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A circle route (also circumference, loop, ring route, ring line or orbital line) is a
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
route following a path approximating a
circle
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...
or at least a
closed curve
In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight.
Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...
.
The expression "circle route" may refer in particular to:
* a route
orbit
In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as ...
ing a central point, commonly the
central business district (CBD) in a city or large town
* a route running in approximately a circular path from a point near the centre of a city or town out to a peripheral point and back again
* a feeder route running from an
interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system that allows passengers to change from one route to another, often without having to leave a station or pay an additiona ...
around a neighbourhood or suburb in approximately a circle
Typically, a circle route will connect at several locations with one or more
cross-city route
A cross-city route is a public transport route linking one suburb (or satellite) of a city or town with another, usually relatively distant, suburb (or satellite).
Such a route can be operated by various forms of public transport, including co ...
s or
radial route
A radial route is a public transport route linking a central point in a city or town, usually in the central business district (CBD), with a suburb (or satellite) of that city or town. Such a route can be operated by various forms of public tra ...
s offering services in a straighter line into or out of a city or town centre. When a circle route orbits a central business district in a large arc, it will often provide transverse (or lateral) links between suburbs or satellites, either on its own or in combination with other routes. Such connections assist travellers by reducing travel times, avoiding congested centres, and sometimes reducing the number of transfers. Similar benefits may also be achieved by half-circle routes or
peripheral cross-city routes.
The oldest circular rapid transit line was London's Inner Circle, today the
Circle line of the London Underground, which was completed in 1884, operated by two separate companies.
The route chosen forms the general border of what is today
central London. This was followed by the
Glasgow Subway which opened in 1896, with the system unchanged to this day. In
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro) is a metro system serving the Russian capital of Moscow as well as the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy and Kotelniki in Moscow Oblast. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first ...
, a
railway from 1908 was reopened as a passenger line in 2016. More recently,
line 3 of the
Copenhagen Metro
The Copenhagen Metro ( da, Københavns Metro, ) is a 24/7 rapid transit system in Copenhagen, Denmark, serving the municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, and Tårnby.
The original system opened in October 2002, serving nine stations on t ...
opened in 2019, connecting the city centre to the northern and eastern suburbs. In some cities such as
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, where lines
2 and
6 encircle the city, multiple services together can effectively form a circular route.
Circle routes can also be found in commuter rail networks, namely in
Sydney and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, with Sydney's
City Circle
The City Circle is a mostly-underground railway line located in the Sydney central business district and Haymarket, in New South Wales, Australia, that forms the core of Sydney's passenger rail network. The lines are owned by the Transport A ...
being built in 1926 and Melbourne's
City Loop in 1978.
See also
*
Ring road, a road with a circular route
References
*
External links
metrobits.org: Metro Rings and Loops– includes a list of commuter rail and rapid transit circle routes worldwide
{{Public transport, state=collapsed
Public transport
Transportation planning