Capacity of A Railway Track

Railway & Airport Engineering (CV704) Permanent way
Permanent Way
Typical cross-section of Permanent Way on Embankment
Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

GAUGES IN RAILWAY TRACK
The “gauge of railway track” is defined as the clear horizontal minimum distance between
inner or running surface of two track rails. The distance between the inner faces of a pair of
wheels is called the “wheel gauge”
Various gauges on Indian Railways
Sl. no Type of gauge Gauge width (m)
1 Standard gauge (B.G.) 1.67
2 Meter gauge (M.G.) 1.0
3 Narrow gauge (N.G.) 0.762
4 Feeder track gauge or Light gauge (L.G.) 0.610
CHOICE OF GAUGE
The following factors govern the choice among the different gauges
1. Cost Considerations: There is only a marginal increase in the cost of the track if a
wider gauge is adopted.
In this connection, the following points are important.
a) There is a proportional increase in the cost of acquisition of land, earthwork,
rails, sleepers, ballast, and other track items when constructing a wider gauge.
b) The cost of building bridges, culverts, and tunnels increases only marginally
due to a wider gauge.
c) The cost of constructing station buildings, platforms, staff quarters, level
crossings, signals, etc. associated with the railway network is more or less the
same for all gauges.

d) The cost of rolling stock is independent of the gauge of the track for carrying the
same volume of traffic.
2 Traffic Considerations: The volume of traffic depends upon the size of wagons and
the speed and hauling capacity of the train.
a) As a wider gauge can carry larger wagons and coaches, it can theoretically carry
more traffic.
b) A wider gauge has a greater potential at higher speeds, because speed is a function
of the diameter of the wheel, which in turn is limited by the width of the gauge.
c) The type of traction and signaling equipment required are independent of the
gauge.
3 Physical Features of the Country: It is possible to adopt steeper gradients and
sharper curves for a narrow gauge as compared to a wider gauge.
4 Uniformity of Gauge: The existence of a uniform gauge in a country enables smooth,
speedy, and efficient operation of trains. Therefore a single gauge should be adopted
irrespective of the minor advantages of a wider gauge and the few limitations of a
narrower gauge.
PROBLEMS OF CHANGE OF GAUGE or BREAK OF GAUGE (Disadvantages of

adoption of different gauges)
1 Inconvenience to Passengers: Due to change of gauge, passengers have to change

trains mid-journey along with their luggage, which causes inconvenience such as the
following.
(a) Climbing stairs and crossing bridges
(b) Finding seats in the compartments of the later trains
(c) Missing connections with the later trains in case the earlier train is late

(d) Harassment caused by porters

(e) Transporting luggage
(f) Uncertainty and delay in reaching the destination
2. Difficulty in Trans-shipment of Goods: Goods have to be trans-shipped at the point
where the change of gauge takes place. This causes the following problems
(a) Damage to goods during trans-shipment.
(b) Considerable delay in receipt of goods at the destination.
(c) Theft or misplacement of goods during trans-shipment and the subsequent claims.
(d) Non-availability of adequate and specialized trans-shipment labor and staff,
Particularly during strikes.
3. Inefficient Use of Rolling Stock: As wagons have to move empty in the direction of
the trans-shipment point, they are not fully utilized. Similarly, idle wagons of one
gauge cannot be moved on another gauge.
4. Hindrance to Fast Movement of Goods and Passenger Traffic: Due to change in
the gauge, traffic cannot move fast which becomes a major problem particularly during
emergencies such as war, floods, and accidents.
5. Additional Facilities at Stations and Yards: A station where two gauges meet, will
have to be provided with duplicate facilities such as platforms, sanitary arrangements,
sidings, clocks, ticket counters etc. This will result in extra expenditure
6. Difficulties in Balanced Economic Growth: The difference in gauge also leads to
unbalanced economic growth. This happens because industries set up near MG/NG
stations cannot send their goods economically and efficiently to areas being served by
BG stations.

