Rail directions are used to describe train directions on rail systems. The terms used may be derived from such sources as compass directions, altitude directions, or other directions. These directions are often specific to system, country, or region.
Radial directions Many rail systems use the concept of a centre or origin (usually a major city) to define rail directions. Often this location will also define the zero kilometre- or milepost of a line or network.
Up and down
United Kingdom In British practice, railway directions are usually described as "up" and "down", with "up" being towards a major location. This convention is applied not only to the trains and the tracks, but also to items of lineside equipment and to areas near a track. Since British trains run on the left, the "up" side of a line is usually on the left when proceeding in the "up" direction. On most of the network, "up" is the direction towards London as the busiest transport hub. In most of Scotland, with the exception of the West and East Coast Main Lines, and the Borders Railway, "up" is towards Edinburgh. The Valley Lines network around Cardiff has its own peculiar usage, relating to the literal meaning of travelling "up" and "down" the valley. On the former Midland Railway "up" was towards Derby. On the Northern Ireland Railways network, "up" generally means toward Belfast (the specific zero milepost varying from line to line); except for cross-border services to Dublin, where Belfast is "down". Mileposts normally increase in the "down" direction, but there are exceptions, such as the Trowbridge line between Bathampton Junction and Hawkeridge Junction, where mileage increases in the "up" direction. Individual tracks will have their own names, such as Up Main or Down Loop. Trains running towards London are normally referred to as "up" trains, and those away from London as "down". Hence the down Night Riviera runs to Penzance and the up Flying Scotsman to London King's Cross. This distinction is less meaningful for trains not travelling towards or away from London; for instance a CrossCountry train from Manchester to Bournemouth uses "up" lines as far as Reading and "down" lines thereafter.
Australia The railway systems of the Australian states have generally followed the practices of railways in the United Kingdom. Railway directions are usually described as "up" and "down", with "up" being towards the major location in most states, which is usually the capital city of the state. In New South Wales, trains running away from Sydney are "down" trains, while in Victoria, trains running away from Melbourne are "down" trains. An interstate train travelling from Sydney to Melbourne is a "down" train until it crosses the state border at Albury, where it changes its classification to an "up" train. Even in states that follow this practice, exceptions exist for individual lines. In the state of Queensland, "up" and "down" directions are individually defined for each line. Therefore, a train heading towards the main railway station in Brisbane (Roma Street station) would be classified as an "up" train on some lines but as a "down" train on other lines. In South Australia, there are two (2) up/down origins: Port Augusta and Adelaide.
China In China, railway directions with terminus in Beijing are described as "up" (Chinese: 上行, romanised: shàngxíng) and "down" (Chinese: 下行, romanised: xiàxíng), with "up" towards Beijing; while trains leaving Beijing are "down". Trains run through Beijing may have two or more numbers, for example, the train from Harbin to Shanghai K58/55 uses two different numbers: on the Harbin–Tianjin section, the train runs toward Beijing, the train is known as K58, but on the Tianjin–Shanghai section, the train is known as K55; the opposite train from Shanghai to Harbin is known as K56/57, while K56 is used from Shanghai to Tianjin and K57 is used from Tianjin to Harbin. Generally even numbers denote trains travelling in the up direction while odd numbers denote the down direction.
Hong Kong In Hong Kong, most lines have their "down" direction towards the terminal closer to Central, with the exception of Disneyland Resort line, where the down line is towards Disneyland to be consistent with Tung Chung line where it branches from. On Tuen Ma line, the "down" end is Wu Kai Sha. The up/down direction was switched in the former Ma On Shan line such that it could be connected with the former West Rail line. The direction is signposted along the track, with the mileage increasing in the up direction, and also on the platform ends.
Japan In Japan, railway directions are traditionally designated as "up" (上り, Nobori) and "down" (下り, Kudari). For JR Group services, trains heading towards Tokyo Station are considered "up" trains, while those heading away are "down" trains. Notable exceptions include the Yamanote Line and the Osaka Loop Line, which are circular routes. Another exception is the Keihin-Tōhoku Line and other through-running services that pass through Tokyo Station. Because this route is officially part of the Tōhoku Main Line north of Tokyo Station and the Tōkaidō Main Line south of it, trains are instead referred to as northbound or southbound. For private railway operators, the designation of "up" or "down" (if used at all) typically depends on the location of the company’s headquarters, with trains heading toward that location treated as "up" services.
Sweden In Sweden, "up" trains are generally trains heading north, while "down" trains are trains heading south. Trains in Sweden generally run on the left, (unlike roads which switched to running on the right in 1967), and so the up line (uppspår) refers to the left-hand track as viewed from an "up" train, while the down line (nedspår) is the left-hand track for "down" trains. Even numbers are always used for "up" trains while odd numbers are always used for "down" trains; however, bidirectional signalling is common, and thus trains do not necessarily use the track corresponding to their designation.
Taiwan In Taiwan, trains travelling north towards Keelung on the Western Trunk Line and towards Badu on the Yilan Line are considered "up" trains. However, on other parts of the network, the terminology "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise" is used instead.
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