Balloon loop
Encyclopedia
Unit train
A unit train, also called a block train, is a railway train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route...
, such as coal trains.
Turning loops are also common on tram or streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
systems. Many, although by no means all, streetcar and tram systems use single ended vehicles that have doors on only one side and that must be turned at each end of the route.
History
Balloon loops were first introduced on metroRapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
and tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
lines. They did not appear on freight railways in large numbers until the 1960s when the modernising British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
introduced merry-go-round
Merry-go-round train
A Merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a block train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving. In the United Kingdom, they are most commonly coal trains delivering to power stations...
(MGR) coal trains that operated from mines to power stations and back again without shunting.
Tramways
Balloon loops are essential for operating single-ended trams. Balloon loops were also used in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, especially for its steam trams; some loops were retained for double-ended electric trams, such as at La Perouse
La Perouse
La Perouse may refer to* Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse, a French naval officer and explorer,and the following places which were named after him:* La Perouse, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney...
as they provided greater turn-around capacity on this very busy system.
Passenger
the station is located on the balloon loop, and the platform may be curved or straight.
Australia
- Salisbury - now closed
- Outer Harbour - now removed
- Olympic Park, Sydney, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: platforms 1 and 4 are for boarding, 2 and 3 for alighting. - Beech Forrest, Victoria, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
: single platform, station on one of the Victorian Narrow Gauge Railways.
United States
- City Hall and South Ferry subwayNew York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
stations in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
:- City HallCity Hall (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)City Hall, also known as City Hall Loop, was the original southern terminal station of the first line of the New York City Subway, built by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company , named the "Manhattan Main Line", and now part of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line...
station on the IRT Lexington Avenue LineIRT Lexington Avenue LineThe Lexington Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, stretching from Downtown Brooklyn or Lower Manhattan north to 125th Street in East Harlem. The portion in Lower and Midtown Manhattan was part of the first subway line in New York...
is now closed, although the loop track continues to be used to turn trains. These trains discharge and take on passengers at Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall, one station to the north. - South Ferry (see diagram) was a two-track loop station, with a sharply curved side platform for each track. Due to problems with train length and platform clearance, this station was replaced by a standard stub terminus with two tracks and an island platform (South Ferry), although the original trackage remains in use for turning trains.
- City Hall
- Juniper Street and 69th Street in Philadelphia:
- Juniper Street13th Street (SEPTA station)13th Street is a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Market Street between 13th and Juniper Streets in Center City. The station serves the Market–Frankford Line and as the terminus for all five routes of the Subway–Surface Trolley Lines...
is the eastern terminus for the SEPTA Subway-Surface Lines, and trolleys turn on a Balloon loop - 69th Street69th Street Terminal69th Street Transportation Center is a SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It is also the southwestern terminus of Philadelphia's EL, the Market-Frankford Line ....
is the western terminus for the Market Frankford Line, and rapid transit trains use a double-track balloon loop for turning & staging.
- Juniper Street
- Bowdoin StationBowdoin (MBTA station)Bowdoin of the MBTA, is a station on the Blue Line, serving Bowdoin Square in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. It is currently the downtown terminus of the line, although it may close if the line is extended or after Government Center is rebuilt.-History:...
on the MBTAMassachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityThe Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
Blue LineBlue Line (MBTA)The Blue Line is one of four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority serving Downtown, East Boston and the North Shore. It runs from northeast to southwest, extending from Wonderland station in Revere, Massachusetts to Bowdoin station near Beacon Hill in Boston...
in Boston has a wedge-shaped island platform inside a balloon loop. The boarding platform is only long enough for four cars, but all of the trains on the line are six, so only the rearmost four can be boarded at Bowdoin. - World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center (PATH station)The World Trade Center PATH station originally opened on July 19, 1909 as the Hudson Terminal. When the Hudson Terminal was torn down to make way for the World Trade Center, a new station was built, which opened in 1971...
station on the PATHPort Authority Trans-HudsonPATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
subway system linking New York and New Jersey. - Grand Central TerminalGrand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
United Kingdom
- DungenessDungeness railway stationDungeness railway station is a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on Romney Marsh in Kent.-History:The line to Dungeness was opened on 24 May 1928, a year after the line reached New Romney...
, Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch RailwayRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch RailwayThe Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
, KentKentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
: single track, single platform for both boarding and alighting. - Ruislip Lido RailwayRuislip Lido RailwayThe Ruislip Lido Railway is a gauge miniature railway around Ruislip Lido in Ruislip, west of central London. Running from the main station at Woody Bay by the lido's beach, on a track around the reservoir, the railway passes through Ruislip Woods to Ruislip Lido station near the Water's Edge...
, a miniature railway in North London, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - The Eurotunnel ShuttleEurotunnel ShuttleEurotunnel Le Shuttle is a shuttle service between Calais/Coquelles in France and Folkestone in Britain. It conveys road vehicles by rail through the Channel Tunnel...
uses balloon loops: since the two tracks cross over at the French end the whole line forms a figure 8 loop. This evens the wear on the train wheels. - Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle railway stationNewcastle railway station , is the mainline station of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line. It opened in 1850 and is a Grade I listed building...
station is on a loop, allowing trains from the South to arrive via the King Edward VII BridgeKing Edward VII BridgeThe King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.-History:...
and return using the High Level BridgeHigh Level BridgeThe High Level Bridge is a road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead in North East England.-Design:...
. - PeasholmPeasholm railway stationPeasholm railway station is the southern terminus station of the North Bay Railway in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It opened to the public in 1931....
on the North Bay Railway in Scarborough, North YorkshireNorth YorkshireNorth Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
has a reverse balloon loop, with the "neck" of the balloon facing the buffer stop. The loop is used to allow the locomotive to run round the train and reverse at the same time. - The first station in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(opened 1923, closed 1968) was on a balloon loop, but the present station of that name is not. - Barmouth FerryBarmouth Ferry railway stationBarmouth Ferry railway station is the northern terminus of the Fairbourne Railway. The station overlooks the Mawddach estuary and offers good views of the Barmouth Bridge. The passenger ferry crosses the estuary to Barmouth...
station on the Fairbourne RailwayFairbourne RailwayThe Fairbourne Railway is a gauge miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry, where there is a connection with a pedestrian ferry across the Mawddach estuary to the seaside resort of...
.
Other
- Various stations of the Hong Kong TramwaysHong Kong TramwaysHong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley...
- Yuen Long Stop of the MTRMTRMass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
Light Rail in Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... - In the Charleroi Pre-metroCharleroi Pre-metroThe Charleroi Metro is a express tram network in Belgium, consisting of a horseshoe-shaped line around central Charleroi and two branches towards the suburbs of Gilly and Anderlues. It was built between 1976 and 1996 with 26 stations, of which 20 are in service as of 1996, and 6 regular tram...
, both the Beaux-Arts and Waterloo stations have balloon loops. At Beaux-arts, trains between Sud and Anderlues (line 89, both directions) first run through the station on a platformless track, take the underground balloon loop then stop at the platform leading to their destination. Waterloo station services three lines (54, 55 and 88) going to three directions, on a single island platform. Trains from Gilly station either diverge to the right and end up at the station to continue to Parc station, or diverge to the left to end up on the other end of the island platform to go towards Beaux-Arts. At the station is also a bypass so trains can run from Gilly directly to Beaux-Arts, without halting at the platform. No scheduled trains thus fully run the loop (or the bypass). - The Amsterdam tram system has balloon loops at the end of all lines except for tram line 5 terminus at Amstelveen Binnenhof.
- In front of Amsterdam Centraal Station there are two balloon loops. One serves lines 1, 2, 5, 13 and 17 (west side) and the other (east side) serves lines 4, 9, 16, 14 and 26. Across the city there are several disused balloon loops that were in use until lines were extended or abolished.