UNIFORMITY OF GAUGES (Benefits of adopting B.G. as uniform gauge)
1. There will be no transport bottlenecks after a uniform gauge is adopted and this will
lead to improved operational efficiency resulting in fast movement of goods and
passengers.
2. There will be no hazards of trans-shipment and as such no delays, no damage to goods,
no inconvenience to passengers of transfer from one train to another train.
3. Difficulties in loading and unloading are avoided and labour expenses are saved
4. Possibility of thefts and misplacements, while changing from one vehicle to another, is
eliminated
5. Large sheds to store goods are not required
6. Labour strikes, etc do not affect the service and operation of trains
7. Duplication of equipment such as platforms, sanitary arrangements, clocks, etc. is
avoided. This saves a lot of extra expenditure
8. Surplus wagons of one gauge cannot be used on another gauge. This problem will not
arise if gauge is uniform
9. There will be improved utilization of tracks and reduction in the operating expenses of
the railway.
10.Through a uni-gauge policy, alternate routes will be available for free movement of
traffic and there will be less pressure on the existing BG network.

Typical cross-sections of B.G track on Embankment
Fig: Typical c/s of a B.G track in embankment
Fig: c/s of B.G track in cutting for double line (on straight track)

Fig: c/s of B.G track for single line (on curved track)
Fig: c/s of B.G track for double line with electric-traction

Fig: c/s of B.G track in cutting for double line (on curved track)

CAPACITY OF A RAILWAY TRACK
Capacity of railway track (or track capacity) is the hourly capacity of the track handle the trains
safely.
It can also be defined as the number of trains that can be run safely on a track per hour.
The track capacity can be increased by the following ways:
I. By achieving faster movement of trains on a track and

II. By decreasing the distance between successive trains
MEASURES TAKEN TO INCREASE CAPACITY
1. All trains should be made to run at same speed. This can be achieved by providing uniform
gauge and tractions
2. The speed of the trains can be increased by adopting broad gauge electric traction. The
speed can also be increased by making suitable modifications in existing tracks and
removing the speed restrictions
3. All sections should be made of equal length
4. Multi-aspect signaling should be adopted to alert the driver in advance of position for
various sections ahead so that he can proceed with confidence without reduction in speed
5. A reduction in the time of stoppages of train
6. The length of sections should be decreased by providing additional crossing sections
7. The length of cross sections (or loops) should be increased in order to enable the longer
goods trains to pass
8. A quick arrangements should be made for shunting to attach or detach the coaches
9. The traffic control on B.G and M.G should be centralized
10. The sections with increased traffic and all important yards should be interlocked
11. Interlocking standard should be revised to permit higher speeds on main trunk routes

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Railway & Airport Engineering (CV704) Permanent way

Typical cross-section of Permanent Way on Embankment

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

GAUGES IN RAILWAY TRACK

Various gauges on Indian Railways

Sl. no Type of gauge Gauge width (m)

1 Standard gauge (B.G.) 1.67

2 Meter gauge (M.G.) 1.0

3 Narrow gauge (N.G.) 0.762

4 Feeder track gauge or Light gauge (L.G.) 0.610

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

PROBLEMS OF CHANGE OF GAUGE or BREAK OF GAUGE (Disadvantages of

1 Inconvenience to Passengers: Due to change of gauge, passengers have to change

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

(d) Harassment caused by porters

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

UNIFORMITY OF GAUGES (Benefits of adopting B.G. as uniform gauge)

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

Typical cross-sections of B.G track on Embankment

Fig: Typical c/s of a B.G track in embankment

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

Fig: c/s of B.G track for double line with electric-traction

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

CAPACITY OF A RAILWAY TRACK

The track capacity can be increased by the following ways:

I. By achieving faster movement of trains on a track and

MEASURES TAKEN TO INCREASE CAPACITY

Kishor Kumar S Dept. of Civil Engg., MCE

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