The Panama Railway or Panama Railroad was the world's first transcontinental railroad. It stretches 48 miles (77 km) across the isthmus of Panama from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The Panama Railway was built during the period of 1850 to 1855. The infrastructure of this functioning railroad was of vital importance to the plan to build the Panama Canal decades later.

The need for the railway was inspired by the California Gold Rush. The project was begun in 1850 and the railroad was completed in 1855, with the first train running from ocean to ocean on 28 January of that year.