STATION OF

METRO
 :INTRODUCTION
A train station, railway station, railroad station, or depot is a railway facility where metro
.regularly stop to load or unload passenger or freight

It generally consists of at least one track-side platform and a station building (depot) providing
such ancillary services as ticket sales and waiting rooms. If a station is on a single-track line, it
often has a passing loop to facilitate traffic movements. The smallest stations are most often
.referred to as "stops" or, in some parts of the world, as "halts" (flag stops)

Stations may be at ground level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to

intersecting rail lines or other transport modes such as buses, trams or other rapid transit
.systems
:HISTORY
The world's first recorded railway station was The Mount on the Oyster mouth
Railway (later to be known as the Swansea and Mumbles) in Swansea, Wales, [7]
which began passenger service in 1807. [8]
The two-story Mount Clare station in Baltimore, Maryland, which survives as a
museum, first saw passenger service as the terminus of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad on 22 May 1830.[9]
The joint oldest terminal station in the world (the other being Manchester's Liverpool
Road,), was Crown Street railway station in Liverpool, built in 1830, also on the
Liverpool to Manchester line. The station was the first to incorporate a train shed.
The station was demolished in 1836 as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime
.Street railway station. The station was converted to a goods station terminal
The first stations had little in the way of buildings or amenities. The first stations in
the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830.[10]

Manchester's Liverpool Road Station, the joint oldest terminal station in the world
(and the only surviving one), is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and
.Industry in Manchester. It resembles a row of Georgian houses

Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and goods facilities, though
some railway lines were goods-only or passenger-only, and if a line was dual-purpose
there would often be a goods depot apart from the passenger station.[11]
preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. It resembles a
row of Georgian houses. Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and
goods facilities, though some railway lines were goods-only or passenger-only, and if a
line was dual-purpose there would often be a goods depot apart from the passenger
station.[11]

Dual-purpose stations can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods
facilities are restricted to major stations. In rural and remote communities across Canada
and the United States, passengers wanting to board the train had to flag the train down in
order for it to stop. Such stations were known as "flag stops" or "flag stations".[12]

Many stations date from the 19th century and reflect the grandiose architecture of the
time, lending prestige to the city as well as to railway operations.[13] Countries where
railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-
.century styles
Various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of stations, from those
boasting grand, intricate, Baroque- or Gothic-style edifices, to plainer utilitarian or
modernist styles. Stations in Europe tended to follow British designs and were in some
countries, like Italy, financed by British railway companies.[14]

Stations built more recently often have a similar feel to airports, with a simple, abstract
style. Examples of modern stations include those on newer high-speed rail networks,
.such as the Shinkansen in Japan, TGV lines in France and ICE lines in Germany
: STATION FACILITIES
Stations usually have staffed ticket sales offices, automated ticket machines, or
both, although on some lines tickets are sold on board the trains. Many stations
include a shop or convenience store. Larger stations usually have fast-food or
restaurant facilities. In some countries, stations may also have a bar or pub.
Other station facilities may include: toilets, left-luggage, lost-and-found,
departures and arrivals boards, luggage carts, waiting rooms, taxi ranks, bus
bays and even car parks. Larger or manned stations tend to have a greater range
of facilities including also a station security office. These are usually open for
travellers when there's traffic + a period of time, in large cities this may mean
.around the clock
A basic station might only have platforms, though it may still be distinguished from a
.halt, a stopping or halting place that may not even have platforms
In many African and South American countries, and in many places in India, stations
are used as a place for public markets and other informal businesses. This is
.especially true on tourist routes or stations near tourist destinations
As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations
can sometimes have locomotive and rolling stock depots (usually with facilities for
.storing and refuelling rolling stock and carrying out minor repair jobs)
CONFIGURATIONS OF
: STATIONS
In addition to the basic configuration of a station, various features set certain types
of station apart. The first is the level of the tracks. Stations are often sited where a
road crosses the railway: unless the crossing is a level crossing, the road and
.railway will be at different levels
The platforms will often be raised or lowered relative to the station entrance: the
.station buildings may be on either level, or both

