Railroad cutoff

Bypassing a congested area, such as a city or railroad station, or a section of track with an already-existing high volume, is an additional reason to construct a new line.

If the operational problems are great enough, even a modest savings in distance between two endpoints may justify building a new line if other efficiencies can be gained.

For instance, significant improvement in grades and/or curvature may justify the construction of a new route.

An example of this would be the Trenton Cutoff, which saved significant travel time by bypassing the city of Philadelphia.

[3] Cutoffs are not necessarily built with the intent of tapping new markets, but that does not preclude the railroad from seeking new business on the new route.