railway

The word “railway” means a transport system that runs trains on fixed tracks (British English). In plain terms, the British word for what Americans call a railroad.

“Railway” is pronounced RAYL-way (/ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “railway” used in a sentence: “They took the railway from London to Edinburgh.”

Words with a similar meaning to “railway” include rwy and Ry.

“Railway” is a noun.

“Railway” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

They mean the same thing, a track-based system for running trains. Railway is the standard term in British English and much of the Commonwealth, while railroad is normal in American English. The underlying technology is identical; only the regional preference differs. Britons ride the railway; Americans ride the railroad.

A railway combines several key elements: the track, made of steel rails fixed to sleepers on a bed of ballast; the trains themselves, including locomotives and carriages; stations where passengers board; and signalling systems that keep trains safely apart. Together these form the network that moves people and freight.

An underground, metro, or subway is a type of railway, usually running in and beneath cities on its own dedicated tracks. The word railway is broader, covering long-distance and mainline networks between towns as well. So every metro is a railway, but not every railway is a metro.