Dreams About Trains (Hidden Meanings!)

Dreaming about trains is not unusual and often represents a juncture of upcoming change. 

In our daily lives, trains take us from home to work or on long-distance journeys to new places. Trains might be associated with something as ordinary as a commute or an exciting adventure!

How the train shows up in your dream lays the groundwork for your interpretation. Your subconscious mind uses familiar images to communicate important messages to you, which is how Carl Jung viewed dreams.

Trains have mixed symbolism, depending on our personal associations and cultural expectations. While we can conclude some basic concepts about what trains mean in dreams, your feelings and experiences must be considered to discover what your psyche is trying to communicate.

Together in this article, we’ll take a deeper look at how to interpret these dreams…

What Does It Mean If You Dream About A Train?

Train symbolism in dreams clearly indicate your life journey and your personal goals. Dreams about trains tell us how we are progressing on our life path and whether we are in control. For example, missing a train can represent missed opportunities. 

I grew up with the idea of trains as an exciting journey to a great new adventure. Only later, when I moved, trains became part of my everyday work commute.

So for me, trains can have dual meanings. This means I need to pay close attention to all aspects of the dream and what is happening in my present life. So when considering your dream, consider the train details and your emotional reactions.

• What kind of train was it—a luxury overnight, freight, or a general city train?
• How many carriages did it have? Their connection to each other can symbolize other people or communities.
• Was the train riding smoothly on the tracks, or were the tracks broken or missing?
• Were you on the train, or did you miss it as it left the station?
• Were you excited to be on the train, or did you feel trapped?
• Did you feel like you were in control?
• Did a train hit or injure someone, or was there a train wreck?
• Was the train a regular working train or a model train, or a toy?

As you can see from the above, trains can appear in dreams in many ways. If you were going somewhere in your dream, that destination could be very symbolic.

What Does It Mean To Dream About Trains And Train Tracks?

When dreaming about a train on a track, you’ll know that the tracks keep the train on a set route that does not allow a deviation. So it might feel like you are on a path you cannot leave and trapped by the same daily routine.

This aspect of the dream can be compounded by the sameness of the train carriages. Their uniformity can also represent that you feel bound by expectations. 

If you’re on a train to work, you could feel stifled by your job and the routine of your existence.

Dreaming about train tracks can show you need to break out of rigidity or conformity. 

• Perhaps you are simply doing the same as everyone around you? 
• Is it time to shake things up in your life and how you view the world?

What Does It Mean If You Dream About Almost Getting Hit By A Train?

If you dream that you almost get hit by a train, this could indicate that you are on the wrong path. 

Perhaps you have made some choices that have put you in danger

• emotional, 
• physical, 
• or even financial risk.

Other people in dreams often represent aspects of the self, so if you see other people almost being hit, consider who they are and what part of you that might mirror. 

Sometimes the message is clear; for example, if you dreamed about a nurse almost being hit by a train, you could conclude that you have made unwise health choices that put you in danger.

Dream About Being On a Train 

If you’re a passenger on a train, you might feel that you have no say in where you are going in life. However, suppose you dream you are the driver. In that case, this can indicate that you feel more power and are in control of situations currently unfolding in your waking life.

If you dream someone is with you on the train, this could show you are trying to make new connections with people. But conversely, it could indicate that you are surrounded by people but don’t feel a connection to them, that you are just one lone person in a crowd of strangers.

Dream About Train Wreck or Accident 

In a dream involving a train crash, it’s important to note if the train is full or if you are alone. Trains carrying many people can represent society and the world. 

A crash could show that something has caused society’s predictable, orderly path to go wrong, resulting in catastrophe.

Train crashes can also indicate a sudden change in your life, perhaps one that was completely unexpected and left you feeling shaken and unable to cope with the results. As a result, your life might “feel like a train wreck.”

What Does It Mean to Dream About Missing a Train?

Missing a train in real life can be incredibly frustrating, and those emotions are present in dreams too. Missing a train can indicate that you feel you’ve missed an opportunity and are frustrated or angry with yourself and the circumstances.

Perhaps you have been nursing a particular ambition and feel it’s too late to do anything about it now; you “missed your chance.” 

The train might symbolize that you missed out on an experience you hoped for, or you may fear that you will miss out on something in the future.

You could also fear that the world, and perhaps your friends and colleagues, are moving on without you, and you have been left behind. But, again, it indicates that it’s time to act before it is too late to do what you want.

Waiting For A Train Dream Meaning

It’s essential in your dream to note why you’re waiting for a train. For example, if you’ve packed to go on vacation and are waiting at the station, this could show excitement and the need to be prepared for a new stage in your life.

If you’re waiting for a later train or a train that never comes, perhaps you feel like you’re stagnating in life and not going anywhere. Unfortunately, you’ll be on a predetermined route even when your train arrives. 

It may be time to look at what you want from life and how to achieve your expectations.

Another possible interpretation is you might be waiting because you’re scared to take the next step, and you still don’t trust yourself enough to begin a new journey.

Dreams About Train Stations 

The famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud saw dreams as a repressed desire expressed as vivid subconscious hallucinations. Remember, train stations are connecting hubs, spaces where we change direction and begin or end journeys.

The dream about a train station could represent different things depending on your emotions in the dream and the journey’s stage. 

You may be uncertain where you want to go or feel lost in a crowd who all seem to have their routes and lives planned.

The station can represent a place of potential—you are about to begin a new path in life. 

Or perhaps one part of your life has ended, that section of the journey is over, and you can leave the station and the rigid conformation behind.

Train stations are spaces that represent potential. They can show you are waiting for a change or a new direction. 

However, you can only move forward if you are ready to commit. 

Your psyche may be telling you that it’s time to stop waiting and make a decision in your life.