A Balloon loop is a track arrangement that allows a train to reverse direction, and return to where it came from, without having to shunt or even to stop. Spanish solution (also called Barcelona solution) is a method of using two platforms, on both sides of the track by one train to speed up embarkation and disembarkation An island platform (also known as center platform or centre platform) on a Railway is where a single platform lies between two tracks Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains, and unit freight trains, such as coal trains.
Balloon loops do not include track layouts where combinations of junctions allow a train reversal, where this reversal is not regularly used.
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History
Balloon loops were first introduced on metro and tram lines. They did not appear on freight railways in large numbers until the 1960s when the modernising British Rail introduced so-called merry-go-round (MGR) coal trains that operated from mines to power stations and back again without shunting. See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" A Merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a Unit train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving
Tramways
Balloon loops are essential for operating the single-ended trams found in some cities. Balloon loops were also used by the steam trams found in Sydney, though the loops were mostly removed when double-ended electric trams came into use. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4
Examples
Passenger
On a balloon loop: The station is located on the balloon loop. The platform may be curved or straight.
- City Hall and South Ferry subway stations in New York City:
- City Hall station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line is now closed, although the loop track continues to be used to turn trains. The New York City Subway is a Rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency The City of New York City Hall, also known as City Hall Loop, was the original southern terminal of the first line of the New York City Subway, built by The Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan These trains discharge and take on passengers at Brooklyn Bridge, one station to the north (see next section).
- South Ferry is a two-track loop station, with a sharply curved side platform for each track. South Ferry is a station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. While both tracks continue to be used to turn trains, only the outer platform remains in service as a passenger station. Due to problems with train length and platform clearance, this station will soon be replaced by a standard stub terminus with two tracks and an island platform, although the original trackage will remain in use for turning trains when necessary. [1]
- Juniper Street Station in Philadelphia, the eastern terminus for the SEPTA Subway-Surface Lines
- Bowdoin Station on the MBTA Blue Line in Boston has a wedge-shaped island platform inside a balloon loop. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Subway–Surface Trolley Lines are five SEPTA trolley lines that operate on public streets in Philadelphia and Delaware County, Bowdoin Station (pronounced BO-din of the MBTA, is a station on the Blue Line, serving Bowdoin Square in Boston 's Beacon Hill The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA) is "a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the MBTA. It runs from northeast to southwest extending from Wonderland station in Revere Massachusetts The station will be closed when 6-car trains begin operating, as those will be too long for the existing platform and there is no room to extend it.
- World Trade Center station on the PATH subway system linking New York and New Jersey. The World Trade Center PATH station originally opened on July 19, 1909 as the Hudson Terminal The Port Authority Trans-Hudson ( PATH) is a Rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York with New Jersey, and providing service
- Dungeness (Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway) in Kent, England
- Newcastle upon Tyne has a station that trains from London can arrive at in either direction and return to London using the High Level Bridge and King Edward VII Bridge, but this loop-like feature is seldom used. The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge Light railway in Kent, England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Newcastle upon Tyne ( (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and Metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England The High Level Bridge is a road and railway Bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in North East The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.
- Yuen Long of Light Rail
- Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia Platforms 1 and 4 are for boarding; platforms 2 and 3 are for alighting. Yuen Long ( Chinese 元朗站 is a MTR station located in the eastern of Yuen Long Town, Yuen Long District. The MTR Light Rail, also known Light Rail Transit ( LRT) used to be one of the four systems of the KCR network in Hong Kong. The Olympic Park railway station in Sydney serves the stadiums and sportsgrounds in the suburb of Homebush Bay. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.
- In some cases, multiple stations lie on a balloon loop.
- Terminals 1–3 and Terminal 4 stations at Heathrow Airport on the London Underground
- The LACMTA Blue Line has four stations on its loop through downtown Long Beach (California). Heathrow Terminals 1 2 3 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. Heathrow Terminal 4 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and Public transportation The Metro Blue Line of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail is a Light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles at the 7th St/Metro Center station Long Beach is a city located in southern California, USA, on the Pacific coast California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.
- Peasholm, on the North Bay Railway in Scarborough, North Yorkshire has a reverse balloon loop, with the "neck" of the balloon facing the buffer stop. Peasholm railway station is the southern terminus station of the Scarborough 's North Bay Railway. The grand opening The opening ceremony took place at 2 pm on Saturday 23 May, 1931. Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire, England. North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county in The loop is used to allow the locomotive to run round the train and reverse at the same time.
With balloon loop: The balloon loop is past the station.
- Bowling Green on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue subway line currently serves as the southern terminus for 5 service at all times except rush hours, with the South Ferry inner loop (see previous section) used to physically turn trains. Bowling Green is a station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at Broadway and Battery Place (at The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a Rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. __FORCETOC__ Current services As of May 28, 2005, the New York City Subway system has 26 lettered or numbered route designations
- Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall, also on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue Line, currently serves as the southern terminus for Lexington Avenue local service (the 6 train), with the City Hall loop (see previous section) used to physically turn trains. Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall is a station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. The 6 Lexington Avenue Local is a Rapid transit service of the New York City Subway.
- Howard Station on the CTA Red Line in Chicago. Bus Connections CTA Buses #22 Clark (Owl Service #97 Skokie #147 Outer Drive Express The Red Line (Howard-Dan Ryan Service is a heavy rail line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA as part of the Chicago 'L' system Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.
- 69th Street Terminal, the western terminus of the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line in Philadelphia. 69th Street Terminal is a SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby Pennsylvania. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ( SEPTA) is a regional public authority that operates various forms of public transit &mdash bus The Market–Frankford Line ( MFL) (also called the Market–Frankford Subway–Elevated Line ( MFSE) El or Blue Line) is a Rapid Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Westbound trains discharge passengers at the 69th Street station platform and go around the loop to one of two eastbound platforms at 69th Street to pick up passengers for their eastbound journey.
