Rail siding

A siding, in general rail terminology, refers to a section of rail used to store stationary rolling stock perhaps whilst it is loaded or unloaded, or alternatively, a short length of rail that provides access to and from factories, mines, quarries, wharves, etc. A group of sidings in one ownership may be termed a marshalling yard.

A siding can also refer to a stretch of rail tracks that provides a place for a train to stay temporarily while other trains pass on the main line. In British terminology, this latter example is termed a passing loop. This configuration allows the sequence of trains along a track to change and trains or trams to pass one another where a route is predominantly single tracked.