The main line, or mainlinein American English, of a
railway is a track that is used for through trains or is the principal artery of the system[1][2][3] from which
branch lines,
yards,
sidings, and spurs are connected. It generally refers to a route between towns,[4][5] as opposed to a route providing suburban or metro services. It may also be called a trunk line, for example the
Grand Trunk Railway in Canada, the
Trunk Line in Norway, and the
Trunk Line Bridge No. 237 in the United States.
For capacity reasons, main lines in many countries have at least a
double track and often contain multiple parallel tracks. Main line tracks are typically operated at higher speeds than branch lines and are generally built and maintained to a higher standard than yards and branch lines.[6] Main lines may also be operated under shared access by a number of railway companies, with sidings and branches operated by private companies or single railway companies.
^"Kansas Railroad Terms". Kansas Department of Transportation. 8 January 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2019. Cites the following as its sources: Encarta 2000 Encyclopedia, The World Book Encyclopedia, UPRR-Railroad Terms, and Webster's New World Dictionary.
^"Glossary of Terms". Trains.com: World's Greatest Hobby. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. Archived from
the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2019.