Rail and Transit Abbreviations
78 abbreviations · part of Transportation & Travel Abbreviations
Abbreviations for subway, commuter rail, light rail, bus and intercity rail operators in North America, Europe and Asia, together with railway technology terms, freight railroads and the booking codes printed on Indian Railways tickets. Transit agencies are almost always known by their initials, and many riders use nicknames such as "the T" or "the L" instead of the official names, which are explained on each page.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | First Class AC | Highest and most expensive Indian Railways travel class, with lockable two- or four-berth cabins, bedding and meals on some trains. 1A coaches are available on premium… |
| 2A | AC 2-Tier | Indian Railways sleeper class with air conditioning and two tiers of berths per side, with curtains for privacy. |
| 3A | AC 3-Tier | Most popular air-conditioned sleeper class on Indian Railways, with three tiers of berths in each bay plus two side berths. |
| APM | Automated people mover | Driverless, fully automated transit system, usually small trains or cars running on a guideway, that carries passengers between airport terminals, parking areas or… |
| AVE | Alta Velocidad Española (Spanish High Speed) | Spain's high-speed rail service, operated by Renfe, which runs on the longest high-speed network in Europe. |
| BART | Bay Area Rapid Transit | Rapid transit system serving San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and other Bay Area cities, with trains running under the bay through the Transbay Tube. |
| BNSF | BNSF Railway | One of the largest freight railroads in North America, covering much of the western two-thirds of the US, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. |
| BR | British Rail | Brand name of the state-owned railway of Great Britain from 1965 to its privatization in the mid-1990s; the organization was formally British Railways from 1948. |
| BRT | Bus rapid transit | High-capacity bus system with dedicated lanes, stations with level boarding and off-board fare payment, designed to give rail-like speed and reliability at lower cost. |
| BTS | Bangkok Mass Transit System | Elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand, known as the BTS Skytrain, running above major roads such as Sukhumvit and Silom. |
| CBTC | Communications-based train control | Signaling system in which trains continuously report their exact positions by radio to a central computer, allowing them to run closer together safely than with… |
| CC | AC Chair Car | Air-conditioned seating class on Indian Railways day trains such as Shatabdi Express and Vande Bharat Express, with reclining seats in rows. |
| CN | Canadian National Railway | Canada's largest railway, headquartered in Montreal, running from the Atlantic to the Pacific and south through the US Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. |
| CNF | Confirmed | Indian Railways booking status showing that the passenger has a confirmed seat or berth, often followed by the coach and berth number, such as CNF/B2/45/LB. |
| CPKC | Canadian Pacific Kansas City | Freight railway formed in April 2023 by the combination of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, creating the first single-line rail network connecting Canada, the… |
| CRH | China Railway High-speed | Brand of high-speed train services in mainland China, operated by China State Railway Group on the world's largest high-speed rail network, which exceeds 45,000… |
| CSX | CSX Transportation | Major freight railroad serving the eastern United States, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, with about 20,000 route miles. |
| CTA | Chicago Transit Authority | Chicago's transit operator, running the elevated and subway rail system known as the 'L' and one of the largest bus networks in the US, serving the city and some suburbs. |
| DART | Dallas Area Rapid Transit | Transit agency for Dallas and surrounding cities, operating buses and a light rail network often described as the longest in the United States, along with commuter rail… |
| DB | Deutsche Bahn | Germany's state-owned national railway company, operating long-distance ICE and Intercity trains, regional services, freight and the Berlin and Munich S-Bahn networks. |
| DLR | Docklands Light Railway | Automated light metro serving east London's Docklands, including Canary Wharf, Greenwich and London City Airport. |
| DMU | Diesel multiple unit | Self-propelled passenger train powered by diesel engines mounted under the cars, used on non-electrified commuter and rural lines. |
| EMU | Electric multiple unit | Passenger train made of self-propelled cars powered by electricity from overhead wires or a third rail, with motors distributed under several cars instead of a separate… |
| EOT | End-of-train device | Electronic unit mounted on the last car of a freight train that monitors brake-line pressure and confirms the train is intact, transmitting data by radio to the… |