The other arrangement, where the station entrance and platforms are on the same
level, is also common, but is perhaps rarer in urban areas, except when the station
.is a terminus. Elevated stations are more common, not including metro stations
Stations located at level crossings can be problematic if the train blocks the roadway
.while it stops, causing road traffic to wait for an extended period of time

Occasionally, a station serves two or more railway lines at differing levels. This may
be due to the station's position at a point where two lines cross (example: Berlin
Hauptbahnhof), or may be to provide separate station capacity for two types of
service, such as intercity and suburban (examples: Paris-Gare de Lyon and
.Philadelphia's 30th Street Station), or for two different destinations
Stations may also be classified according to the layout of the platforms. Apart from
single-track lines, the most basic arrangement is a pair of tracks for the two directions;
there is then a basic choice of an island platform between, or two separate platforms
.outside, the tracks. With more tracks, the possibilities expand

Some stations have unusual platform layouts due to space constraints of the station
.location, or the alignment of the tracks

Examples include staggered platforms, such as at Tutbury and Hatton railway station
on the Derby - Crewe line, and curved platforms, such as Cheadle Hulme railway
.station on the Macclesfield to Manchester Line

Triangular stations also exist where two lines form a three-way junction and platforms
.are built on all three sides
:TRACKS
In a station, there are different types of tracks to serve different purposes. A
station may also have a passing loop with a loop line that comes off the straight
main line and merge back to the main line on the other end by railroad switches
[15]
.to allow trains to pass
A track with a spot at the station to board and disembark trains is called station
.track or house track[16] regardless of whether it is a main line or loop line
If such track is served by a platform, the track may be called platform track. A
loop line without a platform which is used to allow a train to clear the main line
[15]
.at the station only, it is called passing track
A track at the station without a platform which is used for trains to pass the
[16]
.station without stopping is called through track
A maintenance track or a maintenance siding, usually connected to a passing track, is
used for parking maintenance equipment, trains not in service, autoracks or sleepers. A
refuge track is a dead-end siding that is connected to a station track as a temporary
[15]
.storage of a disabled train
.

:TERMINUS
A "terminal" or "terminus" is a station at the end of a railway line. Trains
.arriving there have to end their journeys (terminate) or reverse out of the station
Depending on the layout of the station, this usually permits travellers to reach
all the platforms without the need to cross any tracks the public entrance to the
.station and the main reception facilities being at the far end of the platforms
Sometimes, however, the track continues for a short distance beyond the station,
and terminating trains continue forwards after depositing their passengers,
before either proceeding to sidings or reversing to the station to pick up
.departing passengers. Bondi Junction is like this
Many terminus stations have underground rapid-transit urban rail stations beneath, to
.transit passengers to the local city or district

A terminus is frequently, but not always, the final destination of trains arriving at the
station. However a number of cities, especially in continental Europe, have a terminus as
.their main railway stations, and all main lines converge on this station

There may also be a bypass line, used by freight trains that do not need to stop at the
.main station

In such cases all trains passing through that main station must leave in the reverse
direction from that of their arrival
Some termini have a newer set of through platforms underneath (or above, or
.alongside) the terminal platforms on the main level

They are used by a cross-city extension of the main line, often for commuter trains,
.while the terminal platforms may serve long-distance services

Examples of underground through lines include the Thameslink platforms at St.

Pancras in London, the Argyle and North Clyde lines of Glasgow's suburban rail
network, the recently built Malmö City Tunnel, in Antwerp in Belgium, the RER at
the Gare du Nord in Paris, and many of the numerous S-Bahn lines at terminal
.stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as at Zürich Hauptbahnhof
 : JUNCTION
A junction is a station where two or more rail routes converge or diverge. It could be a terminus
.or an en-route station
:STOP
During a journey, the term station stop may be used in announcements, to
differentiate a halt during which passengers may alight from a halt for another
.reason, such as a locomotive change
A railway stop is a spot along a railway line, usually between stations or at a
.seldom-used station, where passengers can board and exit the train
While a junction or interlocking usually divides two or more lines or routes, and
.thus has remotely or locally operated signals, a station stop does not
A station stop usually does not have any tracks other than the main tracks, and
.may or may not have switches (points, crossovers)
:HALT
A halt, in railway parlance in the British Commonwealth, is a small station,
.usually unstaffed or with very few staff, and with few or no facilities
In some cases, trains stop only on request, when passengers on the platform
indicate that they wish to board, or passengers on the train inform the crew that
.they wish to alight
In the United Kingdom, most former halts on the national railway networks
have had the word halt removed from their names. Historically, in many
instances the spelling 'halte' was used, before the spelling 'halt' became
commonplace. There are only two publicly advertised and publicly accessible
National Rail stations with the suffix 'halt' remaining: Coombe Junction and St
[18][19]
Keyne Wishing Well
Historically, in many instances the spelling 'halte' was used, before the spelling
.'halt' became commonplace
There are only two publicly advertised and publicly accessible National Rail
stations with the suffix 'halt' remaining: Coombe Junction and St Keyne Wishing
[18][19]
Well
: ACCESSIBILITY
.Accessibility for people with disabilities is mandated by law in some countries

Considerations include: elevator or ramp access to all platforms, matching

platform height to train floors, making wheelchair lifts available when platforms
do not match vehicle floors, accessible toilets and pay phones, audible station
.announcements, and safety measures such as tactile marking of platform edges
WHEELCHAIR CLIMBING STAIRS:
HANDICAPPED ACCESS IN MTR STATION OF
HONG KONG
:LARGEST, BUSIEST AND HIGHEST STATIONS

Tanggula Railway Station located in Amdo County, Tibet, China is currently-1

the highest station in the world. As of 2010, no passenger transport service was
available since the region is uninhabited India's proposed Bilaspur-Mandi-Leh
Railway, once completed, will reach an even higher elevation
The world's busiest passenger station, in terms of daily passenger throughput, is -2
Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.[22] The station was used by an average of 3.64 million people
. per day in 2007
3- The world's largest station was Beijing West station in Beijing.[23] But subsequently,
several major railway hubs have been claimed as largest in Asia and world, including
but not limited to; Beijing South, Guangzhou South, Nanjing South, Shanghai
Hongqiao and.[24] All of them are major terminals of two or more high-speed railways.
In terms of platform capacity, the world's largest station by platforms is -4
Grand Central Terminal in New York City with 44 platforms[25] and, as part of the
East Side Access Project, the MTA will be adding 4 more platforms to accommodate
. future Long Island Rail Road trains
The world's highest station above ground level (not above sea level) is -5
[26][27]
.Smith–Ninth Streets subway station in New York City
6- Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue in The Shanghai South Railway Station, opened -7
in June 2006, has the world's largest circular
New York City is the world's largest elevated transparent roof.[32]
terminal with 8 tracks and 4 island platforms.[31]
 ,in the center of Paris ,8- Châtelet-Les Halls
The New Delhi Railway Station in New -9
is the busiest underground
Delhi, India holds the record for the largest
station in the world. Approximately 750,000
route interlock system in the world .[34]
[33]
.passengers pass through it per day
in London, is Europe's ,10- Clapham Junction
busiest station by daily rail traffic (one train
every 13 seconds at peak times; one train every
[28]
.30 seconds at off-peak times)
Switzerland ,11- Zürich Hauptbahnhof
is Europe's busiest terminus by daily ,
rail traffic (Clapham Junction is
.)a through station
is Europe's largest grade-separated and two-level station (6 Berlin Hauptbahnhof -12
.upper and 8 lower platforms)