A train (from Old French trahiner, from Latin trahere, "to pull, to draw"[1]) is a series of

connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are
typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often known simply as "engines"), though some are
self-propelled, such as multiple units or railcars. Passengers and cargo are carried in railroad cars,
also known as wagons or carriages. Trains are designed to a certain gauge, or distance between
rails. Most trains operate on steel tracks with steel wheels, the low friction of which makes them
more efficient than other forms of transport.
Trains have their roots in wagonways, which used railway tracks and were powered by
horses or pulled by cables. Following the invention of the steam locomotive in the United
Kingdom in 1802, trains rapidly spread around the world, allowing freight and passengers to
move over land faster and cheaper than ever possible before. Rapid transit and trams were first
built in the late 1800s to transport large numbers of people in and around cities. Beginning in the
1920s, and accelerating following World War II, diesel and electric locomotives replaced steam
as the means of motive power. Following the development of cars, trucks, and extensive
networks of highways which offered greater mobility, as well as faster airplanes, trains declined
in importance and market share, and many rail lines were abandoned. The spread of buses led
to the closure of many rapid transit and tram systems during this time as well.
Since the 1970s, governments, environmentalists, and train advocates have promoted increased
use of trains due to their greater fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions compared
to other modes of land transport. High-speed rail, first built in the 1960s, has proven competitive
with cars and planes over short to medium distances. Commuter rail has grown in importance
since the 1970s as an alternative to congested highways and a means to promote development,
as has light rail in the 21st century. Freight trains remain important for the transport of bulk
commodities such as coal and grain, as well as being a means of reducing road traffic congestion
by freight trucks.
While conventional trains operate on relatively flat tracks with two rails, a number of specialized
trains exist which are significantly different in their mode of operation. Monorails operate on a
single rail, while funiculars and rack railways are uniquely designed to traverse steep slopes.
Experimental trains such as high speed maglevs, which use magnetic levitation to float above a
guideway, are under development in the 2020s and offer higher speeds than even the fastest
conventional trains. Trains which use alternative fuels such as natural gas and hydrogen are
another 21st-century development.
Types and terminology

Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare, by Claude

Monet, 1877, Art Institute of Chicago
Trains can be sorted into types based on whether they haul passengers or freight (though mixed
trains which haul both exist), by their weight (heavy rail for regular trains, light rail for lighter
transit systems), by their speed, by their distance (short haul, long distance, transcontinental),
and by what form of track they use. Conventional trains operate on two rails, but several other
types of track systems are also in use around the world, such as monorail.
Terminology
The railway terminology that is used to describe a train varies between countries.
The International Union of Railways seeks to provide standardised terminology across
languages.[2] The Association of American Railroads provides terminology for North America.[3]
The British Rail Safety and Standards Board defines a train as a "light locomotive, self-propelled
rail vehicle or road-rail vehicle in rail mode."[4] A collection of passenger or freight carriages
connected together (not necessarily with a locomotive) is referred to as a rake.[5] A collection of
rail vehicles may also be called a consist.[6] A set of vehicles that are coupled together (such as
the Pioneer Zephyr) is called a trainset.[7] The term rolling stock is used to describe any kind of
railway vehicle.[8]
History
Main article: History of rail transport
Early history
 Stockton and Darlington special inaugural train 1825: six
wagons of coal, directors coach, then people in wagons
Trains are an evolution of wheeled wagons running on stone wagonways, the earliest of which
were built by Babylon circa 2,200 BCE.[9] Starting in the 1500s, wagonways were introduced to
haul material from mines; from the 1790s, stronger iron rails were introduced. [9] Following early
developments in the second half of the 1700s, in 1804 a steam locomotive built by British
inventor Richard Trevithick powered the first ever steam train.[10] Outside of coal mines, where
fuel was readily available, steam locomotives remained untried until the opening of the Stockton
and Darlington Railway in 1825. British engineer George Stephenson ran a steam locomotive
named Locomotion No. 1 on this 40-kilometer (25-mile) long line, hauling over 400 passengers
at up to 13 kilometers per hour (8 mph). The success of this locomotive, and Stephenson's
Rocket in 1829, convinced many of the value in steam locomotives, and within a decade the stock
market bubble known as "Railway Mania" started across the United Kingdom.[11]
News of the success of steam locomotives quickly reached the United States, where the first
steam railroad opened in 1829.[12] American railroad pioneers soon started manufacturing their
own locomotives, designed to handle the sharper curves and rougher track typical of the
country's railroads.[13]

