List of railway companies

This is a list of the world's railway operating companies listed alphabetically by

continent and country. This list includes companies operating both now and in the
past.

Note also that in some countries, the railway operating bodies are not companies,
but are government departments or authorities.

Particularly in Europe, with privatizations in the 1980s and the separation of the
track ownership and management from running the trains, there are now many
track-only companies and train-only companies.

Africa

Railway unions

 Union of African Railways (UAR)

 Southern African Railway Association (SARA), which represents:
 CFB (Benguela railway, in Angola)
 Botswana Railways
 Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) (Mozambique Railway)
 Malawi Railways
 TransNamib
 Swaziland Railway
 TAZARA (Tanzania/Zambia Railway Authority)
 Zambia Railways
 National Railways of Zimbabwe
 Tanzania Railways Corporation
 Central East African Railway in Malawi
 Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway
 Metrorail (South Africa)
 Spoornet (South-Africa)

Algeria
  Algerian Railways (SNTF)
 Angola

 Benguela Railway
 Moçâmedes Railway
 Luanda Railway
 Gunza-Gabala line

Benin

 Benin Railways (OCBN)

 Botswana

 Botswana Railways (BR)

Burkina Faso

 Abidjan-Niger Railway (SITARAIL)

Côte d'Ivoire

 Abidjan-Niger Railway (SITARAIL)

Cameroon

 Cameroon National Railways Authority (REGIFERCAM)

Republic of the Congo

 Congo-Ocean Railway (CFCO)

Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)

Due to civil war, a good portion of the railway system of the Dem Rep of Congo is
not presently functioning)

 Congo Railway (CNC)

 Matadi-Kinshasa Railway
Djibouti

 Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia

Egypt

 Egyptian Railways

Ethiopia

 Imperial Railway Company of Ethiopia

Eritrea

 Eritrean Railway

Gabon

 Gabon State Railways (OCTRA)

Ghana

 Ghana Railways & Ports (GRP) (Ghana's rail system is largely derelict)
 Ghana Railway Company

Guinea

 Guinea Railway

Kenya

 Kenya Railways
 Rift Valley Railways Consortium

Lesotho

 South African Railways (SAS/SAR)

Liberia
  Bong Mining Co
 Lamgo JV Operating Co

Madagascar

 Madagascar Railways

Malawi

 Malawi Railways (Central East African Railway)

Mali

 Dakar-Niger Railway

Mauritania

 S.N.I.M.

Morocco

 Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) : national railway office.

Mozambique

 Mozambique State Railways

 Beira Railroad Corporation

Namibia

 TransNamib

Nigeria

 Nigerian Railway Corporation

Senegal

 Dakar-Niger Railway
South Africa

 Cape Government Railways

 Central South African Railways
 Gautrain (Modern High Speed Trains)
 Metrorail
 Natal Government Railways
 Netherlands-South African Railway Company
 Shosholoza Meyl
 South African Railways (SAS/SAR)
 Transnet Freight Rail

Sudan

 Sudan Railways
 Gezira Light Railway

Swaziland

 Swazi Rail

Tanzania

 Tanzania Railways Corporation

 TAZARA Railway

Togo

 Togo Railways (RCFT)

 Although Togo has railways in place, no trains have run on them for many
years.

Tunisia

 Tunisian National Railways (SNCFT)

Uganda
  Rift Valley Railways Consortium
 Uganda Railways Corporation

Zambia

 Zambia Railways
 TAZARA Railway
 Mulobezi Railway
 Maamba Colliery Railway
 Njanji Commuter Line

Zimbabwe

 National Railways of Zimbabwe

 Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway

(There are no railways in Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African

Republic, Chad, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Guinea-
Bissau, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, and Somalia.)

Asia

Afghanistan

 (Afghanistan has only 24.6 km of railway which are railheads from

neighbouring countries). Iran and Turkmenistan plan to help Afghanistan build a
rail network that would enable Iran and Turkey to link up with Central Asia. [1]

Bangladesh

 Bangladesh Railway

Burma

 Union of Burma Railways

People's Republic of China

 China Railways
Hong Kong

 MTR Corporation Limited

 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
(Its network is currently operated by the MTR Corporation Limited under a 50-
year service concession since 2007.)
 Peak Tramways Company Limited
 Hong Kong Tramways Limited
 Ocean Park Corporation

India

 Indian Railways
 Delhi Metro
 Kolkata Metro
 Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (Konkan Railway)
 Hind Terminals Pvt Ltd.

