heavy rail

English

Noun

heavy rail (uncountable)

1. (rail transport) A term generally applied to main-line railways, but this varies from country to country. It has no relation to the weight of the rails used.
   • 2019 October 23, Andy Coward, “New acclaim for Oldham Loop”, in RAIL, number 890, page 63:

     As with all Metrolink routes on the network, the Oldham-Rochdale line is performing well. Passenger usage is now considerably higher than when it was in use for heavy rail services, [...]

   • 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:

     This section of line is a rarity, with heavy rail passenger and freight services sharing tracks with the Tyne and Wear Metro as far as Pelaw, where the Metro services run onto dedicated tracks.

Antonyms

• light rail

Further reading

• heavy rail on Wikipedia.Wikipedia