Usage of the terms railroad and railway
Encyclopedia
The terms railroad and railway generally describe the same thing, a guided means of land transport
, designed to be used by trains, for transporting passengers and freight. Etymologically
both words derive from Old English
; a road being something one rides along and way deriving from a Germanic
base meaning move, journey, carry. Both words were first recorded in use at Broseley
in Shropshire
.
line. There are, however, quite a number of exceptions. In fact, many companies change from one term to the other when they re-incorporate, possibly to distinguish between the old and new companies (example: Seaboard Air Line Railroad
).
or electric locomotive
s hauling passenger or freight cars, and self-propelled passenger multiple units
.
The alternative form of rail road as two words primarily reflects early practice, but several roads retain this form, notably the Long Island Rail Road
, the oldest railroad in the U.S. still operating under its original name.
Though the use of railroad is prime in U.S. practice as described above, there are notable exceptions. Earlier railroads that were British
influenced in management, engineering and/or construction had a greater tendency to use the term railway, as in Chicago and North Western Railway
(C&NW), which also using the British practice of left-hand running (although that was not inspired by British operations). Railroad companies in bankruptcy
sometimes retained their name in reorganization but changed railroad to railway or vice versa; e.g., Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad changed to Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway. Some U.S. railroads are "railways" for no obvious reason, such as Vermont Railway
and Kansas City Southern Railway
. The BNSF Railway
was apparently named in part after one of its predecessors the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
. The Norfolk Southern Railway
is also named in part after one of its predecessors, the Southern Railway.
, San Francisco Municipal Railway
, Municipal Railway Company (New York)
, Boston Street Railway Company and Chicago Railways. Here, too, there are exceptions. The first street railway company in Brooklyn
, New York City to operate an electric trolley line was the Coney Island & Brooklyn Railroad
.
the term railroad, also spelled rail road or rail-road, was often used in the early days of the railways, but by about the 1850s railway had become the preferred term, with railroad becoming disused. The use of railway then spread to the British Empire
, where it became the preferred term throughout the British Commonwealth.
In Canada
the word railroad is used interchangeably with railway - for instance, Canadian Railroad Trilogy
by Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot
describes the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway
. Despite that, the term railway is almost invariably used in the official names of Canadian railways (e.g. Canadian National Railway
and Canadian Pacific Railway
).
In Australia
, although railway is the commonly used term, both railway and railroad are used in the names of railways - for instance Great Southern Railway
as compared to the Australian Railroad Group
(possibly deriving its name due to US ownership/investment). However, many names have been shortened to use only the root word rail - as in the case of Queensland Rail
, which used to be Queensland Railways.
In Hong Kong
, a former British territory
that still uses English
as an official language
nowadays, the word railroad is almost never used. Meanwhile, the word railway is very commonly used, as in the Mass Transit Railway
and the Kowloon-Canton Railway
. The word railway is often shortened into rail, as in the East Rail and the West Rail.
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
, designed to be used by trains, for transporting passengers and freight. Etymologically
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
both words derive from Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
; a road being something one rides along and way deriving from a Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
base meaning move, journey, carry. Both words were first recorded in use at Broseley
Broseley
Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 . The River Severn flows to the north and east of the town. Broseley has a town council and is part of the area controlled by Shropshire Council. The first iron bridge in the world was built in 1779 to link Broseley with...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
U.S. practice
Historically, in the United States of America the term railroad, especially when used in a company name, implies a conventional rail system and railway implies a street railway (tramway), also known as a streetcar or light railLight rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
line. There are, however, quite a number of exceptions. In fact, many companies change from one term to the other when they re-incorporate, possibly to distinguish between the old and new companies (example: Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
).
Railroad
The term railroad is used almost exclusively in the U.S. to describe conventional rail transport systems that are part of the national rail network, which until the mid-20th century were often described as steam railroads. These systems now operate dieselDiesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
or electric locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s hauling passenger or freight cars, and self-propelled passenger multiple units
Multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
.
