Ornamental Horticulture

Railway lines

It will be a hard task to landscape the vast stretches of railway lines compared to landscaping the platforms, especially in the drier tracts of the country. Fortunately, in India we have got beautiful flowering trees such as Butea monosperma, Cassia fistula, Erythropsis colorata, etc., which can withstand considerable drought conditions.

The landscaping of railway lines poses some problems, the basic being watering. This can be partly overcome by planting drought resistant trees during the rains. In landscaping railway lines more emphasis can be placed on planting trees of economic importance, apart from ornamental plants. Other points which should be considered are that plants should be deep-rooted and non-spreading. A shallow-rooted plant will be easily uprooted by a storm and may cause obstruction on the track, whereas a spreading plant has to be trimmed now and again, to keep the track free. The trees are to be planted at a specified distance from the tracts as per railway regulations.

The innumerable railway level-crossings are the places, which can be landscaped with much ease than the railway lines, as the gate-man will be there to look after the plants. The beauty of such landscapes will not only be enjoyed by the railway passengers but also by the people who pass by the road or wait for the train to pass.