How to make a railway system in Minecraft

What is Minecraft without a few minecarts? It's probably not as travel-efficient as it should be, but having a minecart rail system set up in a player's world or server is a great way to get around when compared to moving about on foot.

It will take many materials like Redstone, iron, and gold to create an extensive rail system in a Minecraft world, but smaller-scale options aren't the wrong place to start. That way, players can keep their resource consumption to a minimum, providing room to expand the system in the future when more resources are accrued.

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Minecraft: Creating a simple and small rail system

Massive rail bridges look spectacular, but they're obviously not buildable right away for Survival Mode players collecting resources piece by piece (Image via Mojang)

Constructing a simple rail system may seem daunting, but it's pretty simple when you get right down to it. Players will need rails, powered rails, a minecart, and likely some Redstone torches and an activator like a button or a lever. There are, of course, complex automated designs, but they can be tackled later on after a player has mastered the basics of a rail system. There's no need to rush in Minecraft after all, and a simple rail system can still get the job done where necessary.

Players can find the required materials to craft their rail components below:

• Standard Rails (16) - 6 iron ingots, 1 stick.
• Powered Rails (6) - 6 gold ingots, 1 stick, 1 Redstone dust.
• Minecart - 5 iron ingots.
• Redstone Torches - 1 Redstone dust, 1 stick.
• Lever - 1 stick, 1 Cobblestone block.
• Button - 1 wooden plank, stone, or polished Blackstone block.

To begin a basic Minecraft rail system, place a powered rail flush to a block that a button or lever can be placed on. Place the minecart on this powered rail. Then, place 3-4 standard rails connected to the powered rail and head in the direction desired.

Once every 3-4 regular rails are set, put a powered rail or two with a Redstone torch adjacent to them to activate them. The more powered rails the cart hits in sequence, the faster Minecraft players can travel along with the rail system to a certain speed. Continue alternating between regular rails and powered rails until you've reached a point where you'd like the cart to stop.

A super basic rail system design for a minecart (Image via Mojang).

Once Minecraft players have reached a stopping point for their rail system, place another powered rail adjacent to a block using a lever or button. Players can also opt to place a Redstone torch at this end, which will send the minecart back along with the rail system in the opposite direction.

It's worth hopping in the minecart yourself and riding along to ensure there are no stoppages along with the rail system. If there are, ensure that the spacing between powered rail segments is close enough to provide the minecart continues to move along. It may take a little experimentation and trial and error testing, but eventually, players should have a reliable short-distance rail system at their disposal. At the push of a button or the flip of a lever, they can set off over most terrain in Minecraft.

Once the rail system is finished, Minecraft players can later implement more rail techniques and automation, detector rails that interact with the cart's contents, and more. Players can create a massive transportation system from a small rail system that can carry them throughout their world with ease. Mines, biomes, or player-created structures like towns or cities, rail systems can take players through just about anything Minecraft players can imagine.