Indonesia

 PT Kereta Api (Persero)

Iran

 Islamic Republic of Iran Railways

 RAJA

Iraq

 Iraqi Republic Railways (IRR)

Israel

 Israel Railways
 Carmelit - the world's smallest subway system, in Haifa
 CityPass, constructing and soon to be operating the Jerusalem Light Rail
 MTS group, tender winner for the Tel Aviv Light Rail
Japan
Further information: List of railway companies in Japan and List of defunct railway
companies in Japan

Jordan

 Hedjaz Jordan Railway

 Aqaba Railway Corporation

Kazakhstan

 Qazaqstan Temir Zholy (Kazakhstan railways)

South Korea

 passenger/freight train
 Korail
 passenger train
 AREX
 subway
 Busan Transportation Corporation
 Daegu Metropolitan Subway Corporation
 Daejeon Express Transti Corporation
 Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation
 Incheon Rapid Transit Corporation
 Korail
 Seoul Metro
 Seoul Metro Line 9
 Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation
 Shin Bundang Line Corporation
 Yongin Light Rail Corporation
 track management
 Korea Rail Network Authority

North Korea
  DPRK Department of Railroad

Lebanon

 Lebanon State Railways

Malaysia

 Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railway)

 RapidKL Light Rail Transit in Kuala Lumpur
 Express Rail Link Sdn. Bhd.
 KL Monorail

Nepal

 Nepal Government Railway

 Janakpur Railway

Pakistan

 Pakistan Railways (PR)

 Karachi Circular Railway (KCR)

Philippines

 Philippine National Railways

 Light Rail Transit Authority (Manila LRT)
 Metro Rail Transit Corporation (Manila MRT)
 Mindanao Railway Authority
 Panay Railways

Saudi Arabia

 Saudi Railways Organization

Singapore

 SBS Transit (North-East Line, Sengkang & Punggol LRT)

  SMRT Corporation (East-West Line, North-South Line, Circle Line, Bukit
Panjang LRT)
 Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (Changi Airport Skytrain)
 Wildlife Reserves Singapore (Jurong Bird Park Panorail)
 Sentosa Development Corporation (Sentosa Express)

Sri Lanka

 Sri Lanka Government Railway

Syria

 Syrian Railways
 Hedjaz Railway

Taiwan (Republic of China)

 Taiwan Railway Administration

 Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation
 Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation
 Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation

Thailand

 State Railway of Thailand

 Bangkok Skytrain (BTS, Bangkok Mass Transit: sky train operator)
 Bangkok Metro (BMCL, Bangkok Metro Company Limited: underground train
operator)

Vietnam

 Vietnam Railways

Oceania

Australia
Main articles: List of Australian railway companies and List of former Australian
railway companies
See also: Rail transport in Australia

New Zealand

 New Zealand Railways Department NZR or NZGR (to 1981)

 New Zealand Railways Corporation (Now trading as ONTRACK)
 New Zealand Rail Limited (Defunct, renamed Tranz Rail in 1996)
 Tranz Rail (Defunct, brought out by Toll Holdings in 2003)
 Toll Rail
 Veolia (New Zealand)
 Taieri Gorge Railway
 Dun Mountain Railway (to 1870s)
 Kaitangata Line (to 1970)
 New Zealand Midland Railway Company (to 1890s)
 Sanson Tramway (to 1945)
 Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (to 1908)

Europe

Albania

 HSH (Albanian Railways - Hekurudha Shqiptare)

Austria

 ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways - Österreichische Bundesbahnen, till 1938

called BBÖ)
 StLB (Styrian Provincial Railways - Steiermärkische
Landesbahnen) de:Steiermärkische Landesbahnen
 MBS (Montafonerbahn Schruns, from Bludenz to Schruns) de:Montafonerbahn
 GKB (Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn) de:Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn
 LTE (Logistik- und Transport GmbH) de:Logistik- und Transport GmbH

Belarus

 Belarusian Railway - Belarusian: БЧ, Беларуская

Чыгунка, Russian: Белорусская железная дорога Belarusian Railway website
Belgium

 NMBS/SNCB (Belgian National Railways - Nationale Maatschappij der

Belgische Spoorwegen / Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges),
abbreviated in Dutch/French.
 Dillen & Le Jeune Cargo NV

Bosnia-Herzegovina

 ŽFBH (Railways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Željeznice

Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine)
 ŽRS (Railways of Republika Srpska - Željeznice Republike Srpske)

Bulgaria

 BDZh (Bulgarian State Railways - Български Държавни Железници,

Bălgarski Dărzhavni Zheleznitsi)

Croatia

 HŽ (Croatian Railways - Hrvatske željeznice)

