railway

[ reyl-wey ]

noun

1. a rail line with lighter-weight equipment and roadbed than a main-line railroad.
2. a railroad, especially one operating over relatively short distances.
3. Also called trackway. any line or lines of rails rail forming a road of flanged-wheel equipment.
4. Chiefly British. railroad.

railway

/ ˈreɪlˌweɪ /

noun

1. a permanent track composed of a line of parallel metal rails fixed to sleepers, for transport of passengers and goods in trains
2. any track on which the wheels of a vehicle may run

   a cable railway

3. the entire equipment, rolling stock, buildings, property, and system of tracks used in such a transport system
4. the organization responsible for operating a railway network
5. modifier of, relating to, or used on a railway or railways

   a railway strike

   a railway engine

Other Words From

• railwayed adjective
• railwayless adjective
• inter·railway adjective
• pre·railway adjective
• un·railwayed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of railway¹

First recorded in 1770–80; rail ¹ + way ¹

Example Sentences

US policymakers have earmarked 7% of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill making its way through the Senate for greater broadband access, nearly as much as it’s investing in the nation’s railways.

From Quartz

Today the water is still bottled in town, but the old railway that delivered travelers into town has been converted into a 20-mile-long rail trail that’s perfect for running.

From Outside Online

We laid railway tracks and paved roadways that spanned continents.

From Time

Texas Central Railway, a private railway company, is in talks to build a high-speed line connecting Dallas and Houston.

From Time

According to a plan issued by the State Council in February 2021, China will be home to 200,000 kilometers of railways by 2035.

From MIT Technology Review

All in all, approximately 13,000 Allied POWs and 90,000 Asian laborers perished while working on the railway.

From The Daily Beast

Manttan is keen to carry out research on that Burmese side of the railway as his father worked on that section.

From The Daily Beast

A dam now in place on the Thai side of the line prevents the railway from being reconstructed in its entirety, he explains.

From The Daily Beast

They recorded 10,549 graves on or near the railway in 144 cemeteries, failing to locate only 52 graves.

From The Daily Beast

Two years later, Death Metal Angola is readying for its premiere, and the railway film remains unfinished.

From The Daily Beast

On his arrival at the local railway station he was met by his lordship in person.

From Project Gutenberg

Be that as it may, the Railway Clearing House, as a practical entity, came into being in 1842.

From Project Gutenberg

Four-wheeled railway carriages are, I was going to say, a thing of the past; but that is not so.

From Project Gutenberg

From pre-natal days I was destined for the railway service, as an oyster to its shell.

From Project Gutenberg

Eighteen hundred and fifty-one was a period of anxiety to the Midland and to railway companies generally.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• line
• rail line
• track