Turning loop

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One-way railcar with sidecar of the Frankfurt am Main tram in the Wendeschleife in Frankfurt - Nied
Former trolleybus reversing loop in Weimar, Schöndorf district
Reversible loop for articulated buses , dimensions 60.53 × 25.00 meters
The so-called Jonasreindl in Vienna is a turning loop on two levels

A turning loop , reverse loop , reverse loop , end loop , the track loop or short loop , turn and turn serves the completion of a line in public transport . It allows the vehicles used to turn around without changing direction in order to initiate the return journey. A distinction is made between loops at terminal stops and loops at intermediate terminals . If a loop drive leads through several streets, one speaks of a block loop , block loop or block bypass . The term reversible loop is also used in Switzerland .

Reversing loops are particularly common in tram networks , as they enable one-way trolleys to be used there. With bidirectional vehicles , they enable smoother and faster operation, because the driver does not have to change the driver's cab and the cumbersome use of transfer terminals is no longer necessary when driving with a trailer . Reversing loops are also indispensable for trolleybuses and generally for articulated and double-articulated buses in regular service . These vehicles cannot reliably turn by reversing. Alternatively, roundabouts can also be used as a turning loop.

Especially when there is still a passing track, the rather large reversing loop systems of trams or light rail vehicles are often designed as connection points to other means of transport. Combined platforms with buses, kiss-and-ride bays, waiting rooms for passengers as well as entrances and exits to other traffic levels can be created within the area enclosed by tracks .

railroad

There are also reversing loops on railways , but less often than track triangles because the larger minimum radii of the main and secondary lines require a lot of space for the loop. One example is the turning loop of the connecting line of the Stuttgart S-Bahn , which is located southwest of the Schwabstraße station and runs completely in the tunnel. It was necessary to ensure efficient turnaround on Schwabstrasse. It has a radius of 190 meters, can be driven on at 50 km / h and includes a long passing track. Further examples are the turning loop of the Selketalbahn in the Stiege station , the former turning loop in the Voerde station of the disused Haspe – Voerde – Breckerfeld railway , the turning loop of the Hambachbahn , the turning loop at the Lausanne marshalling yard and the two loops Hütteldorf and Heiligenstadt of the former Viennese electric light rail . The early Talgo articulated trains in Spain and the United States also required turning systems because of the geometry of the undercarriage, which only allows trains to run in one direction. However, in most cases these were implemented in the form of track triangles.

In addition, reversing loops can be found in the railway sector in particular in connection with the link between railroad and tram , whereby these loops can then only be used by the tram or light rail vehicles used on the route.

For standard gauge railways:

For narrow-gauge railways:

No turning loop is a route on mountain railways that changes direction of around 180 ° to gain altitude. In this case one speaks of a turn .

Combined loops for trams and buses

Optimized connection conditions in the Knautkleeberg loop

Combined reversing loops are a special form in which a bus reversing loop is integrated into a railway reversing loop. The buses that require a smaller radius usually run inside and the tram / light rail trains outside. If the loop - based on right-hand traffic - is traversed counter-clockwise by the trains in and by the buses , a combined platform or bus platform can be created between the two loops . This makes it easier to change between the two modes of transport.

Roundabouts

In various cities there are combined roundabouts for trams and road traffic, which can also be used by the tram as an intermediate turning loop. An overview of such systems can be found under roundabouts for trams .

See also

Web links

Commons : Rail track loops  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files