means of the construction of a bridge across the Parramatta River , to Carlingford in April 1896. It closed on 5 January 2020 with most of

192-491: A heavy rail metro line. Although the use of heavy rail also refers to rapid transit as with American parlance, it is characterized as electrified passenger rail services that use 8- or 10-car trains. This is then distinguished from light rail used to describe medium-capacity rail systems such as the LRT Line 1 and MRT Line 3 , and medium rail which is a regular rapid transit system operated with fewer train cars such as

288-544: A further three-year order in 2015, but then Axion filed for bankruptcy in December 2015, though it continues to trade. These ties are developed by Dr. Nosker at Rutgers University. Composite sleepers, manufactured from various recycled plastics, were introduced in Wiltshire , United Kingdom, in 2021. They were installed as an alternative to wooden sleepers, on a bridge where concrete sleepers would have been too heavy. Although it

384-489: A greater acoustic sharpness on straight stretches of track. Concrete ties were however shown to be quieter than wooden ties almost universal across the audible frequency band on curves. This causes train noise when over concrete ties to potentially be subjectively perceived as louder than train noise over wooden ties. On the highest categories of line in the UK (those with the highest speeds and tonnages), pre-stressed concrete ties are

480-401: A joint may be 12 inches (305 mm) wide where the formation is soft or the traffic is heavy and fast. Sleepers are mostly spaced 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m) apart (centre-to-centre) but are closer adjacent to fishplated rail joints where the spacing sequences are as follows with the spacing at the fishplate highlighted . The fractional inch spacing at the fishplate corresponds to

576-631: A light rail line from Parramatta to the Macquarie Centre , running parallel to the Carlingford line between Camelia and Dundas. The report noted that while the future of the railway line was a matter for the state government, conversion of the line to light rail would reduce the cost of the light rail's construction significantly. In December 2015, the NSW government announced the Camellia to Carlingford section of

672-494: A longer service life and require less maintenance than timber due to their greater weight, which helps them remain in the correct position longer. Concrete ties need to be installed on a well-prepared subgrade with an adequate depth on free-draining ballast to perform well. It is a common misconception that concrete ties amplify wheel noise. A study done as part of Euronoise 2018 proved this false, showing concrete sleepers to be an average of 2dB(A) quieter than wooden ones, however with

768-629: A mainly above-ground suburban rail network serving Greater London , the London Overground , which took over Silverlink Metro routes. Confusingly, the term overground is also used to refer to National Rail networks within London generally, or any non-London Underground rail service in everyday speech The term metro is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using

864-675: A metro system, is nonetheless officially classified as being heavy rail . In North America, the American Public Transportation Association defines a heavy-rail system as an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic. The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers. In North America, heavy rail can also refer to rapid transit , when referring to systems with heavier passenger loadings than light rail systems, but distinct from commuter rail and intercity rail systems. It

960-507: A service life longer than wooden ties with an expected lifetime in the range of 30–80 years, that the ties are impervious to rot and insect attack, and that they can be modified with a special relief on the bottom to provide additional lateral stability. In some main track applications the hybrid plastic tie has a recessed design to be completely surrounded by ballast. Aside from the environmental benefits of using recycled material, plastic ties usually replace timber ties soaked in creosote,

1056-519: A short time later close the metal gates. Over the week of 20 to 26 October 2007, the section of track from Telopea to Carlingford was completely replaced, utilising concrete sleepers instead of timber ones. The section from Telopea to Rosehill was similarly upgraded over the fortnight of 22 June to 3 July 2009. The railway remains on timber sleepers from Rosehill to Clyde. The line was colour-coded orange in CityRail promotional material until 1991 when it

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1152-562: A single monolithic concrete casting. This system is in use in Austria ; in the Austrian system the track is fastened at the four corners of the frame, and is also supported midway along the frame. Adjacent frame ties are butted close to each other. Advantages of this system over conventional cross increased support of track. In addition, construction methods used for this type of track are similar to those used for conventional track. In ladder track,

1248-446: A system devised by Frank J. Sprague , in which a spring-loaded trolley pole pushed a small trolley wheel up against an overhead wire to collect electricity for the motors. Although not the first overhead collection system, it was far more reliable than its predecessors, and eventually became used by almost all streetcars. Some authorities believe that the vehicle became known as a trolley car because it reminded people (particularly on

1344-518: A three-way underground junction near Carlingford, linking the station to the proposed North West Rail Link , as well as the line to Chatswood . In 2003, the Minister for Transport , Michael Costa announced that only Stage 1 of the line, from Chatswood to Epping , would be built, but the Carlingford line section was indefinitely postponed. Under the Rail Clearways Project , announced in 2004,

1440-760: A transit sense refers to a rapid transit heavy rail system that goes underground. The term may refer only to the underground parts of the system, or to the full system. Subway is most commonly used in the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada , though the term is also used elsewhere, such as to describe the Glasgow Subway in Scotland, and in translation of system names or descriptions in some Asian and Latin American cities. In some cities where subway

1536-483: Is 3,250 wooden crossties per mile (2,019 ties/km, or 40 ties per 65 feet) for wood ties or 2,640 ties per mile for concrete ties. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway specified 18 sleepers per 45-foot (13.72 m) rail and 24 sleepers per 60-foot (18.29 m) rail, both of which correspond to 2,112 sleepers per mile. Sleepers are 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) long, 10 inches (254 mm) wide and 5 inches (127 mm) deep. The two sleepers adjacent to

1632-548: Is a British English term referring to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation at the price of slower operating speeds and lower vehicle capacity. They were permitted under the Light Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The London Docklands Light Railway , has more rapid transit style features than would be typical of light rail systems, but fits within

1728-541: Is a growing desire to push the Federal Transit Administration to help fund these startup lines as well. Light rail is generally powered by electricity, usually by means of overhead wires , but sometimes by a live rail , also called third rail (a high voltage bar alongside the track), requiring safety measures and warnings to the public not to touch it. In some cases, particularly when initial funds are limited, diesel -powered versions have been used, but it

1824-464: Is a pair of two pre-stressed concrete ties longitudinally connected by four steel rods. The design is said to be suitable for track with sharp curves, track subject to temperature stress such as that operated by trains with eddy brakes , and bridges, and as transition track between traditional track and slab track or bridges. Concrete monoblock ties have also been produced in a wider form (e.g. 57 cm or 22 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) such that there

1920-426: Is an American term for streetcar systems that use vehicles that were built before 1960, or modern replicas of such vehicles. Cable car is an American word for a passenger rail vehicle attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location, not on board the vehicle. There are cable cars operating in numerous cities, such as San Francisco . A light railway

2016-415: Is being employed by major US railroads in a dual treatment process in order to extend the life of wood ties in wet areas. Some timbers (such as sal , mora , jarrah or azobé ) are durable enough that they can be used untreated. Problems with wooden ties include rot, splitting, insect infestation, plate-cutting, also known as chair shuffle in the UK (abrasive damage to the tie caused by lateral motion of

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2112-561: Is characterized by high-speed, passenger rail cars running in separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded. Such passenger rail cars are almost always electrically driven , with power either drawn from an overhead line or an electrified third rail . In the Philippines , the North–South Commuter Railway has been described by Philippine National Railways general manager Junn Magno as

2208-468: Is fully grade-separated from other traffic). The APTA definition also includes the use sophisticated signaling systems , and high platform loading . Originally, the term rapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars , trams , streetcars , omnibuses , and other forms of public transport. A variant of

2304-683: Is named to distinguish it from heavy rail , which refers to rapid transit systems as well as heavier regional rail / intercity rail . A few systems such as people movers and personal rapid transit could be considered as even "lighter", at least in terms of how many passengers are moved per vehicle and the speed at which they travel. Monorails are a separate technology. Light rail systems can typically handle steeper inclines than heavy rail, and curves sharp enough to fit within street intersections . They are typically built in urban areas, providing frequent service with multiple-unit trains or single cars. The most difficult distinction to draw

