branch line

American  

noun

1. a rail line, directly or indirectly connected with a main line, having its own stations and service.

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branch line British  

noun

1. railways a secondary route to a place or places not served by a main line

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Etymology

Origin of branch line

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

For the past 18 years, the only direct train you could get from the one-platform halt at Cardiff Bay is down the one-mile branch line to the country's second busiest station, Cardiff Queen Street.

From BBC • May 26, 2024

When a branch line was built from Goshen to Visalia in 1874, people had high hopes that it would lead to prosperity for the town, but the boom never arrived.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2023

Speed restrictions also remain in place on the East Coast Mainline, North Berwick branch line, and Borders Railway.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2022

Before the rise of the automobile killed off the old branch line, its little steam locomotives puffed by so slowly that passengers would toss their bags out as the train passed their homes.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2018

She walked to the branch line station at Deeside.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein