# Railway and tramway terminology in Europe

The following tables list railway and tramway terminology as used in different European languages. Included are English, German, Polish, Hungarian, French and Italian.

## Types of rail/cable transport service

| UK English/ other non-US English | US English | German | Polish | Hungarian | French | Italian | Description |
| railway | railroad | Eisenbahn | kolej | vasút, vaspálya (archaic) | chemin de fer | ferrovia | transport on rails |
| mountain railway | mountain railroad | Gebirgsbahn | kolej górska | hegyi vasút | | | railways on mountainous terrain |
| rack railway, rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway | rack railroad | Zahnradbahn | | fogaskerekű vasút | | ferrovia a cremagliera | railways assisted by a rack-and-pinion system |
| cable railway | cable railroad | | | | | | |
| funicular, cliff railway | funicular | Standseilbahn | funikular | siklóvasút, sikló | funiculaire | funicolare | |
| tram, tramway | streetcar, trolley | Straßenbahn, Trambahn | tramwaj | villamos, tramway (archaic) | tramway, tram | tram | urban railways |
| underground, tube, metro | subway, metro | U-bahn, Untergrundbahn, Metro | metro | metró, földalatti vasút (archaic) | métro | metropolitana | underground rail rapid transit |
| | | S-bahn | | gyorsvillamos | | | overground rail rapid transit |
| | | Tram-Train | | | | | |
| regional railway | | | | helyi érdekű vasút, HÉV | | | |
| aerial tramway | cable car | Pendelbahn | | drótkötélpályás felvonó, felvonó | téléphérique | | |
| aerial lift | aerial lift gondola lift | Seilbahn | | kábelvasút, kötélvasút | | | |
| chairlift | chairlift | | | | | | |

## Vehicles

| UK English/ other non-US English | US English | German | Polish | Hungarian | French | Italian | Description |
| train | train | Zug | pociąg | vonat | train | treno | group of coupled railway vehicles |
| formation, rake, set, unit | consist, trainset | | | vonat- összeállítás | | | specific grouping (configuration) of coupled railway vehicles |
| | | Rollmaterial | | vasúti jármű | | | railway vehicle |
| | | Triebfahrzeug (Tfz.) | | vasúti vontatójármű | | | powered railway vehicle |
| locomotive (loco), engine | locomotive (loco), engine | Lokomotive (Lok) | lokomotywa | mozdony, lokomotív (archaic) | locomotive | locomotiva | powered railway vehicle without a passenger compartment |
| | A unit, mother | | | | | | multiple unit locomotive capable of controlling (and powering) a B unit or a slug |
| | B unit, booster unit, cabless, slave | | | | | | cabless multiple unit locomotive capable of being controlled by an A unit |
| | slug | | | | | | cabless, remotely powered multiple unit railway vehicle capable of being powered and controlled by an A unit |
| shunter (UK/AU), shunting engine, yard pilot (AU) | switcher, switch engine, yard goat | | | tolatómozdony | | | locomotive intended for moving other rolling stock (shunting) on railway shunting yards |
| | road switcher | | | | | | locomotive intended both for moving other rolling stock (shunting) on railway shunting yards and for acting as a regular locomotive outside shunting yards |
| multiple unit (MU) | multiple unit (MU) | | | | | | railway vehicle capable of controlling (and powering) another railway vehicle |
| power car | power car | Triebkopf | | hajtófej | | | |
| | trainset | Triebzug | | motorvonat | | | |
| motor coach, railcar/railmotor (non-pulling vehicle) | motorcar, railmotor, motor, box motor, doodlebug (non-pulling vehicle) | Triebwagen | | motorkocsi | autorail | automotrice | powered railway vehicle with a passenger compartment |
| | | Gepäcktriebwagen | | poggyászmotorkocsi | | | motor coach with a luggage compartment |
| control car, control trailer, driving trailer, driving van trailer (DVT) | cab car | Steuerwagen | wagon sterowniczy, wagon rozrządczy | vezérlőkocsi | | | |
| generator car, generator van | head end power car (HEP car), power car | | | fűtőkocsi | | | |
| brake van, guard's van | caboose | | | fékezőkocsi | | | |
| travelling post office (TPO) | railway post office (RPO) | | | postakocsi | | | |
| railway carriage | railroad car, railcar | | | vasúti kocsi | | | |
| railway coach, railway car | passenger car | | | személykocsi | | | |
| goods wagon, freight wagon | goods car, freight car | | | teherkocsi, tehervagon, vagon | | | |
| | boxcar | | | teherkocsi, tehervagon | | | |
| | flatcar | | | pőrekocsi | | | |
| refrigerated van, refrigerated wagon | refrigerator car, reefer | | | hűtőkocsi, hűtővagon | | | |
| tank wagon, tanker wagon | tank car | | | tartálykocsi | | | |
| railbus | | Schienenautobus, Schienenbus | autobus szynowy, szynobus | sínautóbusz, sínbusz | autocar sur rails | autobus su rotaia | |
| | | Straßenbahnzug | | villamosszerelvény | | | |
| tramcar | streetcar, trolley car | | | villamoskocsi | | | |
| tram engine | | | | tramway (archaic) | | | |
| underground car | subway car | | | metrókocsi | | | |
| articulated motor coach | | Gelenktriebwagen | | csuklós motorkocsi | | | articulated motor coach |
| trailer | | Beiwagen, Anhanger | | pótkocsi, pót | | | unpowered, towed tram vehicle |
| | | Triebbeiwagen, geführter Triebwagen | | motorpótkocsi, motorpót | | | |