Gadgetbahn
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A public transportation scheme based on modern technology which seems to be infeasible or unnecessary. derogatory, slang
"To cite a favorite example of gadgetbahnen enthusiasts, automated train operation is as easily applied to conventional rail as monorails, as demonstrated by the Vancouver, BC, Skytrain (which uses standard railroad technology, not monorail as some Seattle monorail boosters apparently believe). […] To some extent, the promising concept of bus rapid transit (BRT) has also suffered from the "gadgetbahnen" mentality."
Example
More examples"To cite a favorite example of gadgetbahnen enthusiasts, automated train operation is as easily applied to conventional rail as monorails, as demonstrated by the Vancouver, BC, Skytrain (which uses standard railroad technology, not monorail as some Seattle monorail boosters apparently believe). […] To some extent, the promising concept of bus rapid transit (BRT) has also suffered from the "gadgetbahnen" mentality."
Etymology
From English gadget + German Bahn (“route, trail; rail transport; train, tram”).
Related phrases
More for "gadgetbahn"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.