
die Stammstrecke
main line
The central and most heavily used section of a rail network in local public transport (e.g., S-Bahn or subway), where several lines are bundled together and run on the same tracks.
Wegen einer Weichenstörung auf der Stammstrecke kommt es im gesamten S-Bahn-Netz zu erheblichen Verspätungen.
Because of a points failure on the main line, there are significant delays throughout the entire S-Bahn network.