2400-589: Is no ballast between the ties; this wide tie increases lateral resistance and reduces ballast pressure. The system has been used in Germany where wide ties have also been used in conjunction with the GETRAC A3 ballastless track systems. Bi-block (or twinblock) ties consist of two concrete rail supports joined by a steel bar. Advantages include increased lateral resistance and lower weight than monobloc concrete ties, as well as elimination of damage from torsional forces on

2496-535: Is not a preferred option. Some systems, such as AirTrain JFK in New York City, are automatic, dispensing with the need for a driver; however, such systems are not what is generally thought of as light rail, crossing over into rapid transit . Automatic operation is more common in smaller people mover systems than in light rail systems, where the possibility of grade crossings and street running make driverless operation of

2592-568: Is not on the light rail route. The short section between Clyde and the Parramatta Road level crossing will remain open to allow access to Sydney Trains' track inspection depot. The Sandown line was formally closed in July 2019. A replacement bus service , the route 535, was introduced from Parramatta to Carlingford, and is operated by Hillsbus . The level crossing across Parramatta Road was removed in late January 2020. In its last years, all services on

2688-440: Is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it's called light rail ) is the dominant form of new urban rail transit in the United States . The Federal Transit Administration helps to fund many projects, but as of 2004, the rules to determine which projects will be funded are unfavorable toward

2784-518: Is often limited due to rot. Some entrepreneurs sell new ties. Due to the presence of wood preservatives such as coal tar , creosote or salts of heavy metals , railroad ties introduce an extra element of soil pollution into gardens and are avoided by many property owners. In the UK, new oak or pine beams of the same length (2.4m) as standard railway sleepers, but not treated with dangerous chemicals, are available specifically for garden construction. In some places, railroad ties have been used in

2880-431: Is regardless the general term for both types of system. Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in these cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Until March 2019, Seattle had a downtown bus subway in which diesel-electric hybrid buses and light rail trains operated in a shared tunnel. The hybrid buses ran in electrical-only mode while traveling through the tunnel and overhead wires power

2976-425: Is that between light rail and streetcar / tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are: Many light rail systems – even fairly old ones – have a combination of the two, with both on-road and off-road sections. In some countries, only

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3072-479: Is used, it refers to the entire system; in others, only to the portions that actually are underground. Naming practices often select one type of placement in a system where several are used; there are many subways with above-ground components, and on the other hand, the Vancouver SkyTrain and Chicago "L" include underground sections. Historic posters referred to Chicago's Red & Blue lines (then called

3168-606: The Berlin S-Bahn . The Frankfurt U-Bahn is an important exception, the system being really a light rail transit system with underground sections. Hamburg S-Bahn fulfills all criteria for heavy rail inside the state and city of Hamburg, but some lines go beyond the state border into the state of Niedersachsen and there the S-Bahn runs with lower train frequency. The same applies also to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Copenhagen, Denmark, with

3264-565: The Hejaz railway in the Arabian Peninsula where the dry, hot climate made wood ties unsatisfactory. Modern steel ties handle heavy loads, have a proven record of performance in signalized track, and handle adverse track conditions. Of high importance to railroad companies is the fact that steel ties are more economical to install in new construction than creosote-treated wood ties and concrete ties. Steel ties are utilized in nearly all sectors of

3360-497: The International Association of Public Transport ( L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics , or UITP) as urban guided transport systems "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level but with physical separation in such a way that inadvertent access is not possible. In different parts of

3456-534: The LRT Line 2 . Heavy rail term according International Union of Railways (UIC) refers to both freight rail and passenger rail (commuter, regional, intercity and high-speed) other than large-capacity metro. The terms tram , streetcar , and trolley refer to most forms of common carrier rail transit that run entirely or partly on streets, providing a local service and picking up and discharging passengers at any street corner, unless otherwise marked. While tram or tramway are widely used worldwide,

3552-638: The Newark City Subway , each about half underground, originated from fully surface streetcar lines. Also, the Buffalo Metro Rail is referred to as "the subway", while it uses light rail equipment and operates in a pedestrian mall downtown for half of its route and underground for the remaining section. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as in Philadelphia , where trolleys operate in an actual subway for part of their route and on city streets for

