Dash Rail

The Dash Rail is a reoccurring gimmick that first appeared in Sonic Heroes. It is a variant of the Dash Panel which grants the user a boost of speed on Grind Rails.

Description
The Dash Rail is a variant of the Dash Panel which can only be found on Grind Rails. Like the Dash Panels, the Dash Rails' primary function is to send the playable character forward with a burst of speed when they are Grinding, usually to provide the momentum to move down Grind Rails. As soon as the playable character touches a Dash Rail by grinding into them, they will automatically initiate a sliding dash away from the Dash Rail at the playable character's maximum grinding speed. However, Dash Rails can only launch the playable characters forward in one direction.

In terms of appearance, the Dash Rails have had two primary designs. The first closely mimics the Dash Panels' "Booster" design, resembling two lines of two-three rolling engines on each side of the rail that moves continuously. The other design that is used in the modern video games looks like a pair of three red and cyan connected lenses, hovering on each side of the rail.

Sonic Heroes
Debuting in Sonic Heroes, the Dash Rail was in this game given its "Booster" design with three engines per row. It can be used by all the playable characters in the game and when used, the user's aura will appear ahead of them.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, the Dash Rails was given its first modern design. In this game, they only appear in the daytime stages. It can also be used with the Sonic Boost to increase the grinding speed further, but the player has to wait to use it after being launched by the Dash Rail (if the player is not already using when entering the Dash Rail).

Sonic Colors
In Sonic Colors, the Dash Rail retains its design from Sonic Unleashed. Its mechanics are also the same as in said previous game.

Sonic Generations
In Sonic Generations, the Dash Rails are only available to Modern Sonic, meaning that they only appear in Act 2 of the Stages. In this game, they retain their modern design.

Sonic Lost World
In Sonic Lost World, the Dash Rails were given a change in design to accommodate the classic feeling of the game. As such, they were given their original "Booster" design, albeit with only two engines per row.