Soviet Railways was the state owned national railway system of the Soviet Union, headquartered in Moscow. The railway started operations in December 1922, shortly after the formation of the Soviet Union. Soviet Railways greatly upgraded and expanded the Russian Imperial Railways to meet the demands of the new country. It operated until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.

Calea Ferată din Moldova is the sole railway operator in the Republic of Moldova, responsible for passenger and cargo transportation, as well as railway infrastructure maintenance within the country. The total length of the network managed by CFM is 1,232 kilometres (766 mi), of which 1,218 kilometres (757 mi) are 1,520 mm, and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) are 1,435 mm. The entire network is single track and is not electrified. It borders the Romanian railway network, with a 1,520 mm /1,435 mm break-of-gauge in the west, and the Ukrainian one in the east.