Ace the 2026 DART Rail Definitions Exam – Get on Track to Success!

Signal clearance is the authorization for a train to proceed into the next block or past a signal, after the route ahead has been prepared and all safety checks are complete. It represents that traffic routing and interlocking have verified the path is safe, with the route set, signals aligned, and any points properly locked, ensuring no conflicting movements. Only when these conditions are satisfied is clearance granted, allowing the train to enter the block or pass the signal.

This description matches the idea of a go-ahead that depends on a fully prepared and verified route. It is not permission to bypass a signal, not a signal that tells a train to stop, and not a maintenance instruction, all of which would indicate different, unsafe or unrelated actions.