Transportation system suitable for the operation of vehicles on special roads (rail) made of steel. The use of metal rails took place in 1776, after transportation was made on wooden and metal-covered rails before. The construction and operation of the railway in accordance with the modern understanding first started in England in 1801. The development of the railway was made possible by the development of the steam locomotive. In the beginning of the 19th century, parallel to the developing technique in steam engines, railroad construction and transportation also showed a great increase. In Turkey, the first railway was completed between 1860 and 1871 between İzmir and Aydın. The rapid railway development, which started with the construction of the Istanbul-Ankara line in the Republican era, continued with the extension of this line to Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and Horasan. Today, the State Railways Administration operates on approximately 9,900 km of railway lines in Turkey. The railway is an expensive but very durable and safe transportation system. Natural barriers in railroad construction increase the cost.

Considering that locomotives and wagons cannot travel on sharp bends and steep ramps, bridges and tunnels are built on the railway line to overcome rivers, deep pits and mountains. After the piece of land to be laid on the railway is selected, the excavation and filling works to be done are calculated; After the road is leveled in accordance with the topographic structure, 30-50 cm wide stones called ballast are laid on it. Gravel is poured on these stones. On both sides of the railway line, there is a road called a runway suitable for pedestrians. Wooden sleepers with a length of 1.435 m are laid inside the ballast, and steel rails are laid on the sleepers. The length of the rails used to be 72 m; later, the rail length was found to be 800-900 meters using end-to-end welded rails. On straight roads, the rails are evenly connected; taking into account the centrifugal force at the bends, the level of the rail in the outer circle becomes higher than the inner one. Electric and diesel-powered locomotives serve on railways today.