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

The Swanage branch line was closed and demolished by British Rail in 1972 but volunteers spent 30 years rebuilding it as a tourist attraction which, in 2019, carried more than 200,000 passengers.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2023

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

Built in 1897 as a seaside resort that depended on the railway, the hotel now sees its old branch line delivering customers once again.

From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2018

“Och, no, not to Aberdeen. The next train’s the branch line to Castle Craig.”

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein