railway

American  

[rayl-way] / ˈreɪlˌweɪ /

noun

• railways
  plural

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 forming a road of flanged-wheel equipment.

4. Chiefly British. railroad.

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railway British  

/ 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 engine

   a railway strike

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interrailway
  adjective
• prerailway
  adjective
• railwayed
  adjective
• railwayless
  adjective
• unrailwayed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• railways
  plural

Etymology

Origin of railway

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

railway railways

But he says "more than 30 years worth of behaviors" will need altering to make the railway run solely in the interests of the customer.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

It began in 1888 with his effort to unite separate railway craft unions behind demands for wage concessions from the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Co.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

In Chile in 2024, several hundred demonstrators burned tires and blocked coastal highways and railway tracks to protest the early closure of the fishing season, a move partly driven by overfishing tied to fishmeal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

But for now that transformation is complicated by red tape and the high costs of upgrading railway infrastructure.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

At the far side, an attendant hauled open a heavy double door to let them through, onto the platform of a railway.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

"We used to say that that during times of war we performed better than some railways in Europe in regular times,"the head of rail operator Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, told us.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Find insight on International Consolidated Airlines Group, Canadian railways, FirstGroup and more in the latest Market Talks covering the Auto and Transport sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Airports remain closed or severely disrupted across much of North America, while railways, freight depots and farms struggle to operate.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Trucks alone dominate the movement of goods in the U.S., but the railways play a major role in moving coal, lumber, ore and other bulk cargo over very long-haul routes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

“It’s about labor. The good things that were achieved—the railways, for example—but also how labor was exploited and the lengths the colonial enterprise went to.”

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• line
• rail line
• track