Multiple stations on a balloon loop:
- Heathrow Terminal 4Heathrow Terminal 4 tube stationHeathrow Terminal 4 is a London Underground station at Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. The station is situated in Travelcard Zone 6.The station opened on the 12 April 1986 to serve the then recently opened Heathrow Terminal 4...
and Terminals 1,2,3 stations on the Piccadilly linePiccadilly LineThe Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
of London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. - The LACMTA Blue Line has four stations on its loop through downtown Long BeachLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
(CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
). - In LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the Wirral LineWirral LineThe Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
of the Merseyrail network, trains arriving at Liverpool through the Mersey TunnelMersey RailwayThe Mersey Railway connected Liverpool and Birkenhead, England, via the Mersey Railway Tunnel under the River Mersey. Opened in 1886, it was the second oldest urban underground railway network in the world. The railway contained the first tunnel built under the River Mersey. It was constructed by...
fork left at Mann Island Junction onto a balloon loop, before reaching James Street (platform 1); they then call at deep-level platforms at , and before reaching James Street again (platform 3), then rejoin the original route at Mann IslandMann IslandMann Island is a small area in Liverpool, England.It lies on the waterfront next to the River Mersey between the Albert Dock to the south and the Pier Head to the north.-History:...
Junction and then pass back through the Mersey tunnel. - The City Loop or Melbourne Underground Rail LoopMurlaMurla is a village in the province of Alicante and autonomous community of Valencia, Spain.-References:...
, Melbourne, Australia, has five stations. There a four loops, one from the north east and three from the south west, on two levels. The loops are bi-directional. A connection enables on of the south east loops to be used as a circle line. The are no connections between the four loops. - In the Helsinki area, the KehärataKehärataThe Ring Rail Line is a railway route under construction in the area of the city of Vantaa, in the Greater Helsinki Metropolitan Area of Finland. It will connect Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and the adjacent Aviapolis business and retail district to the Helsinki commuter rail network...
or Ring Rail Line is being built between an existing branch at Vantaankoski and the main line at Tikkurila, primarily to serve the airport which is presently only accessible by road. It is expected to open in 2014. Two existing stopping services (to Tikkurila and Vantaankoski) will be replaced by a single service which traverses the whole loop and returns to Helsinki, stopping twice on opposite sides of Pasila station. Four new stations are planned, but the loop will have a total of 21 stations, not counting Pasila or Helsinki. Roughly half of these stations are on the northbound and westbound mainlines, the loop line leaving them via diving junctionsFlying junctionA flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
at Hiekkaharju and Huopalahti.
With balloon loop:
The balloon loop is past the station.
- Bad HerrenalbBad HerrenalbBad Herrenalb is a municipality in the district of Calw, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the northern Black Forest, 15 km east of Baden-Baden, and 22 km southwest of Pforzheim....
, Albtalbahn, Germany: the train passes the loop before arrival - Bowling GreenBowling Green (IRT Lexington Avenue Line)Bowling Green is a station on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located at Broadway and Battery Place , in the Financial District of Manhattan...
on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue subway line is the southern terminus for service in the evenings & on weekends, with the South Ferry inner loop (see previous section) used to turn trains. - Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall, also on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue Line, is the southern terminus for Lexington Avenue local service (the trains), with the City Hall loop (see previous section) used to turn trains.
- Howard StationHoward (CTA)Howard is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system in Chicago, Illinois. It is the northern terminus of the Red Line and the southeastern terminus of the Yellow Line; it also serves the Purple Line, for which it is the southern terminus outside of weekday rush hours...
on the CTA Red LineRed Line (Chicago Transit Authority)The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
uses a balloon loop to turn a northbound train back south. Because the other end of the line does not contain a loop, the wear on the wheels is evened out after two trips. - The Irish Steam Preservation Society'sIrish Steam Preservation SocietyThe Irish Steam Preservation Society was formed in 1965 in Stradbally, in Ireland. Under the auspices of Colonel Kidd, it held the first steam fair in Ireland on St Stephen's Day that year....
line at Stradbally, Co.LaoisCounty LaoisCounty Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
consists of a balloon loop: trains operate from the station and back again via the loop. - 69th Street Terminal69th Street Terminal69th Street Transportation Center is a SEPTA terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It is also the southwestern terminus of Philadelphia's EL, the Market-Frankford Line ....
