Importance of Good Railway Lines Alignment

Alignment of railway line refers to the direction and position given to the centre line of the railway track on the ground in the horizontal and vertical planes. Horizontal alignment means the direction of the railway track in the plan including the straight path and the curves it follows. Vertical alignment means the direction it follows in a vertical plane including the level track, gradients, and vertical curves. The various factors affecting alignment, and types of track alignments and their suitability in different terrains are discussed in this chapter.

Importance of Good Alignment

A new railway line should be aligned carefully after proper considerations, as improper alignment may ultimately prove to be more costly and may not be able to fulfill the desired objectives. Railway line constructions are capital-intensive projects, once constructed, it is very difficult to change the alignment of a railway line because of the costly structures involved, difficulty in getting additional land for the new alignment, and such other considerations.