Route availability

Route availability

Route Availability (RA) is the system by which the permanent way and supporting works (bridges, embankments, etc) of the United Kingdom national railway network are graded. All routes are allocated an RA number between 1 and 10.

Rolling stock is also allocated an RA (again between 1 and 10) and the RA of a train is the highest RA of any of its elements. The RA is primarily related to the axle load of the vehicle, although axle spacing is also taken into consideration. In practice it is locomotive which governs where trains may operate, although many high capacity 4 axle wagons have high RAs when fully loaded. (When considering the operation of trains the loading gauge must also be considered.)

The RA of a train must not exceed the RA of the track except under strictly controlled circumstances [cite web |url=http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/docushare/dsweb/Get/Rail-41549/GERT8006.pdf
title=Interface between Rail Vehicle Weights and Underline Bridges - Appendix C - Flow chart of Procedure for Permitting aTrain to Run
accessdate=2008-08-17
format=pdf
author=Safety & Standards Directorate, Railtrack PLC
year=2000
month=December] .

Network Rail

Network Rail currently gives the allowed axle loadings as follows: [ [http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/2230.aspx Network Rail Loading Gauge documentation] ]

The information regarding route availability (RA) on this page comes from the British Rail (London Midland Region) Route Availability Guide, and the Freight Train Loads Book, both issued in 1969. It should be noted that several routes will have had their RA numbers changed since that time.

* "Depending on sub-class, see individual article for details." $ "Discrepancy with original data."

Historical notes

Before nationalisation the Big Four railway companies had their own classification systems:

Great Western Railway

Each locomotive had a coloured disc painted on the cab side to indicate its route availability:

* uncoloured, lightest locomotives
* yellow disc
* blue disc
* red disc
* two red discs, heaviest locomotives (only the GWR King Class had two red discs)

ee also

* [http://www.2d53.co.uk/RA/RA1.htm 2D53 Introduction to Route Availability and tables]
* [http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/Route+Availability Route availability tables for Scotland]
* U.S. Track Classification system
* [http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4996.aspx Network Rail Information]
* [http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/docushare/dsweb/Get/Rail-41549/GERT8006.pdf GE/RT8006]

References


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