abstract:A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] 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.
Usually one route is more direct than the other, and if a mining company has sidings and a branch line linked to one railroad it cannot quickly and easily switch to another.
But the connection from Hoboken down to the World Trade Center tunnels is still severed, as the railroad awaits delivery of a replacement track switch.