3648-460: The West Coast ) of a boat trolling for fish . Others believe it derived from a dialect word for a wheeled cart. In the U.S. the word tram frequently refers to a special-purpose bus used as a shuttle (and often not designed for use on public roads), such as for parking lot shuttles at theme parks and major events or transportation within theme parks. Other common North American English meanings of

3744-490: The "shafts of a wheelbarrow ". From this the term "tram" was used in the coal mines of Scotland and Northern England for a coal cart running on rails, and by extension to any similar system of trackway. Streetcar is an American word derived from "street" + "car", where "car" is used in the sense of a vehicle running on rails, i.e. railway car. The first American streetcars, introduced around 1830, were horsecars , and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of

3840-408: The Carlingford line. Work was to commence in 2011, with a projected 2017 finish. Following a change of government at the 2011 state election , the project was shelved. A large amount of land lies behind Carlingford station, for future extensions of the line. In 2013, Parramatta City Council published a feasibility study into a Western Sydney Light Rail network. The study proposed the construction of

3936-489: The State Street & Milwaukee/Dearborn lines) as "the subway lines". Medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. Some light rail / street car lines that have underground sections that are referred to as subway are often sub surface subways. Notably, Boston's Green Line and

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4032-440: The U.K. light railway definition. A light rail transit (LRT) system is an urban rail transit system with a "light" passenger capacity compared to heavy rail and metro systems. Its operating characteristics are that it uses railcars , called light rail vehicles (LRVs), operating singly or in short multiple unit trains on fixed rails in a right-of-way that is not necessarily grade-separated from other traffic for much of

4128-490: The advantage of accepting treatment more readily, they are more susceptible to wear but are cheaper, lighter (and therefore easier to handle) and more readily available. Softwood is treated, with creosote being the most common preservative for railway ties. Other preservatives used include pentachlorophenol and chromated copper arsenate . Sometimes non-toxic preservatives are used, such as copper azole or micronized copper . New boron -based wood preserving technology

4224-512: The ballast. This is due to better damping properties of hybrid plastic ties and composite ties, which will decrease the intensity of vibrations as well as the sound production. In 2009, Network Rail announced that it would begin replacing wooden ties with recycled plastic. but I-Plas became insolvent in October 2012. In 2012, New Zealand ordered a trial batch of "EcoTrax" brand recycled composite ties from Axion for use on turnouts and bridges, and

4320-524: The construction of homes, particularly among those with lower incomes, especially near railroad tracks, including railroad employees. They are also used as cribbing for docks and boathouses . The Spanish artist Agustín Ibarrola has used recycled ties from Renfe in several projects. In Germany, use of wooden railroad ties as building material (namely in gardens, houses and in all places where regular contact to human skin would be likely, in all areas frequented by children and in all areas associated with

4416-716: The existing ballast, unlike concrete ties which require a full depth of new ballast. Steel ties are 100% recyclable and require up to 60% less ballast than concrete ties and up to 45% less than wood ties. Historically, steel ties have suffered from poor design and increased traffic loads over their normally long service life. These aged and often obsolete designs limited load and speed capacity but can still be found in many locations globally and performing adequately despite decades of service. There are great numbers of steel ties with over 50 years of service and in some cases they can and have been rehabilitated and continue to perform well. Steel ties were also used in specialty situations, such as

4512-709: The latter being a toxic chemical, and are theoretically recyclable. However, plastics may shed microplastics and leach other possibly toxic chemicals such as ultraviolet inhibitors. Hybrid plastic railroad ties and composite ties are used in other rail applications such as underground mining operations, industrial zones, humid environments and densely populated areas. Hybrid railroad ties are also used to be partly exchanged with rotten wooden ties, which will result in continuous track stiffness. Hybrid plastic ties and composite ties also offer benefits on bridges and viaducts, because they lead to better distribution of forces and reduction of vibrations into respectively bridge girders or

4608-521: The latter inappropriate. Railroad tie Railroad ties are traditionally made of wood , but prestressed concrete is now also widely used, especially in Europe and Asia. Steel ties are common on secondary lines in the UK; plastic composite ties are also employed, although far less than wood or concrete. As of January 2008, the approximate market share in North America for traditional and wood ties

