Which term describes movement of trains or equipment without passengers, typically for maintenance, repositioning, or testing?

• A. Revenue service
• B. Dwell time
• C. Trip time
• D. Non-revenue movement

Answer: (D)

Movement of trains without passengers is called non-revenue movement. This is when equipment is moved to support the system—things like repositioning a train to start service, moving cars to a maintenance facility, or running tests after repairs. These moves don’t carry passengers or generate revenue, so they’re tracked separately from revenue service and follow their own scheduling and safety procedures. In contrast, revenue service involves trains carrying passengers or freight and generating fare-based income, while dwell time refers to time a train sits at a station during passenger boarding, and trip time is the duration of a complete journey in revenue service.