A
transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of
railroad trackage that crosses a
continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the
tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple
railway companies along a continuous route. Although
Europe is crisscrossed by railways, the railroads within Europe are usually not considered transcontinental, with the possible exception of the historic
Orient Express.