The alternative form of rail road as two words primarily reflects early practice, but several roads retain this form, notably the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, the oldest railroad in the U.S. still operating under its original name.
Though the use of railroad is prime in U.S. practice as described above, there are notable exceptions. Earlier railroads that were British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
influenced in management, engineering and/or construction had a greater tendency to use the term railway, as in Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
(C&NW), which also using the British practice of left-hand running (although that was not inspired by British operations). Railroad companies in bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
sometimes retained their name in reorganization but changed railroad to railway or vice versa; e.g., Staten Island Rapid Transit Railroad changed to Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway. Some U.S. railroads are "railways" for no obvious reason, such as Vermont Railway
Vermont Railway
The Vermont Railway is a shortline railroad in Vermont and eastern New York, operating much of the former Rutland Railway. It is the main part of the Vermont Rail System, which also owns the Green Mountain Railroad, the Rutland's branch to Bellows Falls...
and Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
. The BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
was apparently named in part after one of its predecessors the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
. The Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
is also named in part after one of its predecessors, the Southern Railway.
Railway
Urban and interurban electric railways in the U.S. using single cars or short trains have more commonly used the term railway in their names than regular railroads. Examples include the Pacific Electric RailwayPacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
, San Francisco Municipal Railway
San Francisco Municipal Railway
The San Francisco Municipal Railway is the public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco, California. In 2006, it served with an operating budget of about $700 million...
, Municipal Railway Company (New York)
Brooklyn Rapid Transit
The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company was a public transit holding company formed in 1896 to acquire and consolidate lines in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It was a prominent corporation and industry leader using the single-letter symbol B on the New York Stock Exchange...
, Boston Street Railway Company and Chicago Railways. Here, too, there are exceptions. The first street railway company in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City to operate an electric trolley line was the Coney Island & Brooklyn Railroad
Coney Island & Brooklyn Railroad
The Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad was originally a horsecar line in Kings County, New York ....
.
Other English-speaking countries
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the term railroad, also spelled rail road or rail-road, was often used in the early days of the railways, but by about the 1850s railway had become the preferred term, with railroad becoming disused. The use of railway then spread to the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, where it became the preferred term throughout the British Commonwealth.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
the word railroad is used interchangeably with railway - for instance, Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
The "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" is a song by Gordon Lightfoot that describes the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.This song was commissioned by the CBC for a special broadcast on January 1, 1967, to start Canada's Centennial year. It appeared on Lightfoot's The Way I Feel album later in the...
by Canadian songwriter Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
describes the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. Despite that, the term railway is almost invariably used in the official names of Canadian railways (e.g. Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
and Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
).
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, although railway is the commonly used term, both railway and railroad are used in the names of railways - for instance Great Southern Railway
Great Southern Railway (Australia)
Great Southern Railway , owned by Serco Asia Pacific, is a tourism business and rail transport operator in Australia.GSR operates interstate passenger trains aimed at the tourist market:* The Indian Pacific...
as compared to the Australian Railroad Group
Australian Railroad Group
Australian Railroad Group was one of Australia's largest private rail operators, operating across almost 10,000 kilometres of track and began operating in Western Australia on 17 December 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. It was acquired by QR National...
(possibly deriving its name due to US ownership/investment). However, many names have been shortened to use only the root word rail - as in the case of Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
, which used to be Queensland Railways.
In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, a former British territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
that still uses English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as an official language
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
nowadays, the word railroad is almost never used. Meanwhile, the word railway is very commonly used, as in the Mass Transit Railway
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
and the Kowloon-Canton Railway
Kowloon-Canton Railway
The Kowloon–Canton Railway refers to a railway network in Hong Kong which is now combined with the MTR railway system, comprising rapid transit services, a light rail system and feeder bus routes within Hong Kong, and intercity passenger and freight train services to the rest of China...
. The word railway is often shortened into rail, as in the East Rail and the West Rail.