, the western terminus of the SEPTA Market-Frankford LineMarket-Frankford LineThe Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...
in Philadelphia: westbound trains discharge passengers at the platform and go around the loop to one of two eastbound platforms to pick up passengers. - Kennington tube stationKennington tube stationKennington tube station is a London Underground station in Newington/ Walworth on Kennington Park Road, on both the Charing Cross and Bank branches of the Northern Line. Its neighbours to the north are Waterloo on the Charing Cross branch and Elephant & Castle on the Bank branch; the next station...
, on the London UndergroundLondon UndergroundThe London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
Northern LineNorthern LineThe Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
: trains from the Charing Cross branch can terminate at Kennington and then run around a loop to return north. Trains from the Bank branch cannot use this loop. - Schwabstraße stationStuttgart Schwabstraße stationSchwabstraße underground station is in Stuttgart-West district, west of the centre of the German city of Stuttgart and was at the end of the first section of the Connection line , the original underground section of the Stuttgart S-Bahn. Several lines of the S-Bahn terminate at the station...
on the Stuttgart S-BahnStuttgart S-BahnThe Stuttgart S-Bahn is a suburban railway system serving the Stuttgart Region, an agglomeration of around 2.6 million people, consisting of the city of Stuttgart and the adjacent districts of Esslingen, Böblingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr. It consists of seven lines numbered S1 through S6 and...
: the loop is south of the station and completely underground - Tonnelle Avenue (HBLR station)Tonnelle Avenue (HBLR station)Tonnelle Avenue is a station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail located at 51st Street in North Bergen, New Jersey. The station opened for service on February 25, 2006....
: the loop is to the west of the station.
Paris Métro
- Non-passenger loops: Porte DauphinePorte Dauphine (Paris Metro)Porte Dauphine is a station of the Paris Métro. It is the western terminus of Line 2. Nearby, one can transfer to the RER C at Avenue Foch station...
(line 2), Porte des Lilas (line 3bis), Porte de ClignancourtPorte de Clignancourt (Paris Metro)Porte de Clignancourt is a station of the Paris Métro, the northern terminus of line 4, situated in the 18th Arrondissement.The station was opened on 21 April 1908 as part of the first section of the line from Châtelet. A terminal loop is provided at the station for trains to turn around to return...
and Porte d'OrléansPorte d'Orléans (Paris Metro)Porte d'Orléans is a station and southern terminus of line 4 of the Paris Métro and a stop on tramway line 3. It is situated in the 14th Arrondissement, in the quartier of Petit-Montrouge. A terminal loop is provided at the station for trains to turn around to return north towards Porte de...
(line 4) - Passenger loops: Nation (line 2), Charles de Gaulle – Étoile and Nation (line 6), Pré Saint-GervaisPré Saint-Gervais (Paris Metro)Pré Saint-Gervais is a station of the Paris Métro, the eastern terminus of Line 7bis, in the 19th arrondissement....
(line 7bis) - The western end of line 10 is a long loop: trains arriving at MirabeauMirabeau (Paris Metro)Mirabeau is a rapid transit station on Line 10 of the Paris Métro system. Located in the 16th arrondissement of the city, it is served solely by eastbound trains to Gare d'Austerlitz...
from Gare d'AusterlitzGare d'Austerlitz (Paris Metro)The gare d'Austerlitz is a station on the Paris Métro, serving line 5 and forming the eastern terminus of line 10 in the 5th and the 13th arrondissements. The Line 5 station is open to the exterior though under the roof of the mainline Gare d'Austerlitz...
used to enter a loop with the following stations, Église d'AuteuilÉglise d'Auteuil (Paris Metro)Église d'Auteuil is a station of the Paris Métro in the 16th arrondissement, serving Line 10 . With around 150,000 passengers per year, it is the least-used station on the Paris Métro network.-Location:...
