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Iron rails shrink in cold weather and expand in summer. In such a situation, if space is not left for expansion, the tracks may bend, which may increase the risk of accidents.
Unknown Fact: Even today in India, a large number of people travel by train, and there are many questions related to this which come to people’s mind, but their answers are often not found. For example, you may have seen many times that the train stops at the outer signal before reaching the station, while some platforms even appear empty. In such a situation, it is natural that questions arise in the mind as to why this happens.
Have you ever observed the tracks carefully while traveling in a train, crossing a railway gate or standing at a station? If you have paid attention, you must have seen that a track is made by joining tracks at some distance. This happens because it is not possible to make the entire length of track in a single piece, so the track is prepared by joining several parts.
You must have also noticed that where two tracks join, a small gap is left between them. Now the question arises that why is this distance maintained?
If you think that this gap left between the tracks happens just like that, then it is not so at all. It would also be wrong to assume that this distance is kept just to fill the empty space. Actually, this gap is kept very thoughtfully and keeping in mind the safety of the passengers. Iron rails shrink in cold weather and expand in summer. In such a situation, if space is not left for expansion, the tracks may bend, which may increase the risk of accidents. Now you must have understood how important this space left between the tracks is.