The difference between Railroad and Railway

When used as nouns, railroad means a permanent road consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on, whereas railway means a transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.


Railroad is also verb with the meaning: to transport via railroad.

check bellow for the other definitions of Railroad and Railway

  1. Railroad as a noun (chiefly, US):

    A permanent road consisting of fixed metal rails to drive trains or similar motorized vehicles on.

    Examples:

    "Many railroads roughly follow the trace of older land - and/or water roads"

  2. Railroad as a noun (chiefly, US):

    The transportation system comprising such roads and vehicles fitted to travel on the rails, usually with several vehicles connected together in a train.

  3. Railroad as a noun (chiefly, US):

    A single, privately or publicly owned property comprising one or more such roads and usually associated assets

    Examples:

    "Railroads can only compete fully if their tracks are technically compatible with and linked to each-other"

  4. Railroad as a noun (figuratively):

    A procedure conducted in haste without due consideration.

    Examples:

    "The lawyers made the procedure a railroad to get the signatures they needed."

  1. Railroad as a verb (transitive):

    To transport via railroad.

  2. Railroad as a verb (intransitive):

    To operate a railroad.

    Examples:

    "The Thatcherite experiment proved the private sector can railroad as inefficiently as a state monopoly"

  3. Railroad as a verb (intransitive):

    To work for a railroad.

  4. Railroad as a verb (intransitive):

    To travel by railroad.

  5. Railroad as a verb (intransitive):

    To engage in a hobby pertaining to railroads.

  6. Railroad as a verb (transitive):

    To manipulate and hasten a procedure, as of formal approval of a law or resolution.

    Examples:

    "The majority railroaded the bill through parliament, without the customary expert studies which would delay it till after the elections."

  7. Railroad as a verb (transitive):

    To convict of a crime by circumventing due process.

    Examples:

    "They could only convict him by railroading him on suspect drug-possession charges."

  8. Railroad as a verb (transitive):

    To procedurally bully someone into an unfair agreement.

    Examples:

    "He was railroaded into signing a non-disclosure agreement at his exit interview."

  9. Railroad as a verb (role-playing games):

    To force characters to complete a task before allowing the plot to continue.

  10. Railroad as a verb (upholstery):

    To run fabric horizontally instead of the usual vertically.

  1. Railway as a noun (chiefly, UK, Ireland, and, Commonwealth):

    A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.

  2. Railway as a noun (chiefly, UK, Ireland, and, Commonwealth):

    A track, consisting of parallel rails, over which wheeled vehicles such as trains may travel.

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