, Auteuil, Porte d'AuteuilPorte d'Auteuil (Paris Metro)Porte d'Auteuil is a métro station serving Line 10 . It is situated in the 16th arrondissement.- History :The station opened on 30 September 1913 as part of the extension of line 8 from Beaugrenelle...
(official terminus), Michel-Ange – Molitor, Chardon LagacheChardon Lagache (Paris Metro)Chardon Lagache is a station on the Paris Métro in the 16th arrondissement, serving Line 10 .The station opened on 30 September 1913 as part of the extension of line 8 from Beaugrenelle to Porte d'Auteuil...
and Mirabeau again, to continue eastwards. - There also are a few loops used for stabling trains, for example west of Invalides and north of Porte de la VillettePorte de la Villette (Paris Metro)Porte de la Villette is a station of the Paris Métro. The origin of the commune of the Villette was a Gallo-Roman village, which grew up on the Roman road that led to east Flanders. About 1198, it became Ville Neuve Saint-Ladre and by 1426 it was called Villette-Saint-Miser-lez-Paris. The commune...
.
Tram Systems
Balloon loops are used extensively on tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way systems with single-ended trams. Usually located at termini, the loop may be a single one-way track round a block. Single-ended trams have a cab at only one end and doors on one side, making them cheaper and having more space for passengers. On tram systems with double-ended trams balloon loops are not required but may still be used as they can provide greater turn-around capacity than a stub terminus.
The Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
interurban tramway network, although using double-ended trams, had balloon loops at termini within the city limits so that they could be used as backup termini by the single directional trams used on urban service. In Milan, tramway depots are built as balloon loops, just as urban termini.
Another example is in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Australia
Queensland- Port of BrisbanePort of BrisbanePort of Brisbane is the shipping port of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia. It is located in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River on reclaimed land that was once called Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the river. It currently is the third busiest port in Australia and the nation's...
— Freight
New South Wales
- Newnes Junction coal loader
- Mount Thorley — Coal
- CamberwellCamberwell, New South WalesCamberwell is a small village just off the New England Highway in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. It is 196 kilometres north of Sydney and 15 kilometres northwest of Singleton in Singleton Shire....
— Coal - UlanUlan, New South WalesUlan is a small village in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Ulan Post Office opened on 1 September 1893.There is a coal mine at Ulan. The Sandy Hollow - Ulan Railway was built to serve this coal mine...
— Coal - Wilpinyong — Coal
- Penny Road, near MoreeMoree, New South WalesMoree is a large town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River in the centre of the rich black-soil plains....
— Wheat - Fassifern — Coal - has triangle as well, so trains can go north or south
- Eraring
- Vales Point — Coal unloader
- Port Waratah — Coal & Wheat unloader at port
- Kooragang IslandKooragang IslandKooragang Island is located in the Hunter River of New South Wales, Australia and is the site of a deep water port for the export of coal. In 2007, 84.8 million metric tons of coal were exported from the port, making it one of the busiest in the world...
— Coal unloader at port - Newdell Junction — Coal - has two balloon loops for different coal mines
- Tahmoor — Coal - due to change in operational requirements, the balloon loop now points the wrong way, and requires trains to be top and tailTop and tailA top-and-tail railway train has locomotives at both ends, for ease of changing direction. This is a British term. It is normal for only the leading locomotive to power the train when in top-and-tail mode, cf push pull operation with both locomotives powering.It is properly distinct from a...
ed. - Gunnedah — Coal
- CravenCravenCraven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
— Coal
South Australia
- MallalaMallala, South AustraliaMallala is a small town about 58 kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia. The name Mallala is thought to be derived from the local Aboriginal word 'madlola' which supposedly meant 'place of the ground frog'. At the 2006 census, Mallala had a population of 737.In 1939 the Royal Australian...
