transcontinental railroad

Cultural  

1. A train route across the United States, finished in 1869. It was the project of two railroad companies: the Union Pacific built from the east, and the Central Pacific built from the west. The two lines met in Utah. The Central Pacific laborers were predominantly Chinese, and the Union Pacific laborers predominantly Irish. Both groups often worked under harsh conditions.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transcontinental railroad

In July, Union Pacific agreed to buy Norfolk Southern for $72 billion, in a bid to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025

The blockbuster railroad combination, the largest deal so far this year, would create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad operator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2025

“Harry Young” made his way to Woodland, which had developed a busy Chinatown populated by immigrants who had come to work on the transcontinental railroad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024

In the mid-1800s, it was Chinese workers who built the western leg of the transcontinental railroad across the Sierra Nevada.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2024

The first great transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific, was in active process of building between California and Omaha.

From The Columbia River Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce by William Denison Lyman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---