A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes is provided by turnouts and
Chicago Transit Authority signal tower 18 guides elevated Chicago 'L' north and southbound Purple and Brown lines intersecting with east and westbound Pink and Green lines and the looping Orange line above the Wells and Lake street intersection in the loop. This is a three-quarters grand union junction.
Junction in track of Singapore LRT
A double junction in Cardiff, Wales
A junction in Baranowicze, Poland, 1934 (since 1939 in Belarus)
A railroad switch, turnout, or points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another, such as at a railway junction or where a spur or siding branches off.
A right-hand railroad switch with point indicator pointing to right
Large stations may have hundreds of switches (Frankfurt Central Station, Germany).
Abt switch used in the 1895-built Dresden Funicular Railway (photo of 1985)
A railway worker operating a manual switch at a rail yard in Britain during World War I