Focus on vocabulary

1. The words below are all to do with travelling by railway. Look at the words and put them into categories of your choice. Work with a partner. Do you have the same categories? Do you have the same words in the categories?

ticket office, notice board, carriage, van, signalman, derail, coach, conductor, engineer, dining car, local, express, luggage, platform, railroad, seat, snack bar, station master, timetable, track, waiting room, sleeping car, crash, luggage lockers, trolley, porter, junction, emergency cord

2. British English or American English? Complete the table.

BrE	AmE
railway	........
........	depot
........	baggage room
guard	........
carriage	........
........	engineer
........	freight train
timetable	........

3. Match the nouns in the middle with the words on the outside.

local

passenger dining

express suburban

TRAIN

CAR

sleeping night

fast through

buffet mail

electric restaurant

goods slow

corridor freight

long-distance

4. Fill in the gaps with correct prepositions.

1. to get ... the local train

2. to board the train ... the platform

3. to buy a ticket ... a ticket machine

4. to run ... schedule and arrive ... the dot

5. to go ... an overnight trip

6. to board the train ... Gate 6

7. the fare ... a return ticket to Glasgow

8. to find out what track you train will be ...

9. Does the train stop ... the Savoy station?

10. This is an express train, it goes ... that station, without stopping there.

5. Complete these sentences.

1. You can sit anywhere in the coach car. The seats are not ________________.

2. On the train you can put your luggage ______________________________.

3. After the train leaves the station ___________________________________.

4. On the train you can usually get something to eat _____________________.

5. If you want a faster train, you should _______________________________.

6. The passengers may buy their tickets _______________________________.

Joke Time!

Old woman (on the railway): Please, sir, will you help me to get out at the next station?

Man: Why, certainly, ma’am.

Old woman: You see, sir, it’s this way. Being rather stout, I have to turn around and get out backwards, and the porters always think I’m getting in, so they push me back into the carriage and say, “Hurry up, ma’am!” I’ve passed four stations that way already.