| ETCS | European Train Control System | Standard signaling and train protection system adopted across the European Union to replace dozens of incompatible national systems, letting trains cross borders… |
| GNWL | General waiting list | Most common Indian Railways waiting-list category, issued to passengers boarding at or near the train's originating station. |
| GO | GO Transit | Regional public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, running commuter trains and buses, operated by the provincial agency Metrolinx. |
| GWR | Great Western Railway | British railway name used by the historic company founded in 1835 and engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and today by the train operating company running services… |
| HS2 | High Speed 2 | High-speed railway under construction between London and Birmingham, designed for trains running at up to 360 km/h (about 225 mph). |
| HSR | High-speed rail | Passenger rail operating at speeds of at least 250 km/h (155 mph) on new dedicated lines or about 200 km/h on upgraded tracks, according to the International Union of… |
| ICE | InterCityExpress | Germany's high-speed train service, operated by Deutsche Bahn at speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph) on its fastest lines. |
| IRCTC | Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation | Public-sector company that runs Indian Railways' online ticket booking website and app, as well as station catering, packaged drinking water and tourism packages. |
| JR | Japan Railways Group | Group of seven companies formed in 1987 from the privatization of Japanese National Railways, including JR East, JR Central and JR West, which operate the Shinkansen… |
| KTX | Korea Train Express | South Korea's high-speed rail service, operated by Korail, linking Seoul with Busan, Mokpo, Gangneung and other cities at up to 305 km/h. |
| LIRR | Long Island Rail Road | Commuter railroad serving Long Island and New York City, operated by the MTA, and the busiest commuter railroad in North America. |
| LNER | London North Eastern Railway | Government-owned train operating company that runs intercity services on the East Coast Main Line from London King's Cross to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. |
| LRT | Light rail transit | Urban rail system using electric trains that are lighter and smaller than subways, often running on dedicated tracks, in street medians and occasionally in mixed traffic. |
| LRV | Light rail vehicle | Rail car designed for light rail and modern streetcar systems, usually electrically powered from overhead wires and able to run both on reserved tracks and in streets. |
| MARTA | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | Atlanta-area transit operator running heavy rail and bus services; its rail lines reach a station inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. |
| MBTA | Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | Operator of Greater Boston's subway, bus, commuter rail and ferry services. |
| MNR | Metro-North Railroad | Commuter railroad running from Grand Central Terminal north to the Hudson Valley and east into Connecticut, operated by the MTA with the Connecticut Department of… |
| MRT | Mass rapid transit | Term for heavy rail metro systems in several Asian cities, including Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila. |
| MTA | Metropolitan Transportation Authority | New York State public authority that runs the New York City subway and buses, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and several bridges and tunnels, forming… |
| MTR | Mass Transit Railway | Hong Kong's rapid transit network and the company that runs it, known for reliability and for a "rail plus property" model in which it develops buildings above its… |
| NEC | Northeast Corridor | Electrified rail line between Washington, DC, and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, the busiest railroad in North America. |
| NJT | NJ Transit | Statewide public transit agency of New Jersey, operating commuter rail to New York Penn Station and Hoboken, light rail and one of the largest bus systems in the US. |
| NS | Norfolk Southern | Major freight railroad in the eastern United States, headquartered in Atlanta, formed in 1982 by merging the Norfolk and Western and Southern railways. |
| OMNY | One Metro New York | Contactless fare payment system for New York City subways and buses, letting riders tap a bank card, phone, smartwatch or OMNY card at the turnstile. |
| P&R | Park and ride | Parking lot or garage at a transit station or bus stop where commuters leave their cars and continue by train or bus. |
| PATH | Port Authority Trans-Hudson | Rapid transit system linking Newark, Jersey City and Hoboken with Lower and Midtown Manhattan through tunnels under the Hudson River, run by the Port Authority of New… |
| PAYG | Pay as you go | Prepaid mobile plan, especially in the UK and Ireland, in which customers buy credit or bundles in advance rather than receiving a monthly bill. |
| PNR | Passenger Name Record | Booking record holding a traveler's itinerary, name, contact details and ticket information, identified by a reference code. |
