railbanking

R1A1I1L1B3A1N1K5I1N1G2

noun

The practice (by investment firms) of holding a disused railroad right of way in reserve rather than immediately redeveloping or selling it; this may include converting it into a rail trail for public use either in the meantime or in perpetuity.

Scrabble 18
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of railbank

    Federal legislation regarding railbanking provides for interim public use of the corridor, allowing the establishment of recreational trails.

    2001, Charles A. Flink, Kristine Olka, Robert M. Searns, Trails for the Twenty-First Century, page 183
nounrailbanking (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe practice (by investment firms) of holding a disused railroad right of way in reserve rather than immediately redeveloping or selling it; this may include converting it into a rail trail for public use either in the meantime or in perpetuity.

Origin

By surface analysis, rail + banking, or, by surface analysis, railbank + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

railbanking. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railbanking

MLA

“railbanking.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railbanking. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “railbanking,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/railbanking.

Source: railbanking on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.