single-track railway
Let an agent explain single-track railways and how trains are safely operated on them, relay signalling and capacity principles, identify examples and their operation, and distinguish single track from double and multiple track lines.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand How single track works.
Definition
Definition and layout.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a single-track railway, and how are passing loops arranged? definition
- Is the line single track throughout or only in sections? boundary
Safeworking
Safeworking.
Safeworking
Safeworking.
- How do token, staff, track circuit and radio-based systems prevent collisions? definition
- Which entry fits railway signalling? action
Operate Capacity and timetabling.
Capacity
Capacity.
Capacity
Capacity.
- How is capacity determined by loop spacing and train speeds? provenance
- What capacity applies to the line in question? measurement
Timetabling
Timetabling.
Timetabling
Timetabling.
- How are timetables planned so trains cross at loops? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Safety Safety and accidents.
Accidents
Accidents.
Accidents
Accidents.
- What accidents have occurred on single-track lines, and what did investigations recommend? provenance
- Which entry fits railway accident investigation? action
Standards
Standards.
Standards
Standards.
- What safety standards govern single-track operation? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context Examples and upgrades.
Examples
Examples.
Examples
Examples.
- Which notable single-track lines exist, such as Line 4 in Luxembourg? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific line? action
Upgrades
Doubling and upgrades.
Upgrades
Upgrades.
- When are lines doubled or given more loops, and how are decisions made? provenance
- Which entry fits railway capacity planning? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.BLT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Line 4 (CFL)
What it is Filled
A railway line with a single track used by trains in both directions, so that trains must pass at stations or passing loops under signalling and safeworking systems such as tokens, track circuits or radio-based control; single-track railways are common on rural, mountain and lightly used lines, such as Line 4 of the Luxembourg railways, and their capacity is limited by the number and spacing of passing places.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain single-track railways and how trains are safely operated on them, relay signalling and capacity principles, identify examples and their operation, and distinguish single track from double and multiple track lines.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Bidirectional single track
- Passing loops
- Safeworking systems
- Capacity limits
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Issue or override movement authority for a train without being the authorized signaller.
- Tamper with signals, tokens or track circuits.
- Present two trains as safe to occupy the same section in planning or simulation.
- Enter the track or let others do so outside authorised crossings.
Only with a human decision
- Any change to train movements or safeworking arrangements.
- Reopening a section after an incident.
May
- Describe single-track lines and how passing is controlled, from railway sources.
- Report timetables and delays from the operator's official data.
Moral aspects Filled
- Head-on collisions on single lines have killed many people; safeworking exists to prevent them.
- Rural single lines are often lifelines for remote communities.
Who is affected
- Passengers and crews
- Track workers
- Communities served
Owners Filled
Steward
The railway infrastructure manager; the national rail safety authority regulates it.
Master systems
- Railway infrastructure registers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q728937 - registry parent class
related
- railway line - in registry terms
- double-track railway - one track per direction
- passing loop - for trains to cross
- railway signalling - and safeworking systems
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.single-track-railway
- Wikidata: Q1326900 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1326900)
Direct properties required Filled
- Track gauge: millimetre - Gauge is measured between the inner rail faces at the reference position specified by the applicable railway standard.
- Route length: kilometre - Route length is measured along the railway alignment between defined endpoints.
- Passing loop usable length: metre - Usable length is measured between the operational clearance limits that constrain the length of a train accommodated in a passing loop.
- Longitudinal gradient: percent - Gradient is determined from the surveyed change in elevation divided by horizontal distance along a specified section.
Recognition required Filled
- One track for both directions
- Passing loops and token or signal control
- Double track has a track per direction; a single-track section may exist within a larger line
- A railway with one track and occasional passing loops at stations.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain operation and safeworking
- relay capacity principles
- identify examples
- distinguish from multi-track lines
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Head-on collision risk if safeworking fails
- Delays cascading from single points
- Capacity constraints
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- National railway safety regulations
- Signalling and safeworking standards
- Interoperability rules in the EU
Context of use required Filled
- Rail service where traffic does not justify double track.
- rural and branch lines
- mountain and scenic lines
- single-track sections of main lines
- single-track metro and light rail lines
- specific lines such as Line 4 of the CFL
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1326900: single-track railway - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Single-track railway - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should passing loop and token working be separate entries?
- How should safety standards be linked?
- The registry entry has merged an alias for a specific Luxembourg line; should it be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1326900/spec.json