passing loop

English

Noun

passing loop (plural passing loops)

1. (rail transport) On a single-track railway or tramway, an extra track provided at a certain place to allow two trains travelling in opposite directions to pass each other. It can also allow a faster train to overtake a slower one.
   • 1946 July and August, K. Westcott Jones, “Isle of Wight Central Railway—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 243:

     From Blackwater there is a more or less level run through gently rolling farmlands and downs to Merstone, with its island platform and passing loop.

   • 1959 June, “Talking of Trains: North Eastern report”, in Trains Illustrated, page 293:

     In the east of Yorkshire, Mr. A. M. Ross reports the belief of local railwaymen that the N.E.R. plans to single the York-Beverley line, leaving an adequate provision of passing loops, and to operate it by C.T.C. from York; [...].

   • 2019 October, “Vivarail EMUs for Island Line”, in Modern Railways, page 13:

     Provision of a passing loop at Brading [Isle of Wight] at a cost of £1 million will allow a half-hourly service to replace the current unbalanced 20/40-minute interval service.

Synonyms

• crossing loop

Translations

place where two trains can pass each other

• Belarusian: раз’езд m (razʺjezd)
• Czech: výhybna (cs) f
• Finnish: junakohtauspaikka sg
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kryssingsspor n, krysningsspor n

  Nynorsk: kryssingsspor n

• Polish: mijanka (pl) f
• Russian: разъезд (ru) m (razʺjezd)
• Slovak: výhybňa f
• Ukrainian: роз'ї́зд m (rozʺjízd)

References

• “passing loop”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.