| PQWL | Pooled quota waiting list | Indian Railways waiting-list category for short-distance journeys, typically between intermediate stations or from the origin to a station before the destination, drawn… |
| PTC | Positive train control | Safety system that automatically slows or stops a train to prevent collisions, overspeed derailments and movements into work zones or misaligned switches. |
| RAC | Reservation Against Cancellation | Indian Railways booking status that lets a passenger board and travel with a shared seat, typically half of a side lower berth, while waiting for a full berth to free… |
| RATP | Régie autonome des transports parisiens (Autonomous Operator of Parisian Transports) | State-owned company that operates the Paris Metro, part of the RER, most Paris buses and several tram lines. |
| RER | Réseau express régional (Regional Express Network) | Network of five commuter rail lines (A to E) linking Paris with its suburbs and running through tunnels across the city center. |
| RLWL | Remote location waiting list | Indian Railways waiting-list category for passengers boarding at important intermediate stations along a route, which have their own small quotas. |
| RTD | Regional Transportation District | Denver's regional transit operator, running buses, light rail and commuter rail across the metropolitan area, including the A Line between Union Station and Denver… |
| S-Bahn | Stadtschnellbahn (city rapid railway) | Suburban and urban rail network in German-speaking cities such as Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Vienna and Zurich, running frequent trains through city centers and out to… |
| SBB | Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (Swiss Federal Railways) | Switzerland's national railway, known as CFF in French and FFS in Italian, famous for punctuality, dense timetables and integrated connections with buses and boats. |
| SEPTA | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | Public transit agency for Philadelphia and its suburbs, operating buses, trolleys, subway lines, Regional Rail commuter trains and the Norristown High Speed Line. |
| SL | Sleeper class | Non-air-conditioned reserved sleeper class on Indian Railways, with three-tier berths and open windows, the most common way to travel long distances cheaply. |
| SNCF | Société nationale des chemins de fer français (French National Railway Company) | France's state-owned national railway company, operating TGV high-speed trains, regional services, Paris suburban lines and freight. |
| STM | Société de transport de Montréal | Montreal's transit operator, running the city's Metro and bus network. |
| TfL | Transport for London | Local government body responsible for most of London's transport network, including the Underground, buses, the Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR, trams, river services… |
| TGV | Train a grande vitesse (high-speed train) | French high-speed rail service operated by SNCF, running at up to 320 km/h (199 mph) on dedicated lines. |
| THSR | Taiwan High Speed Rail | High-speed railway running along Taiwan's west coast from Nangang in Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, cutting the trip to about 90 minutes. |
| TOC | Train operating company | Company running passenger trains in Great Britain under contracts with the government, such as Avanti West Coast, GWR or Northern. |
| TOD | Transit-oriented development | Urban planning approach that concentrates housing, offices and shops within walking distance of transit stations to encourage people to walk, cycle and ride transit… |
| TOFC | Trailer on flatcar | Intermodal freight service in which highway truck trailers are loaded onto railroad flatcars for long-distance rail transport, then pulled by trucks for final delivery. |
| TTC | Toronto Transit Commission | Toronto's municipal transit operator, running the subway, streetcars and buses, and one of the busiest transit systems in North America. |
| U-Bahn | Untergrundbahn (underground railway) | Subway or metro system in German-speaking cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Nuremberg and Vienna. |
| UP | Union Pacific Railroad | One of the largest US freight railroads, covering 23 western states and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. |
| VTA | Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority | Transit agency for Santa Clara County, California, which runs buses and light rail in San Jose and Silicon Valley and leads the BART extension into San Jose. |
| WL | Waiting list | Indian Railways booking status showing that no seat or berth is yet available, with a number indicating the passenger's position in the queue. |
| WMATA | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | Interstate agency that runs the Washington Metro subway and Metrobus in Washington, DC, and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs. |
| ÖBB | Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austrian Federal Railways) | Austria's national railway company, which runs Railjet intercity trains and the Nightjet sleeper network. |