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📞 Main phone connection 🚆 Main railway route
trunk line

trunk line

5.1
A main train route that connects important towns and cities
  • noun
  • /trʌŋk laɪn/
translation icon : línea principal
  • During peak hours, the trunk line experiences a high volume of passengers traveling to the city.

Examples

  • The trunk line serves as the backbone of the transportation network, linking major ports and industrial centers.

  • The new rail system will improve travel times along the main trunk line connecting the two largest cities in the region.

  • Gervais, laid out in Marion County in 1870 by Sam and Eliza Brown on the main trunk line of the Oregon and California Railroad southward up the Willamette Valley from Portland, represents the prototype.

    Academic text (2006)

Synonyms

mainline
vstrunk line
16 4.2

A main route like a train line or a large water pipe

is specific to rail transport connecting important destinations rather than general use
rail line
vstrunk line
16 2.8

Tracks and the ground they sit on that form a route for trains

emphasizes being the main connecting route between major destinations not structure
main line
vstrunk line
7 3.2

The most important railway route used by trains

focuses on linking major places rather than on being the busiest route
railway line
vstrunk line
  • UK
3 2.1

A set of tracks that trains use to travel between places

focuses on being the primary connection between important places not on the tracks
transit line
vstrunk line
  • US
2 3.2

A route where buses or trains run regularly

is specific to main rail connections between important destinations not to general public routes
trunk route
vstrunk line
  • UK
5.7

Main railway line that carries most trains between big cities

serves as the central connection without stressing traffic volume

Antonyms

branch line
1 3.9

A railway line that leaves a main line to serve a small area

How Important

main line
7 3.2
trunk line
5.1
branch line
1 3.9
feeder line
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Surface Forms

trunk line singular
trunk lines plural

Morphology

trunk + line

The components 'trunk' (main/central) and 'line' (a channel or connection) combine to yield a general idea of a main communication line, so a B1 learner who knows both words can likely infer the broad sense. However, the specific telephony function (a line that connects exchanges and carries multiple calls) is somewhat technical and not fully predictable from everyday senses, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Trunk line comes from the image of a tree: the thick trunk is the main part and the smaller branches are the side routes. So a trunk line is a 'main' railway route that carries most traffic between important places.