Minimum railway curve radius

90-foot (27.43 m) radii on the elevated 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Chicago 'L'. There is no room for longer radii above this street intersection at this cross junction at the Wells and Lake street intersection in the northwest corner of the loop

The minimum railway curve radius is the shortest allowable design radius for the centerline of railway tracks under a particular set of conditions. It has an important bearing on construction costs and operating costs and, in combination with superelevation (difference in elevation of the two rails) in the case of train tracks, determines the maximum safe speed of a curve. The minimum radius of a curve is one parameter in the design of railway vehicles[1] as well as trams;[2] monorails and automated guideways are also subject to a minimum radius.

  1. ^ "Guide to Railcars". World Trade Ref - Your One Stop Resource for Trade Information. Archived from the original on 2011-10-31.
  2. ^ "The Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (The CLRVs) - Transit Toronto - Content". transittoronto.ca.