4704-495: The latter is described as light rail . In those places, trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal – sometimes just with concrete " buttons " to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style

4800-579: The light rail trains which continue to operate in the tunnel. Bus subways are sometimes built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines, such as the MBTA Silver Line in Boston. Subway , outside the US, and especially in Europe, often refers to an underground pedestrian passageway linking large road interconnections that are often too difficult or dangerous to cross at ground level. In Canada,

4896-452: The line operated as shuttle services from Clyde. A few peak hour services operated to and from Central , but these had been withdrawn years before the line closed. With annual patronage of 569,000 for the year 2019, the Carlingford line was Sydney's least-used suburban railway line. Very little of the line remains as of May 2020 as the tracks and overhead wiring were removed in January 2020 with

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4992-512: The line undergoing conversion to light rail , while a short section of the line was retained for use by Sydney Trains . The Carlingford line branched off the Western line at Clyde heading north and crossing Parramatta Road via a level crossing , before passing under the M4 Western Motorway to Rosehill station . It was a double track line to this point. Immediately south of Rosehill,

5088-674: The line was to have had a crossing loop at Rydalmere, thus allowing an increase in train frequency to half-hourly throughout the day. However, that part of the Clearways Project was cancelled in November 2008. In August 2010, the Federal Government promised $ 2.6 billion towards the project, which, along with funding from the New South Wales Government, would have allowed the line to be extended from Epping to Parramatta via

5184-556: The line would be converted to light rail, forming a branch of the Parramatta Light Rail network. That would replace the connection to the Sydney Trains network at Clyde with a link to Parramatta and Westmead . As a consequence, the Carlingford line north of Parramatta Road was closed on 5 January 2020 to allow conversion works to take place. Much of the remaining section closed permanently. That included Rosehill station, which

5280-740: The line's closure. Set M30 held the honour of running the final revenue service for the T6 Carlingford Line. [REDACTED] Media related to Carlingford railway line at Wikimedia Commons Heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~80 km/h (50 mph)) and rapid acceleration. It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e.

5376-461: The line, and thus no capacity for trains to pass each other. There were no signals past Rosehill, meaning the entire section of line was one block , meaning only one train could be in this section at any time. Trains entering or exiting this block were detected using an axle counter. The section between Rosehill and Clyde was controlled using conventional track circuits and signals . A number of industrial and car storage sidings have been built on

5472-457: The line. Starting from the Clyde end: The line was opened in two sections: Clyde to Camellia was opened on 17 November 1888, and Camellia to Carlingford (then known as Pennant Hills) was opened on 20 April 1896. Telopea station was added in 1925. Originally the line was privately owned by two companies: the line from Clyde to Rosehill was owned by John Bennett and the line from Rosehill to Carlingford

5568-493: The majority of the line, with the section between Carlingford and Camellia duplicated. Telopea , Dundas , and Rydalmere stations would also have been duplicated and upgraded to allow eight car trains. Camellia station would have been demolished, and Rosehill station closed and replaced by a new underground station with a preliminary name of 'Rosehill/Camellia'. Carlingford station would also have been replaced by an underground station. Various proposals were put forward, including

5664-512: The only exception that the word "Metro" is used instead of "U-Bahn", and "S-tog" instead of "S-Bahn". (The Danish word "S-tog" applies to the trains ( tog ), rather than the tracks as in Germany; "S-tog" means "S-train".) Otherwise, the S-Bahn of Berlin and the S-tog of Copenhagen are very similar with the exception of the size. In Switzerland, where there is only one underground railway system in Lausanne,

5760-401: The only ones permitted by Network Rail standards. Most European railways also now use concrete bearers in switches and crossing layouts due to the longer life and lower cost of concrete bearers compared to timber, which is increasingly difficult and expensive to source in sufficient quantities and quality. Steel ties are formed from pressed steel and are trough-shaped in section. The ends of

5856-480: The original iron lattice bridge over the Parramatta River was replaced. The new bridge only has one track, although it was built to allow a second track to be laid in the future. It sits on the refurbished piers of the original bridge. In early 2007, the pedestrian crossings at Telopea and Dundas stations were rebuilt. The new automatic crossings provide audible and visual warnings of an approaching train and