AWB Grain Loop
West Australia
- Yarrie — Iron ore
- Koolyanobbing — Iron Ore
Africa
- Catete, AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
- Klipdale, South Africa, on the Overberg branch lineOverberg branch lineThe Overberg branch line is a railway line in the Western Cape, South Africa, that runs from Cape Town through Somerset West and Caledon to Bredasdorp.-Route:...
, to allow trains from Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
to continue to BredasdorpBredasdorpBredasdorp is a town in the Southern Overberg region of the Western Cape, South Africa, and the main economic and service hub of that region. It lies on the northern edge of the Agulhas Plain, about south-east of Cape Town and north of Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.-History:The...
(and vice versa) without shunting.
New Zealand
- Dargaville BranchDargaville BranchThe Dargaville Branch is a branch line railway that leaves the North Auckland Line not far south of Whangarei and runs westward to Dargaville. Construction of this relatively short line took approximately two decades, and when it was completed, it linked the now closed Donnelly's Crossing Section...
— Balloon loop providing access to Kirikopuni, 2 km north of the main line. This was eliminated by a bypass in 1943. - WoodvilleWoodville, New ZealandWoodville is a small town in the southern North Island of New Zealand, 75 km north of Masterton and 25 km east of Palmerston North. In the 2006 census 1,398 people are usually resident in Woodville, a decrease of 81 people, or 5.5%, since the 2001 Census.-Early History and Local...
— Balloon loop linking the Wairarapa LineWairarapa LineThe Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
and the Palmerston North - Gisborne LinePalmerston North - Gisborne LineThe Palmerston North – Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
so that trains running between the WairarapaWairarapaWairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
and Hawke's BayHawke's BayHawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
do not have to reverse. Unlike a triangle, the balloon loop enables these trains to serve Woodville station.
United Kingdom
There are several balloon loops at power stationPower station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s in the UK; these have been provided so that coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
trains may unload without stopping (known as the merry-go-round
Merry-go-round train
A Merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a block train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving. In the United Kingdom, they are most commonly coal trains delivering to power stations...
system). Examples include Cottam
Cottam Power Station
The Cottam power stations are a pair of power stations, located on the River Trent at Cottam near Retford in Nottinghamshire. The largest of the two is a coal-fired power station, which was commissioned in 1969 by the Central Electricity Generating Board, and has a generating capacity of 1,970...
, Didcot
Didcot Power Station
Didcot Power Station refers to a combined coal and oil power plant and a natural-gas power plant that supply the National Grid. They are situated immediately adjoining one another in the civil parish of Sutton Courtenay, next to the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire , in the UK...
, Drax, Eggborough
Eggborough Power Station
Eggborough Power Station is a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing biomass. It is siuated on the River Aire, between the towns of Knottingley and Snaith, deriving its name from the nearby village of Eggborough...
, Ferrybridge
Ferrybridge power station
The Ferrybridge power stations refers to a series of three coal-fired power stations situated on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. The first station on the site, Ferrybridge A power station, was constructed in the mid-1920s, and was closed as the second station, Ferrybridge B power...
, and Ratcliffe-on-Soar
Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is a coal-fired power station operated by E.ON UK at Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, England. Commissioned in 1968 by the then Central Electricity Generating Board, the station has a capacity of 2,000 MW...
.
Also, the Fife Circle line between Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and the county of Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
acts like a giant balloon loop, branching off after Inverkeithing and connecting again at Kirkcaldy.
United States
- Louisa Generating Station — Coal unloader, south of Muscatine, IowaMuscatine, IowaMuscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
- National City, CaliforniaNational City, CaliforniaNational City is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 58,582 at the 2010 census, up from 54,260 at the 2000 census. National City is the second oldest city in San Diego County and has a historic past.-History:...
