From rail + way.

• IPA: /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/

railway (plural railways)

1. (chiefly, UK, Ireland and Commonwealth) A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC ↗:

     That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.

2. (chiefly, UK, Ireland, Philippines and Commonwealth) A track, consisting of parallel rails, over which wheeled vehicles such as trains may travel.

• (track) railroad track, railway track, railway line, rails
• (system) railroad, rail
• rwy, RY, Ry., ry

• railbuff
• railfan

• French: chemin de fer, réseau ferroviaire, voie ferrée
• German: Eisenbahnlinie, Gleis
• Italian: binario, rotaia, strada ferrata, ferrovia
• Portuguese: ferrovia, via-férrea, caminhos-de-ferro, estrada-de-ferro
• Russian: желе́зная доро́га
• Spanish: vía férrea, ferrocarril, (Latin America) riel, (Spain) vía

• French: chemin de fer
• German: Eisenbahn, Bahn
• Italian: ferrovia
• Portuguese: ferrovia
• Russian: желе́зная доро́га
• Spanish: ferrocarril