- Kennington tube station, on the London Underground Northern Line, trains from the Charing Cross branch can terminate at Kennington and then run around a loop to return north. Kennington tube station is a London Underground station in Kennington, on both the Charing Cross and Bank branches of the Northern Line The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire The Northern line is a deep-level tube line on the London Underground, coloured black on the Tube map. Due to the layout, trains from the Bank branch may not access this loop.
Unknown format:
- Schwabstrasse Stuttgart S-Bahn, Loop is south of the station and completely underground
- Bad Herrenalb, Albtalbahn, Germany: Train passes loop before arrival
- Dungeness railway station, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, Kent, England. Current Lines All lines lead through the city centre of Stuttgart Bad Herrenalb is a municipality in the district of Calw, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Dungeness railway station is a station on the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on Romney Marsh in Kent. The Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge Light railway in Kent, England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Single track, single platform for both boarding and alighting.
- The Olympic station at Berlin, Germany has two through platforms and 8 turnback platforms. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
- The Eurotunnel Shuttle uses a balloon loop. This article is about the Eurotunnel company Not to be confused with the Channel Tunnel describing the underground infrastructures However each of the two tracks crosses over at the French end so it is a Möbius loop. This article is about the mathematical object See Mobius Band (music group for the music group This evens the wear on the wheels of the shuttle engines and vehicles, as each set (left or right) spends only half the time as the outer edge of the line.
Paris Métro
- Non-passenger loops: Porte Dauphine (line 2), Porte de Lilas (line 3bis), Porte de Clignancourt and Porte d'Orléans (line 4)
- Passenger loops: Nation (line 2), Charles de Gaulle-Etoile and Nation (line 6), Pré-Saint-Gervais (line 7bis)
- The western end of line 10 deserves a special mention, as it is long loop: trains arriving at Mirabeau from Gare d'Austerlitz enter a loop with a few stations on it: Eglise d'Auteuil, Auteuil, Porte d'Auteuil (official terminus), Michel-Ange Molitor, Chardon Lagache and Mirabeau again, to continue eastwards
- There also are a few loops used for stabling trains, for example west of Invalides and north of Porte de la Villette.
Tram Systems
Balloon loops are used extensively on tramway systems that use single directional trams. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train Usually located at terminal stations, such a loop is actually a single one-way track round a block. Single directional trams have a cab at only one end and doors on one side, making them cheaper and having more space for passengers. On tram systems with bidirectional trams, balloon loops are not required. The Milan interurban tramway network, although running bidirectional trams, sported balloon loops for termini within the city limits, so that those termini could be used as backup termini by the single directional trams used on urban service. Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. In Milan, tramway depots are built as balloon loops.
Freight
New South Wales, Australia:
- Newnes Junction coal loader
- Mount Thorley - coal
- Camberwell - coal
- Ulan - coal
- Wilpinyong
- Penny Road, near Moree - wheat
- Fassifern - has triangle as well, so trains can go north or south. Camberwell is a small village just off the New England Highway in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. Moree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. Fassifern is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie, in New South Wales, Australia, located west of Lake Macquarie.
- Vales Point
- Newdell Junction - has two balloon loops.
- Bargo - due to change in operational requirements, the balloon loop now points the wrong way, and requires trains to be top and tailed. Bargo is a small town located in Wollondilly Shire, New South Wales, Australia. A top and tail Railway Train is a has Locomotives at both ends for ease of changing direction
New Zealand:
- Dargaville Branch - balloon loop providing access to Kirikopuni, 2 km north of the main line. The Dargaville Branch is a Branch line Railway that leaves the North Auckland Line not far south of Whangarei and runs westward to Dargaville The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand This was eliminated by a bypass in 1943.
- Woodville - balloon loop linking the Wairarapa Line and the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line so that trains running between the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay do not have to reverse. |}}|} The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington Construction The PNGL was constructed in two distinct phases The southern portion between Napier and Palmerston North was built between 1872 and 1891 while the northern portion for the electorate see Wairarapa (NZ electorate Wairarapa - pronounced "Wy-ra-ra-pa" (often known as "The Wairarapa" is a geographical Geography The region is situated on the east coast of the North Island. Unlike a triangle, the balloon loop enables these trains to serve Woodville station.
Other
Both the French and the British terminals of the Eurotunnel Shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel consist of balloon loops. Eurotunnel Shuttle (previously known as Le Shuttle) is a shuttle service between Calais / Coquelles in France and Folkestone in The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with
Occasionally, balloon loops are used for reversing trains on lines with heavy grades and tight curves to equalise wear on both sides of locomotives and rollingstock. Such a balloon loop was constructed at Beech Forest on the 2ft 6in (762mm) VR line from Colac to Crowes.
Advantages
The advantages of a balloon loop include:
- smooth operation.
- trains can arrive in any free platform, while another train is leaving any platform.
Compared to stations with stub platforms, balloon loops allow:
- less tracks and platforms would be required.
- arrivals into some platforms do not block departures from other platforms.
- time is not lost while drivers change ends and reset the train for the other direction.
- if the driver changed ends and discovers a hidden fault, then delays to trains are less likely.
Disadvantages
The major disadvantage of a balloon loop is that it needs a lot of space to build, and even so, the curves can be very sharp. The very sharp 180 m radius curves on the Olympic Park balloon loop cause noise, wear and tear on both the wheels and rails. The Olympic Park railway station in Sydney serves the stadiums and sportsgrounds in the suburb of Homebush Bay. Any platforms should be located on straight track, since if they are located on curved track, the gap between platform and carriage door can be a hazard.
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