The permanent way refers to the rails and sleepers of a railway line. This name originally came about because during the construction of railway lines, other tracks (ways) were used for removing soil from cuttings, etc. The permanent way was the track that remained after these temporary ways were removed. The name is not really accurate, because frequent maintenance is required to give a smooth ride for trains, or indeed to keep the permanent way suitable for any traffic at all. Rail can mean: Rail tracks Rail transport For the group of birds called rails, see Rallidae For the Mayfair Games board games, see Crayon Rails For rail in electronics, see . ... A railroad tie or sleeper is an oblong object used as a base for railroad tracks. ...
David Hare's play The Permanent Way discusses the privatisation of Britain's railways. David Hare (born June 5, 1947) is an English dramatist and director. ... The privatisation of British Rail was the result of the Railways Act 1993 introduced by John Majors Conservative government. ...
The word permanent was probably used in the early days of railway construction to distinguish the "permanent" track, then under construction, from the temporary track that was used in the meantime.
Periodic renewal of the permanentway, either in part or as a whole, is always, therefore, in progress.
By the way in which it is packed under the sleepers it governs the level of the rails, and has a strong influence on the relative smoothness of riding.
In railway terminology the permanentway means the physical elements of the railway line itself: the pairs of rails laid on sleepers embedded in a prepared surface (normally stone ballast).
The name arose because, during the construction of railway lines, other temporary tracks (or ways) were laid during the course of the works (for the removal soil from cuttings, etc.).
The term is, in a sense, inaccurate, insofar as frequent maintenance of the "permanent"way is required if trains are to be guaranteed a smooth and incident-free ride, indeed if the permanentway is to remain suitable for any traffic at all.
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