The Union Pacific Big Boy locomotives represented the

pinnacle of steam locomotive technology and power.
The other nations of Europe also took note of British railroad developments, and most countries
on the continent constructed and opened their first railroads in the 1830s and 1840s, following
the first run of a steam train in France in late 1829.[14] In the 1850s, trains continued to expand
across Europe, with many influenced by or purchases of American locomotive designs.[14] Other
European countries pursued their own distinct designs. Around the world, steam locomotives
grew larger and more powerful throughout the rest of the century as technology advanced.[15]
Trains first entered service in South America, Africa, and Asia through construction by imperial
powers, which starting in the 1840s built railroads to solidify control of their colonies and
transport cargo for export.[16] In Japan, which was never colonized, railroads first arrived in the
early 1870s. By 1900, railroads were operating on every continent besides uninhabited
Antarctica.[17]
New technologies

Electric train on Djursholmsbanan in Stockholm in the 1890s.

Even as steam locomotive technology continued to improve, inventors in Germany started work
on alternative methods for powering trains. Werner von Siemens built the first train powered by
electricity in 1879, and went on to pioneer electric trams.[15] Another German inventor, Rudolf
Diesel, constructed the first diesel engine in the 1890s, though the potential of his invention to
power trains was not realized until decades later.[15] Between 1897 and 1903, tests of
experimental electric locomotives on the Royal Prussian Military Railway in Germany
demonstrated they were viable, setting speed records in excess of 160 kilometers per hour
(100 mph).[18]

The EMD FT set the stage for diesel locomotives to take over
from steam.
Early gas powered "doodlebug" self-propelled railcars entered service on railroads in the first
decade of the 1900s.[19] Experimentation with diesel and gas power continued, culminating in the
German "Flying Hamburger" in 1933, and the influential American EMD FT in 1939.[20] These
successful diesel locomotives showed that diesel power was superior to steam, due to lower
costs, ease of maintenance, and better reliability.[21] Meanwhile, Italy developed an extensive
network of electric trains during the first decades of the 20th century, driven by that country's
lack of significant coal reserves.[18]
Dieselization and increased competition
World War II brought great destruction to existing railroads across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Following the war's conclusion in 1945, nations which had suffered extensive damage to their
railroad networks took the opportunity provided by Marshall Plan funds (or economic assistance
from the USSR and Comecon, for nations behind the Iron Curtain) and advances in technology to
convert their trains to diesel or electric power.[22] France, Russia, Switzerland, and Japan were
leaders in adopting widespread electrified railroads, while other nations focused primarily
on dieselization.[23] By 1980, the majority of the world's steam locomotives had been retired,
though they continued to be used in parts of Africa and Asia, along with a few holdouts in Europe
and South America.[24] China was the last country to fully dieselize, due to its abundant coal
reserves; steam locomotives were used to haul mainline trains as late as 2005 in Inner
Mongolia.[25]
Trains began to face strong competition from automobiles and freight trucks in the 1930s, which
greatly intensified following World War II.[26] After the war, air transport also became a significant
competitor for passenger trains. Large amounts of traffic shifted to these new forms of
transportation, resulting in a widespread decline in train service, both freight and passenger.[23] A
new development in the 1960s was high-speed rail, which runs on dedicated rights of way and
travels at speeds of 240 kilometers per hour (150 mph) or greater. The first high-speed rail service
was the Japanese Shinkansen, which entered service in 1964.[27] In the following decades, high
speed rail networks were developed across much of Europe and Eastern Asia, providing fast and
reliable service competitive with automobiles and airplanes.[27] The first high-speed train in the
Americas was Amtrak's Acela in the United States, which entered service in 2000.[28]
 China operates an extensive high speed rail network.
To the present day
Towards the end of the 20th century, increased awareness of the benefits of trains for transport
led to a revival in their use and importance. Freight trains are significantly more efficient than
trucks, while also emitting far fewer greenhouse gas emissions per ton-mile; passenger trains are
also far more energy efficient than other modes of transport. According to the International
Energy Agency, "On average, rail requires 12 times less energy and emits 7–11 times
less GHGs per passenger-km travelled than private vehicles and airplanes, making it the most
efficient mode of motorised passenger transport. Aside from shipping, freight rail is the most
energy-efficient and least carbon-intensive way to transport goods."[29] As such, rail transport is
considered an important part of achieving sustainable energy.[30] Intermodal freight trains,
carrying double-stack shipping containers, have since the 1970s generated significant business
for railroads and gained market share from trucks.[31] Increased use of commuter rail has also
been promoted as a means of fighting traffic congestion on highways in urban areas.