page_title: Spiral (railway)
section_title: India
hierarchical_section_title: Spiral (railway) / List of spirals / India
caption_attribution_description: English: A point on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
context_page_description: A spiral is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills.
  A railway spiral rises on a steady curve until it has completed a loop, passing over itself as it gains height, allowing the railway to gain vertical elevation in a relatively short horizontal distance. It is an alternative to a zig-zag, and avoids the need for the trains to stop and reverse direction while ascending. If the train is longer than the length of each loop it may be possible to view it looping above itself.
  The term "loop" is also often used for a railway that curves sharply and goes back on itself: if the railway crosses itself, then it forms a spiral or helix; otherwise, it forms the much more common horseshoe curve or bend.
context_section_description: There are currently three spirals on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway:
  Chunbati Loop at 26°50′30″N 88°20′28″E.
  Agony Point at 26°51′28″N 88°19′40″E.
  Batasia Loop at 27°01′00″N 88°14′50″E.
  The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway originally had five or six spirals but only five in operation at any one time. The line also has six reverses or zig-zags. 
  There used to be a spiral at Dhulghat at 21°16′58″N 76°45′41″E between Khandwa and Hingoli on the metre gauge railway, the spiral was apparently removed when the track was upgraded to broad gauge.
caption: Loop (Agony Point) on the DHR, India
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