— Balloon Loop near San Diego Bay - San Francisco Transbay TerminalSan Francisco Transbay TerminalSan Francisco Transbay Transit Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, was a transportation complex in San Francisco, California, USA, located roughly in the center of the rectangle bounded north–south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east–west by Beale Street and 2nd Street...
was a balloon loop for the Key SystemKey SystemThe Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
before it was abandoned - Marias PassMarias PassMarias Pass is a high mountain pass near Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana in the United States.The pass traverses the continental divide in the Lewis Range, along the boundary between the Lewis and Clark National Forest and the Flathead National Forest...
, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
- balloon loop on the BNSF's Northern Transcon line. It replaced a wye at the same spot.
Other
Both the French and the British terminals of the Eurotunnel ShuttleEurotunnel Shuttle
Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is a shuttle service between Calais/Coquelles in France and Folkestone in Britain. It conveys road vehicles by rail through the Channel Tunnel...
service through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
consist of balloon loops.
Occasionally, balloon loops are used for reversing trains on lines with heavy grades and tight curves to equalise wear on both sides of locomotives and rollingstock. Such a balloon loop was constructed at Beech Forest on the Victorian Railways line from Colac to Crowes.
Advantages
Advantages of a balloon loop include:- Smooth operation
- Trains can arrive in any free platform, while another train is leaving any platform
Compared to stations with stub platforms, balloon loops allow:
- Fewer tracks and platforms are required
- Arrivals into some platforms do not block departures from other platforms
- Time is not lost while drivers change ends and reset the train for the other direction
- If the driver changed ends and discovers a hidden fault, then delays to trains are less likely
Disadvantages
The major disadvantage is that a balloon loop is very space consuming. Another disadvantage is that the sharp curves cause noise, as well as wear on wheels and rails. Also, if the platform is located on the curve, the gap between the platform and railcar door is a hazard. The former South Ferry station on the New York City SubwayNew York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
solved this problem by using gap filler
Gap filler
Platform gap fillers on the metro systems like the New York City Subway or on train stations in Hong Kong are movable platform extensions at stations where the curvature of the platform creates a significant gap between the platform and subway car door...
s that extended out to the railcar door when the train triggered a switch on the tracks. The station has since been closed.
On systems where, for reasons of economy, the couplings are made non-reversible (e.g. by fitting the air brake pipe along one side of the car only), the use of a reversing loop will cause a proportion of the rolling stock to face the "wrong" way and it may not be possible to assemble a complete train in a depot, even if sufficient cars are on hand. This was the case on the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (now part of the Northern line
Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
of London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
). After the opening of a loop at Charing Cross (Embankment)
Embankment tube station
Embankment is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster, known by various names during its history. It is served by the Circle, District, Northern and Bakerloo lines. On the Northern and Bakerloo lines, the station is between Waterloo and Charing Cross stations; on the Circle and...
in 1914 (replaced in 1926 by the present Kennington loop) car ends were marked "A" or "B" (later, when axles were designated by letters, the "B" car ends became "D" to match the adjacent axle), and it was not permitted to couple cars together if the ends to be coupled bore the same letter. It was found necessary to provide a turntable at Golders Green
Golders Green tube station
Golders Green tube station is a London Underground station in Golders Green, north London. The station is on the Edgware branch of the Northern Line between Hampstead and Brent Cross...
depot (near the other end of the line), for use when there was an imbalance of car directions.
To avoid this problem, on many systems with a balloon loop, the couplings and brake hoses are made reversible.
At coal ports such as Kooragang Island
Kooragang Island
Kooragang Island is located in the Hunter River of New South Wales, Australia and is the site of a deep water port for the export of coal. In 2007, 84.8 million metric tons of coal were exported from the port, making it one of the busiest in the world...
the space inside the balloon loops is used for storage of coal, so that is it not wasted space.
At the Olympic Park station in Sydney, the platforms are indeed straight.