single-track

[sing-guhl-trak]

adjective

1. (of a railroad or section of a railroad's route) having but one set of tracks, so that trains going in opposite directions must be scheduled to meet only at points where there are sidings.

2. having a narrow scope; one-track.

   He has a single-track mind.

single-track

adjective

1. (of a railway) having only a single pair of lines, so that trains can travel in only one direction at a time

2. (of a road) only wide enough for one vehicle

3. able to think about only one thing; one-track

Word History and Origins

Origin of single-track¹

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

She is one of many in this isolated community opposing plans by Forestry England to bring out at least 260,000 tonnes of timber from Uswayford Forest via seven miles of narrow single-track road down the Upper Coquet valley to the village of Alwinton.

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The issue here in Dresden, a village of about 300 people surrounded by winding country roads, single-track rail lines and farms growing grapes and hops, sounds like a familiar story about the tension between nature-loving locals and economic development.

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After all, nothing better conveyed Lumon's unnerving forced fun than its heavily rationed waffle, melon and single-track dance parties.

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Trails range from easy and meandering to moderate, traipsing through meadows, old logging roads and switchbacks with plenty of wildflowers and great views — like the Arrowleaf Trail, a single-track that leads through ponderosa pines and pasture to a steady climb to the peak over five miles round trip.

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For almost 20 years, Cardiff Bay has seen just a shuttle service going down the single-track branch from Cardiff Queen Street - and despite that, it was Wales' fifth busiest pre-pandemic with about 1.5m passengers a year.

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