RAILWAY STATION

MSc Transportation Engineering

Railway Engineering

28th November, 2007

 RAILWAY STATION

Defination:

It is a place on a railway line, where trains are

1. Stopped for the passengers and freights to
be entered or dropped
and
2. An authority to proceed is given to the
train.
 TYPE OF STATIONS

There are three types of Railway Stations.

1. Way side Stations

2. Junction Stations
3. Terminal Stations
 1.WAY SIDE STATIONS
The station on which trains moves only in two
direction i.e., upside & downside direction.

These are further classified in to following three

types.

a) Halt Stations
b) Flag Stations
c) Crossing Stations
 1.WAY SIDE STATIONS
Halt Stations:

Simplest type of stopping place, usually with one Plate form.

No permanent staff is kept.

Flag Stations:

In Flag stations only passengers & freight traffic is dealt, no

arrangements to control the movement of trains and crossing
facilities.
It has building & staff facilities.

Crossing Stations:

They have facilities of crossing.

There should be at least on loop line to allow another train if one
train is standing on the track.
 2. JUNCTION STATIONS

Station where a branch line meets the main line

are know as Junction Station.

Necessary Arrangements at Junction

• Facilities for the interchange of traffic

between main line and branch lines.
• Facilities for repair and cleaning of the
compartments terminated at junction
stations.
• Facilities for goods siding, engine sheds, turn
table etc
 3. TERMINAL STATIONS

Stations at which a railway line or one of its branches

terminates are called terminal stations.

Necessary Arrangements at Terminal Station

• Facilities for servicing of engines.

• Turn table for the change of direction of the engine.
• Facilities for dealing goods traffic such as
Marshalling yards, engine sheds, siding etc
 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT

We can classify the typical layout of Railway Station into

following two classes.

• Building Layout (For users)

• Layout of essential components of a railway station

(For Engineers)
SIMPLEST LAYOUT OF A RAILWAY STATION
DETAILED LAYOUT OF A RAILWAY STATION
 Building Layout (For users)
It comprises of the following:

1. Access Road
2. Car Parking
3. Entrance
4. Ticket/Booking Counters
5. Information Centers
6. Waiting Areas
7. Cafeterias
8. Bookshops
9. Public Call Offices
10.Internet Café
11.Washrooms
12.Prayer Areas
COMPREHENSIVE LAYOUT OF A
RAILWAY STATION
 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT

1. Access Road:
To provide access from railway station to the road
network and vice versa.
Both the travelers and goods are connected to the
railway station through this link.
2. Car Parking:
Passengers coming on their own conveyance can park
their vehicle here.
This parking is also used by taxis/ cabs/ radio cabs.
3. Entrance:
A very reasonable entrance is provided generally
separate for arrivals and departures just adjacent to
Parking areas.
Entrance is so designed that generally the travelers and
freight traffic are separated completely.
 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT

4. Ticket/Booking Counters:

Ticket booths and booking centers are so designed and

constructed that a traveler entering the railway station
can easily access to them.

5. Information Centers:

Generally information halls are adjacent to or close to

booking centers so that people can get information
regarding incoming and outgoing trains.
 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT
6. Waiting Areas
Waiting areas are provided for the passengers who wait for an incoming
train to board and for passengers who detrain from a train and now
waiting for a cab or any other way of transportation.
7. Cafeterias
For the convenience of passengers they are provided within railway station.
They are also source of income for a railway station.
8. Bookshops
Bookshops having newspapers, magazines and famous books are located
within a station building for the convenience of travelers.
9. Public Call Offices
Public call offices in the form of booths or cabin are provided for people to
remain connected with their friends, families and business.

Generally fax machines are also available there.

 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT

10. Internet Café

These are the modern facilities being provided on railway stations.

11. Washrooms

Washrooms and powder rooms are provided for the travelers.

12. Prayer Areas

In Muslim countries, generally larger Railway Stations have Prayer

rooms.
 TYPICAL RAILWAY STATION LAYOUT

Layout of essential components of a railway

station (For Engineers)

1. PLATE FORM
2. YARD
3. ENGINE SHEDS
4. TURN TABLE
5. OTHER STATION EQUIPMENTS
LAYOUT ( FOR ENGINEERS)
LAYOUT ( FOR ENGINEERS)
 1. PLATE FORM

Plate forms are divided into two groups.

1. Passengers Plate Form
2. Goods Plate Form

PASSENGERS PLATE FORM

’ Generally about 300m length of a BG railway plate form is desirable.

’ The edge of the plate form from the center of the nearest track is
kept 1.7m away for B.G, 1.39m for M.G and 1.2 for N.G.

’ It is a place from where the passengers entrain or detrain.

’ It is a loading place.

’ The minimum length of the plate form for all gauges should not be
less than 180m.
ESSENTIALS FOR PASSENGERS PLATE FORM

’ The minimum length of a passenger plate form should not be

less than 180m.

