A passenger train that calls at every station along a given route, including minor halts and flag stops. Because it lacks the priority and speed of express services, it takes significantly longer to complete its run and often has to wait in sidings for faster trains to pass.
Heard on the job
We're stuck behind the morning stopper, so we'll be crawling all the way to the junction.
Also heard as
- local
- milk run
Related terms
Limited
A scheduled passenger train that skips smaller stations to reduce overall travel time.
Local
A freight train that works the industries along a line, setting out and picking up cars at each customer.
Through train
A train that travels directly between major terminals without stopping to do local work.