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In rail transport, a train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles (multiple units).

As of 2018^[update], there are approximately 1,052,000 kilometres (654,000 mi) of railway track in use worldwide. (World Bank (via Archive.org))

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Selected article of the week

The Ekeberg Line (Norwegian: Ekebergbanen) is a 6.6-kilometer (4.1 mi) long light rail line of the Oslo Tramway which runs from Gamlebyen to Ljabru in Oslo, Norway. Operated by lines 18 and 19, it serves the area of Nordstarand and the neighborhoods of Ekeberg, Jomfrubråten, Bekkelaget and Ljan. The line is operated by Oslo Sporvognsdrift using SL79 and SL95 trams on contract with Ruter. The line itself is owned by Kollektivtransportproduksjon. At Oslo Hospital, the line connects to the Gamleby Line, which runs to the city center. Proposals for a line in the area were first launched 1897, but not until 1914 were the necessary permits granted. The line was built and operated by Ekebergbanen. The line opened in 1917, and connected to the Gamleby Line to reach Stortorvet in the city center. The line differed from the street trams in that it ran in its own right of way and used 1,200 volt supply, unlike the 600 volts used in the streets. In the early 1930s, the line was rebuilt to double track and a branch, the Simensbråten Line, was built. The Ekeberg Line was extended to its current terminus in 1941. In 1948, the company was taken over by the municipal Oslo Sporveier and operations were integrated in 1965. The line was nearly closed in 1967 and 1973, but during the 1970s, the line received new rolling stock and a renovation. Future plans include an extension to Hauketo Station on the Østfold Line and a new route via Bjørvika to the city center.

Recently selected: Bramhope Tunnel - Iore - Kingsland (NJT station)

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Gautrain inside the Midrand depot, in December 2009

A Gautrain Electrostar set undergoes maintenance inside the Midrand depot. The Gautrain service is operated in Gauteng Province, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, and OR Tambo International Airport, opening to the public on 8 June 2010, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Recently selected: German track workers - Sant Celoni station - B&O's Baltimore Belt Line

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Did you know...

...that the opening ceremonies of the Galway to Clifden railway were very sparsely attended because the event date was a strict church holiday and was reserved for attending church services?
...that following heavy damage to the Galveston Island Trolley track and cars from Hurricane Ike in 2008, substitute service with replica buses was operated until service resumed in October 2021?
...that although the former Santa Fe Railway's Galesburg station was demolished after regular passenger service to the station ended in 1996, the site is still used if derailments cause trains to use the Chillicothe Subdivision instead of the Mendota Subdivision?
...that the Fuzhou–Xiamen railway, which opened in 2010, was so heavily used that it reached capacity in 2015, spurring construction on the parallel Fuzhou–Xiamen high-speed railway for CRH passenger train services?

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Selected anniversaries

October 31

1965 – Canadian National Railway inaugurates Rapido passenger train service between Montreal and Toronto.
1987 – Montana Rail Link (pictured) begins operations on 907 miles (1,460 km) of former Burlington Northern Railroad (originally Northern Pacific Railroad) tracks.
2001 – A broken rail on the SNCF in France derails a TGV train traveling at 130 km/h (80.8 mph), but only six minor injuries result.
2002 – BC Rail operates the last run of the Cariboo Prospector passenger train between Prince George and North Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Train News

Santa Fe No. 2926 at Albuquerque, New Mexico
July 24, 2021 – Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe No. 2926, a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944, moves under its own power for the first time since Christmas Eve of 1953, after nearly twenty-two years of being rebuilt by volunteers. The locomotive will be put into mainline excursion service. (NMSL&RHS, Trains Magazine on Facebook)
Big Boy No. 4012 at Steamtown National Historic Site
May 5, 2021 – Steamtown National Historic Site completes thorough cosmetic overhaul on Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4012, which is moved back on static display before National Train Day. (NEPA Scene)
The derailed Taroko Express trainset, as seen from outside the entrance to the tunnel
April 2, 2021 – 2021 Hualien train derailment – A Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derails at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least 200 others. North of Hualien City a construction truck had fallen down a slope onto the tracks. The eight-carriage train derailed after colliding with the truck, and then came to a rest in the tunnel, with severe damage and many casualties. (Bloomberg, CNN, CNA, New York Times, Financial Times)

The preserved C&O 1309 at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum in October 2009

December 31, 2020 – Following a complete restoration, Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, a 2-6-6-2 Mallet locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949, the last steam locomotive built by Baldwin for the North American market, is operated under its own power for test runs. When returned to service on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. (Trains.com Newswire)

An Avelia Liberty train on a test run in Delaware in May 2020

September 28, 2020 – Amtrak operates a test run using one of the 28 new Avelia Liberty trains manufactured by Alstom along the full length of the Northeast Corridor to Boston South Station. Previous test runs had occurred from Washington, D.C., only as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Barring any problems, the trains are expected to enter regular service on the route in 2021. (Universal Hub)

