6CE1 27

Lecture 24: RAILWAY STATIONS AND YARDS

Presented b y
Dr. Bhupendra Singh, Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
National Institute of Technology Patna
 RAILWAY STATION
• Place on a railway line where traffic is booked
and dealt with and where trains are given the
authority to proceed forward.
– Flag Station: Arrangements for dealing with traffic
is there but none for controlling the movement of
the trains.
– Block Station: Train cannot proceed further
without obtaining permission from the next
station and traffic may or may not be dealt with.
 PURPOSE
• Entrain or detrain passengers
• Load or unload goods or parcels
• Controlling the movement of trains
• Crossing of trains in case of single line section.
• Refuelling of locomotives
• Attach or detach coaches or wagons to train
• Food and water for passengers
• Facilities for change of engines and crew/staff
• Sorting of wagons and bogies to form new trains
• Provide facilities and shelter to passengers in the case of
emergencies, which disrupt traffic.
 SITE SELECTION
• Adequate land
• Level area with good drainage
• Alignment
• Easy accessibility
• Water supply arrangement
 FACILITIES REQUIRED
• Well-designed stationed building with well-
maintained surroundings
• Passenger requirements
– Waiting room, refreshment room, tea stalls, enquiry and
reservation office, bathrooms and toilets, drinking water
supply, platform and platform sheds, approach roads, etc.
• Traffic requirements
– Goods shed, offices, signal cabins, reception and departure
lines and sidings, station equipments, etc.
 FACILITIES REQUIRED…1
• Locomotive, carriage, and wagon
requirements
– Locomotive shed, wearing or fuelling facilities,
turntable, inspections pits, ashpits, ashtrays, etc.
• Staff requirements
– Rest houses for officers and staff, running rooms
for guards and drivers, staff canteens, etc.
REQUIREMENTS OF STATION YARD
• Reception of trains from different directions at the
same time
• Minimum interference in the arrival and departure of
trains from engines in case of engine changing
stations.
• Adequate number of platforms
• Siding facilities where extra carriage can be stabled
• Provision of facilities for dealing with special traffic
• Stabling lines, washing lines, sick lines, etc. as per
requirement
 CLASSIFICATION
• Operational Considerations
Railway
Station