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5952-575: The remainder. This is locally styled subway-surface . When the Boston subway was originally built, the subway label was only used for sections into which streetcars (trams) operated, and the rapid transit sections were called tunnels . Also, in some countries, subway refers to systems built under roads and the informal term tube is used for the deep-underground tunnelled systems (such as London's Piccadilly line ) – in this usage, somewhat technical nowadays and not used much in London, underground

6048-501: The resistance to track movement is very good. For curves the three-point contact of a Y steel tie means that an exact geometric fit cannot be observed with a fixed attachment point. The cross section of the ties is an I-beam . As of 2006, less than 1,000 km (621 mi) of Y-tie track had been built, of which approximately 90 percent is in Germany . The ZSX Twin tie is manufactured by Leonhard Moll Betonwerke GmbH & Co KG and

6144-508: The same fixed-guideway principles as steel wheel systems. Paris , Rome , Madrid , Barcelona , Lisbon , Copenhagen , Helsinki , Warsaw , Saint Petersburg , Amsterdam , Rotterdam , Prague and Moscow all have metro (from the word metropolitan where "metro" means "mother" and "politan" means "city") systems which are called metro in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Czech and Russian. Subway used in

6240-404: The shorter platform being served by northbound services and the longer one by southbound services with the double track merging into a single track to the north of the station. However, on race days, the shorter platform would be served by services in both directions to allow for the section immediately north of the station on the southbound track to stable race day trains. In June 1992, the junction

6336-506: The simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some places in the country have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support. Most of these lines have been "heritage" railways , using refurbished or replica streetcars harkening back to the first half of the 20th century. However, a few, such as the Portland Streetcar , use modern vehicles. There

6432-638: The stations at Rydalmere, Telopea, Camellia and Carlingford demolished from April to May 2020. The only remnants of the railway that will be left and integrated with the light rail are the Parramatta River bridge at Rydalmere and the former Dundas Station building. Prior to the line being electrified, services were hauled by Z13 and Z20 class locomotives. Some services were operated by CPH railmotors . Electric services were operated by Standard suburban carriages and Sputnik Carriages then S sets and C sets in two and later four carriage formations from 1993 to 2019 then finally K and M sets from July 2019 to

6528-466: The streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled by cables , were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States. Trolley is an American word derived from the electric current pickup mechanism in early systems. The first successful electric streetcars in the United States used

6624-457: The surface by 'cut-and-cover' methods. The Glasgow metro system is known as the Glasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The word metro is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and around Newcastle upon Tyne to refer to the Tyne and Wear Metro . In the UK, the term overground was created in 2007 by Transport for London to refer to

6720-595: The term U-Bahn – a shortening of Untergrundbahn , meaning "underground railway" – and S-Bahn – an abbreviation for the German Stadtschnellbahn or just Schnellbahn (fast city train, fast train) the more common English translation, suburban train. So for example in Berlin, the mostly underground system is known as the Berlin U-Bahn and it is integrated with the mostly above-ground system, known as

6816-652: The term subway may be used in either sense. The usage of underground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system. In London the colloquial term tube now refers to the London Underground , and is the most common word used for the underground system; and it is used by Transport for London , the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London. However, strictly speaking, it should only refer to those deep lines which run in bored circular tunnels as opposed to those constructed near to

6912-613: The term tram include aerial cable cars and short-distance, rubber-tired people-movers (such as at certain airports). Tourist buses that have been given the appearance of a vintage streetcar (i.e. trolley-replica buses ) are most commonly referred to, ambiguously, simply as trolleys by the companies or entities operating them or selling them, but may be referred to as trams or streetcars. Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies include horsecar , heritage streetcar , and cable car . Heritage streetcar (also known as heritage trolley or vintage trolley )

7008-626: The term metro is generally used, due to the influence from the French language. In Sweden, the metro of Stockholm is called "Tunnelbana" or "T-bana" which refers to the fact that the trains often run in tunnels. The same applies to Norway and the "T-bane" of Oslo. Elevated is a shorthand for elevated railway , a railway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. The term overhead tends to be used in Europe. The names of elevated railways are sometimes further abbreviate it to El or L . Some examples include: The term heavy rail has different meanings in different parts of