Berryessa/North San José station on the first day of service

June 13, 2020 – The Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley BART extension opened its stations in Milpitas and North San Jose. (San Jose Spotlight, SF Gate)

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General images

The following are images from various train-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Yard for Amtrak equipment, located next to the Los Angeles River. The two tracks on the left are the mainline. (from Rail yard)
Image 2Soviet RT-23 Molodets ICBM launch train, in the St Petersburg museum (from Railroad car)
Image 3The 1887 Daimler draisine (from Locomotive)
Image 4This cab car includes a horn (top), a bell (top right), headlights (above the door), classification lights (red lights on side), and ditch lights (white lights on side). (from Train)
Image 5A wooden toy train set from Swedish manufacturer Brio (from Train)
Image 6An interior of a Circle line S7 Stock in London (from Railroad car)
Image 7The ESS 3200 electric locomotive was introduced in 1925 in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. (from Locomotive)
Image 8Southern Railway (UK) 20002 was equipped with both a pantograph and contact shoes. (from Locomotive)
Image 9The EMD FT set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over from steam. (from Train)
Image 10Workington stabling point in 1981, with locomotives from Classes 25, 40 and 47 parked between duties. (from Rail yard)
Image 11The Japanese 0 Series Shinkansen pioneered high speed rail service (from Train)
Image 12Typical American extended vision caboose (from Railroad car)
Image 13Bombardier ALP-45DP, at the Innotrans convention in Berlin (from Locomotive)
Image 14Electric train on Djursholmsbanan in Stockholm in the 1890s. (from Train)
Image 15Second-class compartment of a China Railways CRH1A-A train (from Train)
Image 16Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, by Claude Monet, 1877, Art Institute of Chicago (from Train)
Image 17The New Orleans Streetcar System is the oldest in the world. (from Train)
Image 18A Union Pacific freight train; high clearances enable double-stacked containers to be carried in well cars. (from Train)
Image 19Restored clerestory cars on display at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin (from Railroad car)
Image 20A Victorian Railways R class steam locomotive in Australia (from Locomotive)
Image 21A number of maintenance vehicles at work on Metro-North Railroad (from Train)
Image 22RegioCitadis light rail train in Zoetermeer (the Netherlands). (from Train)
Image 23A British Rail Class 150 in the United Kingdom (from Railroad car)
Image 24A Tokyo Monorail train (from Train)
Image 25A prototype of a Ganz AC electric locomotive in Valtellina, Italy, 1901 (from Locomotive)
Image 26The Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives represented the pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power. (from Train)
Image 27Baltimore & Ohio electric engine, 1895 (from Locomotive)
Image 28Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons. (from Train)
Image 29A coach yard in Shanghai, China (from Rail yard)
Image 30China operates an extensive high speed rail network. (from Train)
Image 31British Rail Mark 3 coach, an all-steel car from the 1970s (from Railroad car)
Image 32The "hump" of a hump yard. Railcars travel past retarders, which control their speed, and are directed onto tracks to be assembled into new trains. The control tower operates the retarders. (from Rail yard)
Image 33A China Railways HXD1D electric locomotive in China (from Locomotive)
Image 34A gas turbine locomotive operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (from Train)
Image 35US-style railroad truck (bogie) with journal bearings (from Train)
Image 36A freight car (boxcar type) for the South Australian Railways, 1926 (from Railroad car)
Image 37A London Underground battery–electric locomotive used for hauling engineers' trains, at West Ham station (from Locomotive)
Image 38A preserved armored train (from Train)
Image 39Armored train Hurban located in Zvolen, Slovakia (from Railroad car)
Image 40A narrow gauge train in Austria (from Train)
Image 41A large Amtrak and Metra coach yard just south of Chicago Union Station. About 25 percent of all rail traffic in the United States travels through the Chicago area. (from Rail yard)
Image 42Schedule of train departure times in Indonesia stations (from Train)
Image 43A Metropolitan line S8 Stock at Amersham in London (from Railroad car)
Image 44A narrow-gauge battery–electric locomotive used for mining (from Locomotive)
Image 45This map of Cedar Hill Yard in Connecticut shows a variety of different facilities, including receiving yards, departure yards, classification yards, and a repair yard. (from Rail yard)
Image 46Garratt locomotives in Zimbabwe (from Train)
Image 47Werner von Siemens experimental DC electric train, 1879 (from Locomotive)
Image 48Inside a modern-day car from Finland (from Railroad car)
Image 49Most derailments, such as this one in Switzerland, are minor and do not cause injuries or damage. (from Train)
Image 50The first useful diesel locomotive (a diesel–electric) for long distances, the SŽD Eel2, 1924 in Kyiv (from Locomotive)
Image 51Various types of railroad cars in a classification yard in the United States (from Train)
Image 52Trains carrying hazardous materials display information identifying their cargo and hazards. This tank car carrying chlorine displays, among other markings, a U.S. DOT placard showing a UN number that identifies the hazardous substance. (from Train)