Train station

A rail station or railway station (also called a railroad station, rail station, depot or commonly in the UK station) is a facility at which passengers may board and alight from trains and/or goods may be loaded or unloaded. A station usually consists of at least one building for passengers (and possibly goods) plus other installations associated with the functioning of the railway or railroad. A station without buildings may be a halt.

Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and goods facilities; though a number of railway lines were goods only or passenger only, and if a line was dual purpose, there would often be a goods depot apart from the passenger station. Dual purpose stations can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. Stations are sited either adjacent to a railway line, or at the end of one (in which case they are said to form the terminus of the line). Usually raised platforms are present to allow passengers to access trains easily and safely. Platforms may be connected by subways, footbridges, or level crossings; passenger facilities such as shelter, ticket sales and benches can be found on the platforms or (at larger stations, where buildings exist) in the station's public buildings.

As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations often had locomotive and rolling stock depots (which usually had facilities for storing and refuelling locomotives and rolling stock and carrying out minor repair jobs). In the USA, a railway station that is jointly used by several rail transport companies is sometimes called a union station, or an interchange station. Stations co-located with other transport systems such as trams and buses may also be referred to as interchanges, as may stations offering both metro/subway and heavy-rail services.