7104-554: The term used varies in different dialects of English , with streetcar and trolley most commonly used in North America ( streetcar being more common in the western and central part of the continent and trolley in the eastern part), while tram predominates in Europe and elsewhere. Tram is a British word, cognate with the Low German traam , and the Dutch trame , meaning

7200-626: The term, mass rapid transit (MRT) , is also used for metro systems in Southeast Asia and Taiwan . Though the term was almost always used to describe rail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including local ferries in some cases. The term bus rapid transit has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit. Metros , short for metropolitan railways, are defined by

7296-430: The thermal expansion gap allowed between the rail ends. Interurban railways of the late 1800s and early 1900s generally ran lighter rolling stock than mainline steam railways, but roadbeds were built to similar standards. Wooden ties were placed at approximately 2-foot (0.61 m) intervals. Various methods exist for fixing the rail to the railroad ties. Historically spikes gave way to cast iron chairs fixed to

7392-410: The tie and secured to the rail by a proprietary fastening system such as a Vossloh or Pandrol which are commonly used in Europe. The type of railroad tie used on the predecessors of the first true railway ( Liverpool and Manchester Railway ) consisted of a pair of stone blocks laid into the ground, with the chairs holding the rails fixed to those blocks. One advantage of this method of construction

7488-507: The tie are shaped to form a "spade" which increases the lateral resistance of the tie. Housings to accommodate the fastening system are welded to the upper surface of the tie. Steel ties are now in widespread use on secondary or lower-speed lines in the UK where they have been found to be economical to install due their ability to be installed on the existing ballast bed. Steel ties are lighter in weight than concrete and able to stack in compact bundles unlike timber. Steel ties can be installed onto

7584-478: The tie plate) and spike-pull (where the spike is gradually loosened from the tie). Wooden ties can catch fire; as they age they develop cracks that allow sparks to lodge and more easily start fires. Concrete ties are cheaper and easier to obtain than timber and better able to carry higher axle-weights and sustain higher speeds. Their greater weight ensures improved retention of track geometry , especially when installed with continuous-welded rail. Concrete ties have

7680-440: The tie, more recently springs (such as Pandrol clips ) are used to fix the rail to the tie chair. In recent years, wooden railroad ties have also become popular for gardening and landscaping , both in creating retaining walls and raised-bed gardens, and sometimes for building steps as well. Traditionally, the ties sold for this purpose are decommissioned ties taken from rail lines when replaced with new ties, and their lifespan

7776-411: The ties are laid parallel to the rails and are several meters long. The structure is similar to Brunel's baulk track; these longitudinal ties can be used with ballast, or with elastomer supports on a solid non-ballasted support. The crosstie spacing of mainline railroad is approximately 19 to 19.5 inches (48 to 50 cm) for wood ties or 24 inches (61 cm) for concrete ties. The number of ties

7872-457: The ties center due to the more flexible steel connections. This tie type is in common use in France, and are used on the high-speed TGV lines. Bi-block ties are also used in ballastless track systems. They are gauge-convertible by cutting and welding the steel bar to the dimension that suits the new gauge. Frame ties ( German : Rahmenschwelle ) comprise both lateral and longitudinal members in

7968-454: The ties, steel ties may be used with track circuit based train detection and track integrity systems. Without insulation, steel ties may only be used on lines without block signaling and level crossings or on lines that use other forms of train detection such as axle counters . In more recent times, a number of companies are selling composite railroad ties manufactured from recycled plastic resins and recycled rubber. Manufacturers claim

8064-511: The two tracks joined, before dividing into two bi-directional tracks, the Sandown line and the Carlingford line. Rosehill station had two platforms; one four-car long platform on the Carlingford line and one platform which was approximately sixteen-cars long on the Sandown line track which was used for special events at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse . Originally these operated as conventional platforms;

8160-447: The way. Light rail vehicles are almost always electrically driven , with power usually being drawn from an overhead line rather than an electrified third rail , though a few exceptional systems use diesel multiple units (DMUs) instead as a cheaper alternative to an electrically driven light rail system. The phrase light rail was coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence of streetcars / trams with more modern technology. It

