Outline of rail transport

Rail transport – means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks consisting of steel rails installed on sleepers/ties and ballast.

What type of thing is rail transport?

Rail transport can be described as all of the following:

• Technology – making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures.
  • Applied technology
    • Transport – movement of humans, animals and goods from one location to another.
      • Rapid transit

Essence of rail transport

• Railway systems engineering
  • Environmental design in rail transportation
• Rail transport operations
• List of railway industry occupations
• Passenger train
• Rail freight transport

Types of railway/railroad

• Fell mountain railway system
• Heavy rail
• Inter-city rail
• High-speed rail
• Higher-speed rail
• Heritage railway
• Monorail
• Mountain railway
• Plateway
• Rack railway
• Tourist railroad
• Wagonway
• Industrial railway

Urban rail transport, general types

• Urban rail transit – overview
• Rapid transit
• Elevated railway
• Cable railway
  • Funicular (or inclined railway)
• Regional rail
• Commuter rail
• Interurban
• Light rail
  • Very light rail/Ultra light rail
• Medium-capacity rail system/light rapid transit/light metro/premetro
• People mover
• Tramway (or streetcar)

History of rail transport

History of rail transport

• Chronological list: Lists of rail transport events by year
• Lists of rail accidents
  • List of rail accidents (2000–present)
• Railroad chronometer
• Railway Mail Service (USA)
  • Railway post office
• Railway Mania (UK)
• Railway Express Agency (USA)

Vehicles

• Car float
• Road-rail vehicle
  • Rail car mover
• Railgrinder
• Train ferry

Trains

• Train
  • Parts
    • Bogie
    • Wheelset
  • Rolling stock
    • Railroad car
    • Railbus
    • Railcar
• Tram
• Tram-train

Locomotives

• Locomotive
  • Steam locomotive
  • Diesel locomotive
  • Electric locomotive

Railway infrastructure

• Railway platform

Permanent way

• Axe ties
• Baulk road
• Breather switch
• Cant
• Clip and scotch
• Datenail
• Fishplate
• Ladder track
• Minimum radius
• Permanent way (current)
• Permanent way (history)
• Rail fastening system
• Rail profile
• Railroad tie (sleeper)
• Track ballast
• Track transition curve

Trackwork and track structures

• Balloon loop
• Classification yard
• Gauntlet track
• Junction
• Overhead lines
• Passing loop
• Rail track
• Rail yard
• Railroad switch
• Railway electrification system
• Railway turntable
• Siding
• Track gauge
• Track pan
• Tramway track
• Water crane
• Wye

Railway track layouts

Running lines

Track (Running lines)

• Single track
• Passing loop
• Double track
• Quadruple track
• Crossover

Rail sidings

Rail sidings

• Balloon loop
• Headshunt
• Rail yard
• Classification yard

Rail junctions

Rail junctions

• Flying junction
• Level junction
• Double junction
• Facing and trailing
• Grand union
• Wye
• Switch / turnout / points
• Swingnose crossing
• Level crossing

Railway station track layouts

Railway station

• Side platform
• Island platform
• Bay platform
• Split platform
• Terminal station
• Balloon loop
• Spanish solution
• Cross-platform interchange
• Interchange station

Hillclimbing

Hillclimbing

• Horseshoe curve
• Zig Zag / Switchback
• Spiral

Signalling and safety

• Block post
• Buffer stop
• Catch points
• Integrated Electronic Control Centre
• Interlocking
• Level crossing
• Loading gauge
• Railway signal
• Railway signalling
• Signalling control
• Structure gauge

Buildings

• Coaling tower
• Goods shed
• Motive power depot
• Roundhouse
• Station building
• Train shed
• Train station

Rail transport by region

• Rail transport by country
  • Rail transport in Argentina
  • Rail transport in Australia
  • Rail transport in Belgium
  • Rail transport in Brazil
  • Rail transport in Canada
  • Rail transport in China
  • Rail transport in France
  • Rail transport in Germany
  • Rail transport in Hong Kong
  • Rail transport in India
  • Rail transport in Italy
  • Rail transport in Japan
  • Rail transport in Kazakhstan
  • Rail transport in Mexico
  • Rail transport in Namibia
  • Rail transport in the Netherlands
  • Rail transport in New Zealand
  • Rail transport in Poland
  • Rail transport in Russia
  • Rail transport in South Africa
  • Rail transport in South Korea
  • Rail transport in Spain
  • Rail transport in Taiwan
  • Rail transport in Ukraine
  • Rail transport in the United Kingdom
  • Rail transportation in the United States
• List of countries by rail transport network size
• List of countries by rail usage

Rail transport politics

• Rail transport laws
  • Esch-Cummins Act
  • Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
  • Rail Passenger Service Act
  • Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act
  • Railway Construction Act
  • Railway Labor Act
  • Railway Nationalization Act
• Railways Act (United Kingdom railway legislation)
  • Railways Act 1921
  • Railways Act 1993
  • Railways Act 2005
  • Privatisation of British Rail
  • Impact of the privatisation of British Rail
• Railway nationalization
• Rail transport agencies
  • Railway Procurement Agency (Ireland)

Rail culture

• Rail trail
• Rail transport modelling
• Rail usage statistics by country
• Railfan
• Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
• Rail directions
• Usage of the terms railroad and railway
• Passenger rail terminology

General concepts

• Conductor (rail)
• Rail pass
• Train ticket
• Transit pass

Rail transport organizations

• National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
• International Association of Railway Operations Research
• International Union of Railways

Rail transport publications

• List of railroad-related periodicals

Persons influential in rail transport

• List of people associated with rail transport
• George Stephenson (1781–1848)
• Robert Stephenson (1803–1859)
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859)
• Thomas Brassey (1805–1870)

See also

• Glossary of rail transport terms
• List of heritage railways
• List of named passenger trains
• List of rail gauges
• List of railway industry occupations
• List of railway companies
• List of railway roundhouses
• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• Megaproject
• Mine railway
• Railway Technical Centre