Meaning & use
elevated railway
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A railway whose tracks are carried on a raised structure above the street so that trains run overhead.
Grammar: Countable: an elevated railway, two elevated railways.
Patterns
- an elevated railway above something
The elevated railway rumbled above the busy avenue.
Several cities built an elevated railway to avoid crowded streets.
From my window I can see the elevated railway curve around the stadium.
Word forms
| plural | elevated railways |
|---|
Common combinations
- ride the elevated railway
- Tourists ride the elevated railway to see the skyline.
- build an elevated railway
- Engineers built an elevated railway across the old harbor.
- an old elevated railway
- An old elevated railway still runs through the district.
- beneath the elevated railway
- Small shops sit beneath the elevated railway.
Synonyms and how they differ
- el
- El is a short American nickname for elevated railway, used most in Chicago and informal speech.
- overhead railway
- Overhead railway is a British variant often used for lines built on columns, but it can also suggest a monorail.
- viaduct
- A viaduct is the bridge-like structure itself, not the railway that runs on it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: elevated railway or elevator?
elevated railway vs elevator
An elevator is a lift that moves people between floors, not a train line.
Practice
The old ___ runs on steel columns above the main street, so you can hear trains from your window.
Choose one answer.
An elevated railway has tracks raised above the street; a tunnel is underground and a ferry is a boat.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “elevated railway”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.