8256-579: The world, Metro systems are also known in English as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway (e.g. monorail, rack railways) are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the urban public transport network." Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 or more cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on

8352-672: The world. The German complementary term is Vollbahn and the opposite Kleinbahn . These terms were defined to distinguish different axle loads and connected construction rules. Today the term Vollbahn is not common and Kleinbahn is used for narrow-gauge lines. In the United Kingdom, heavy rail refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter, intercity , high-speed rail , regional rail and freight services, as distinct from metro , light rail and tram lines, people movers , and similar. The London Underground , despite being described as

8448-419: The worldwide railroad systems including heavy-haul, class 1s, regional, shortlines, mining, electrified passenger lines (OHLE) and all manner of industries. Notably, steel ties (bearers) have proven themselves over the last few decades to be advantageous in turnouts (switches/points) and provide the solution to the ever-growing problem of long timber ties for such use. When insulated to prevent conduction through

8544-416: Was 91.5%, the remainder being concrete, steel, azobé (red ironwood) and plastic composite. Tie spacing may depend on the type of tie, traffic loads and other requirements, for example 2,640 concrete ties per mile on North American mainline railroads to 2,112 timber ties per mile on LMS jointed track. Rails in the US may be fastened to the tie by a railroad spike ; iron/steel baseplates screwed to

8640-618: Was coded yellow (along with the Western Line). From 2000 it has been colour-coded dark blue. Until June 2010, the line carried oil trains to and from the Clyde Refinery on the Sandown line . In October 2016, Sandown line traffic was officially suspended. A Stop Block was placed on the Sydney side of Access Road level crossing. The line's low frequency and low level of patronage led to various inquiries and studies into its future. A major problem

8736-557: Was devised in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place, and was a translation of the German word Stadtbahn . However, instead of the literal translation of city rail , UMTA used light rail instead. In general, it refers to streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features. It

8832-558: Was moved to south of Rosehill station with the shorter platform served by Carlingford line services in both directions and the longer platform only by race day trains and Sandown line services. The line then headed in a north-easterly direction over the Parramatta River to Carlingford . The stations from Camellia to Carlingford consisted of a single platform of a sufficient length to accommodate four-carriage trains. There were no crossing loops or any further sections of double track on

8928-585: Was owned by the Rosehill Railway Company. The lines were taken over by their bank in 1896, with the Government purchasing the line in 1898 and recommencing services on 1 August 1900. The line was duplicated to just south of Camellia station on 19 June 1902. The line from Clyde to Rosehill was electrified on 12 December 1936. The electrification was extended to Carlingford on 9 August 1959. Passenger services to Sandown ceased on 19 December 1991. In 1996,

9024-758: Was that it allowed horses to tread the middle path without the risk of tripping. In railway use with ever heavier locomotives, it was found that it was hard to maintain the correct gauge . The stone blocks were in any case unsuitable on soft ground, such as at Chat Moss , where timber ties had to be used. Bi-block ties with a tie rod are somewhat similar. Historically wooden rail ties were made by hewing with an axe, called axe ties , or sawn to achieve at least two flat sides. A variety of softwood and hardwood timbers are used as ties, oak , jarrah and karri being popular hardwoods, although increasingly difficult to obtain, especially from sustainable sources. Some lines use softwoods , including Douglas fir ; while they have

9120-522: Was the first instance of plastic sleepers being installed on mainline track in the country, they have previously been used on narrow-gauge railways . Ties may also be made from fiberglass . An unusual form of tie is the Y-shaped tie, first developed in 1983. Compared to conventional ties, the volume of ballast required is reduced due to the load-spreading characteristics of the Y-tie. Noise levels are high but

9216-481: Was the level crossing over Parramatta Road , which held up traffic when trains travelled across it. Proposals included tunnel links to Clyde or Granville stations, or replacing the line altogether with a more frequent light rail or busway service. The New South Wales Government originally planned for the Carlingford line to be part of Stage 2 of the Parramatta Rail Link . That plan would have incorporated

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