From the macro perspective, there has been for over 150 years, the classic railway
location problem where a route between two points must be constructed. One option
is to construct a shorter route with steep grades. The second option is to build a longer
route with greater curvature along gentle sloping topography. The challenge is for the
designer to choose the better route based upon overall construction, operational and
maintenance criteria. Such an example is shown below.
Figure 6