Non-block
Block Station Station or D
Class Station

A class B class C class Flag Station DK Station

• Functional Considerations
– Halt stations, Flag stations, Crossing stations,
Junction stations, Terminal stations, Wayside
stations, etc.
 OPERATIONAL CLASSIFICATION
• Block Station: At which driver has to obtain an
“authority to proceed” in order to enter the
next block section.
 OPERATIONAL CLASSIFICATION…1
• A Class Station
– Normally provided on double-line section
– “Line clear” signal cannot be granted at the rear of
a station unless the receiving line is clear and the
facing points set and locked.
– No shunting permitted after “line clear”
– Suitable for sections where traffic passes rapidly
 OPERATIONAL CLASSIFICATION…2
• B Class Station
– Most common type provided on both single-line and
double-line section
– Line has to be clear up to an adequate distance beyond the
outer signal before ‘permission to approach’ can be given.
– Minimum signals required are outer, home and starter.
– Greater flexibility of working by catering fast traffic while
permitting shunting of vehicles even when a clear signal
has been given.
 OPERATIONAL CLASSIFICATION…3
• C Class Station
– Block hut without facility of booking of passengers.
– To split the long block section, so that interval between
successive trains is reduced.
– Minimum signals required are warner and home.
 OPERATIONAL CLASSIFICATION…4
• Non-block Stations or D Class Stations
– Located between two block stations.
– No signals are provided.
– D class station that serves an outlying siding is called a DK
station.
– D class station that serves no siding is called a flag station.
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…1
• Halts
• Flag stations
• Roadside or crossing stations
• Junction stations
• Terminal stations
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…2
• Halts
– Simplest station where trains can stop on a railway
line
– Rail level platform with a name board at either
end
– Small waiting shed
– Selected trains stop for a minute or two
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…3
• Flag stations
– More important stop-over for trains than halt
– Station building , small waiting hall, booking
office, platforms and benches, and staff
– Sidings provided for stabling wagons
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…4
• Wayside or crossing station
– Idea conceived for crossing of trains for rapid
movement
– Arrangements for controlling the movement of
trains on block sections
– Important tasks are train operations, dealing
goods traffic, points and signals operations,
station master duty for run-through trains.
• Roadside small and medium sized stations
• Major stations
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…5
• Junction stations
– Meeting point of three or more lines emerging
from different directions
– Minimum two platforms, foot over bridge, goods
shed, waiting hall, booking office, turntable,
emergency crossover, etc.
 FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION…6
• Terminal stations
– Railway line terminates in a dead end
– Facilities like watering, cleaning, coaling, fuelling,
stabling the engines, storing, inspecting, washing,
etc. should be provided.
– No over-bridges provided
 STATION PLATFORMS
• Provided for entraining and detraining of
passengers and goods.
– Rail level: Height coincides with rail level and used
at unimportant wayside stations
– Low level: 0.455 m on BG at less important main
line stations
– High level: 0.76-0.84 m on BG and 0.305-0.405 m
on MG for all important main line stations
• Length of platform: Normally 450 m to
accommodate 20 bogies but min. 180 m
 STATION PLATFORMS…1
• Width: Minimum of 3.66 m to be provided
• End of platform: Ramp with a slope of 1 in 6
• Platform cover: Minimum 60 m length
 STATION PLATFORMS…2
• Goods Platform
– Height: BG 1.07 m; MG 0.69 m and NG 0.69 m
– Length: Not less than 60 m
– Width: Depends upon volume of goods traffic,
minimum of 3.1 m
 YARDS
• It is a system of tracks laid out to deal with the
passenger as well as freight traffic being
handled by the railways.
• It includes receipt and dispatch of trains apart
from stabling, sorting, marshalling, etc.
 TYPES OF YARDS
• Coaching Yard
– It deals with the reception and dispatch of
passenger trains
– Facilities provided are like watering and fuelling of
engines, washing of rakes, inspection of coaches,
charging of batteries, etc.
 TYPES OF YARDS…1
• Goods Yard
– Facilities provided for the reception, stabling,
loading, unloading and dispatch of goods wagons
– Normally it deals with a full train load of wagons
 TYPES OF YARDS…2
• Locomotive Yard
– It houses the locomotive
– Facilities for watering, fuelling, examining
locomotives, repairing, etc. are provided
– Facilities are so arranged that required number of
locomotives are serviced simultaneously and are
ready for hauling trains.
– Should have adequate space for storing fuel
– Should have adequate water supply
 TYPES OF YARDS…3
• Sick Line Yard
– Whenever a coach becomes defective, it is marked
as “sick” and taken to sick lines
– This yard deals with sick wagons
– Facilities required are examinations pits, crane
arrangements, train examiner’s office and
workshops, etc.
 TYPES OF YARDS…4
• Marshalling Yard
– Goods train are received and sorted out, and new
trains are formed
– It receives loaded as well as empty goods wagon
– Marshalling is so done that the wagons can be
conveniently detached without much shunting
– Functions of Marshalling Yards are
• Reception of trains
• Sorting of trains
• Departure of trains
 TYPES OF YARDS…5
• Marshalling Yard: Design Principles
– Regular traffic should be received and dispatched
– There should be unidirectional movement of the
wagons
– There should be no conflicting movement of
wagons and engines
– It should be well lighted
– There should be adequate scope for further
expansion
 TYPES OF YARDS…6
• Types of Marshalling Yard
– Flat yards: Almost level tracks and the wagons are
relocated for sorting with the help of engine.
Costly method as it involves frequent shunting.
– Gravitation yards: Some tracks are laid at a
gradient. Wagons move for sorting by the action
of gravity.
– Hump Yards: Artificial hump is created . Wagons
are pushed to summit of hump with the help of
engines and they slide down under the effect of
gravity.
 TYPES OF YARDS…7
• Gradients in Marshalling Yard
Item Mechanical Yards Non-mechanical Yards
Rising gradient of 1 in 50 to 1 in 125 1 in 50 to 1 in 100
approach
Top of hump Level Level
First falling grade 1 in 17 to 1 in 20 1 in 25 to 1 in 35
after apex of hump
Intermediate grade 1 in 50 to 1 in 60 1 in 80 to 1 in 200

Final falling gradient 1 in 200 to level 1 in 80 to 1 in 200

 TYPES OF YARDS…8
• Regulation of Speed in Hump Yards
– Speed is regulated to ensure that there is least
damage when they are sorted.
• Mechanical method: Wagons are slowed down with the
help of retarders (bars fixed on the either side of the
track). Used in Germany and other developed railways
• Non-mechanical method: speed is regulated with the
help of hand brakes and skids.