Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport professionals and decision makers, railway managers, engineers, consultants and suppliers to the rail industry.

[2] A mix of technical, commercial and geographical feature articles, plus the regular monthly news pages, cover developments in all aspects of the rail industry, including infrastructure, operations, rolling stock and signalling.

[5] It then reflected all aspects of railway activity,[4] particularly in the British Empire and in other areas of the world which used similar technology.

[5] In January 1964, it merged with the sister publication Diesel Railway Traction and its frequency reduced from weekly to fortnightly.

[5][6] In October 1970, it was renamed Railway Gazette International and reduced in frequency to monthly.