’ The minimum width of plate form should not be less than

3.67m and it should be paved fully.

’ The plate form should be covered at least for a length of 60m.

’ The ends of the high level plate form should be in the form of
ramp with a maximum slope of 1:6.

’ The slope of plate form in its width should be of the order of 1

in 30.

’ For efficient and safe running of trains at night, adequate

lighting arrangement should be there.
 Height of Plate form
On B.G generally three types of plate forms are provided.

a) The rail leveled plate form.

b) Low leveled plate form.
c) High leveled plate form.

The rail leveled plate form.

Its height is equal to the height of rail.
Low leveled plate form
The height of such plate form is kept 45cm above rail
level.
High leveled plate form
Its height is kept 76cm to 85cm above the rail level.
GOODS PLATE FORM:

To facilitate the goods handling, generally the height of goods plate

form is kept up to the floor level of the wagon.

On B.G it is kept 1.0 m above the rail level, while on M.G and N.G
railways this height is kept as 70 cm and 60cm respectively.

ESSENTIALS OF GOODS PLATE FORM:

’ Weighing arrangements should be provided.

’ Goods shed should be provided.

’ Proper drainage facilities are must.

’ Facilities for direct access from goods plate form to train and
access road/rail.
YARDS

A yard is defined as a system of tracks laid within

definite limits for various purposes such as sorting of
vehicles, making up trains etc. It is also used to control
The movement by prescribed rules, regulations &
signals.

Types of Yard

1. Passengers Yard
2. Goods Yard
3. Marshalling Yard
4. Locomotive Yard
 1.Passengers Yard
The main function of passenger yard is to provide all the
facilities for the safe movement of passenger.

Essential facilities

’ Booking office, luggage, booking room & clock room.

’ Parking space.
’ Enquiry office.
’ Signals for reception & departure of train.
’ Shunting Facilities.
’ Platforms & sidings.
’ Facilities for charging batteries.
’ Washing sick lines.
 2. Goods Yard
The function is to provide all facilities for the safe
movement of goods.

Main requirements

’ Approach roads for movement of goods.

’ Loop lines with number of parallel dead end sidings.
’ Sufficient storage space.
’ Cart weighing machine.
’ Booking office.
’ Weigh bridge for weighing wagons.
’ Cranes for handling heavy goods
 3. Marshalling Yards

Marshalling Yard is the place where goods

wagons received from different centers are
sorted out and placed in order to be detached at
different stations.

Marshalling yards are distributing centers.

Marshalling yard is the center where goods

wagons are sorted out and isolated wagons are
combined to form a train load.
 3. Marshalling Yards

• Shunting operations should not disturb the

schedule of regular trains.

• Maximum number of wagons are dispatched

in a given period of time.

• Should be kept parallel to the running lines.

• Movement of wagons in one direction only is

desirable
 3. Marshalling Yards
Types of Marshalling yards

a) Flat yards
b) Gravity yards
c) Hump yards

Flat yards:

They are provided where limited space is available.

All sorting movements of wagons are carried out with
the help of locomotives.
 3. Marshalling Yards
Gravity yards:

Designed on the basis of topography of the area.

Tracks are laid at suitable gradient and the wagons
move under gravity force.

Hump yards:

A summit or hump is provided and the wagons are

pushed on the top of the summit by the shunting
engine, from there they roll down the opposite slope
under gravity.
 4. Locomotive Yard

For locomotive yards following facilities must be

provided.
• Sufficient number of tracks.
• Engine Sheds
• Repair pit, coaling site.
• Turn table.
• Loco yards near passenger & goods yards.
• Hydraulic jack.
 4. Locomotive Yard
These facilities are used for the following purposes.
• For repairing, cleaning and examination of
locomotives.
• Watering, fueling and changing the direction.
• Weighing loading and unloading of goods.
• Driving the trains from one track to another.

Engine Sheds
For cleaning, repairing and examining etc.
They are rectangular or circular in plan, water columns,
hydrants, examination pits etc should be adequately
provided.
 TURN TABLE
• This is a device used for changing the direction of
locomotives.

• They are costly so installed on important stations

only.

• It consists of a platform which is supported on a

central pivot.

• Platform is supported by two girders.

• Diameter of turn table varies.

Generally 20 m is adopted but in some cases it
may be as long as 28 to 30 m.
 STATION EQUIPMENT
The use of these facilities are as following
Cranes
These are used to load or unload the materials in the wagons.
Weigh Bridges
They are used to weigh the loaded wagons.
Scotch block
They are used for preventing the movements of vehicles beyond the dead
end of the sidings.
They consists of a wooden or steel block placed on the rails at suitable
position and locked.
It forms an obstruction in the way of the vehicles and check their
movements.
Buffer Stops
These are provided at the dead ends of sidings to prevent the movements
of vehicles beyond the dead ends of sidings or terminals. Simplest form
consists of a timber beam.