Transportation systems consisting of tracks and trains for moving people and goods over long distances. Also refers to the companies that operate these systems.
Compound word from 'rail' (the metal tracks) and 'road' (pathway for travel). The term emerged in early 19th-century America as this new form of transportation distinguished itself from existing roads and waterways.
Railroads literally reshaped the world by standardizing time zones - before trains, each town kept its own local time, but railroad schedules demanded coordination across vast distances. The phrase 'railroading someone' meaning to rush them unfairly comes from the overwhelming power these companies once wielded.
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