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railway

26 1.0

A company that runs trains to carry people or goods

noun
/ˈreɪlweɪ/

: empresa ferroviaria

In the United States, railway corporations contributed to the development of many cities along their lines.
railway workers
railway station
railway company

DMTR is regarded as one of the world's leading railway operators.

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Examples

She bought her ticket at the railway station before boarding the train.
DMTR is regarded as one of the world's leading railway operators.

Harvard University
You will turn up, I'm going to the railway station.

Contraband (1940)
I'm working as a clerk at the railway office.

Bel Ami (2012)
In return for each man supplied to the railways, the company also earned a bonus.

Academic text (1991)
We're going to legislate to make sure we keep our railways open.
The railway provides reliable service for passengers traveling across the country.
The government invested in upgrading the railway to improve freight transportation.

Synonyms

railroad

vsrailway

303 1.0

A system of tracks and trains that carries people or goods

is limited to the company or organization that runs trains

railroad line

vsrailway

2 2.7

A company that runs trains to carry people or goods

is the general term for a company that operates trains

railway system

vsrailway

1 2.7

A company that runs trains to carry people or goods on tracks

focuses on the company aspect rather than the network structure

Amtrak

vsrailway

3.6

A company that runs trains that carry people between cities in the United States

is a general company term covering both passenger and freight trains

Compounds

railway station

7 1.3

A place where trains stop to pick up and drop off people and goods

railway line

3 2.1

A set of tracks that trains use to travel between places

railway system

1 2.7

A company that runs trains to carry people or goods on tracks

railway car

1 2.3

A vehicle that runs on tracks and carries people or goods

railway yard

1 3.8

A place with many train tracks where train engines and cars are kept and fixed

railway junction

1 3.5

A place where two or more train tracks join

cable railway

5.8

A steep railway in which a moving cable pulls the cars up and down a mountain

cog railway

Specialized

6.6

A railway for steep hills where a gear on the train fits into a toothed rail to prevent slipping

elevated railway

3.6

A train line that runs on tracks raised above the street, often in cities

funicular railway

Specialized

7.5

A steep railway with two cars joined by a cable that balance each other

rack railway

Specialized

8.1

A railway for steep hills where a gear on the train fits a central toothed rail to climb safely

railway man

3.0

A man who works for a company that runs trains

railway woman

Archaic

3.1

A woman who works on trains or at stations

railway locomotive

4.4

A large machine on wheels that pulls a train on tracks

overhead railway

4.1

A train line that runs on tracks high above the street

scenic railway

4.1

A small train ride in an amusement park that shows pleasant views

Underground Railway

6.4

A secret U.S. network that helped enslaved people escape to free states or Canada before the Civil War

How Extensive

railway

26 1.0

rail

220 1.8

tramline

1 3.7

track

∞ 2.2

branch line

1 3.9

Surface Forms

railway singular

railways plural

Morphology

railway = rail + way (transparent) = rail + way

The meaning (company operating trains) is a straightforward metonymic extension of the compound 'rail' + 'way' and is easily inferable from the parts.

Etymology

Railway is built from two simple words: rail, a 'metal bar' that guides a train's wheels, and way, meaning a 'path'. At first it named the track itself, but companies that run the trains began to use the same name, so railway can also mean the company that operates trains.