Czech Republic

 SŽDC (Správa železniční dopravní cesty, s.o. - Railway Infrastructure

Administration, state organization)
 ČD (České dráhy, a.s. - Czech Railways)
 ČDC (ČD Cargo, a.s.)
 JHMD (Jindřichohradecké místní dráhy - Jindřichův Hradec Local Railways)
 CXM (Connex Morava, a.s.)
 ODOS (Ostravská dopravní společnost, a.s.)
 OKDD (OKD, Doprava, a.s.)
 RTT (Railtransport, s.r.o.)
 UNIDO (Unipetrol Doprava, a.s.)
 VIA (Viamont, a.s.)
 CZL (CZ Logistics, s.r.o.)
Denmark

 DSB (Danish State Railways - Danske Statsbaner)

 Arriva Danmark
 GDS/HFHJ (Gribskovbanen / Hillerød-Frederiksværk-Hundested Jernbane)
 HHJ (Odderbanen (Hads-Ning Herreders Jernbane))
 HL (Capital City Local Railways - Hovedstadens Lokalbaner)
 HTJ/OHJ (Høng-Tølløse Jernbane / Odsherreds Jernbane)
 LJ (Lollandsbanen)
 LN (Lille Nord)
 LNJ (Lyngby-Nærum Jernbane)
 NJ (North Jutland Railways - Nordjyske Jernbaner)
 ØSJS (Eastern Railway - Østbanen (Østsjællandske Jernbaneselskab))
 VLTJ (Lemvigbanen (Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn Jernbane)). A popular song
about the railway by Danish band Tørfisk is simply called VLTJ.
 VNJ (Western Railway - Vestbanen (Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane))

Estonia

 CoalTerminalTrans Coal train operator to Muuga coal terminal (28.05.2006-

31.12.2006)
 Edelaraudtee South-West Railway (passenger and freight; 1996-)
 Eesti Vabariigi Raudtee (EVR) Estonian Railways - Eesti Raudtee (privatized
2001, re-nationalized 2006-2007)
 Elektriraudtee Electric Railway (Tallinn suburban passenger railway) (1998-)
 Go Rail (named EVR Ekspress until 2006) Operator of the Tallinn–Moscow
passenger service (1998-)
 Põlevkivi Raudtee Coal train operator to Narva Power Plants
 Raudteeinspektsioon (formerly Raudteeamet) Estonian Railway Inspectorate
(regulator) (1999-)
 Spacecom Freight train operator (2004-)
 Westgate Transport (Transoil) Freight train operator

Finland
  VR (VR Ltd—VR Oy)
 Proxion Train Oy
 Teollisuuden Raideliikenne Oy
 Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy

France

 Chemins de Fer de Provence (CFP) (operating 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre

gauge trains Nice-Digne)
 Euro Cargo Rail
 Eurotunnel
 SNCF (French National Railways - Société Nationale des Chemins de fer
Français)
 Chemins de fer de l'Est
 Chemin de Fer de l'État
 Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest
 Chemin de Fer du Nord
 Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée
 Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi
 RATP (Paris Transport Authority - Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens)

Germany

*Deutsche Bahn (DB AG - German Railways 1992-) de:Liste deutscher

Eisenbahngesellschaften

[edit]Passenger railways

 ABELLIO - ABELLIO GmbH de:Abellio Rail

 ABG - Anhaltische Bahn Gesellschaft mbH de:Dessau-Wörlitzer Eisenbahn-
Gesellschaft (?)
 AKN - AKN Eisenbahn AG de:AKN Eisenbahn
 ALEX - Allgäu-Express de:Allgäu-Express
 AVG - Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH de:Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft
 BBG - Bahnbetriebsgesellschaft Stauden mbH
 BKD - Borkumer Kleinbahn und Dampfschiffahrt GmbH de:Borkumer
Kleinbahn
 BLB - Burgenlandbahn GmbH de:Burgenlandbahn
 BayOB - Bayerische Oberlandbahn GmbH Bayerische Oberlandbahn
 BOB - Bodensee-Oberschwaben-Bahn GmbH de:Bodensee-Oberschwaben-
Bahn
 BSB - Breisgau-S-Bahn-Gesellschaft de:Breisgau-S-Bahn
 BSEG - Brohltal Schmalspur-Eisenbahn Betriebs-GmbH
 BVO - Busverkehr Ober- und Westerzgebirge Bahn GmbH
 BZB - Bayerische Zugspitzbahn AG de:Bayerische Zugspitzbahn
 CBC - City Bahn Chemnitz GmbH de:Chemnitzer Verkehrs-
Aktiengesellschaft & de:Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen
 Chiemsee-Bahn de:Chiemsee-Bahn
 CS - Connex Sachsen GmbH de:Connex Sachsen
 DBG - Döllnitzbahn GmbH [2]
 Drachenfelsbahn - Bergbahnen im Siebengebirge AG
 EGB - DBAG Erzgebirgsbahn de:Erzgebirgsbahn
 EIB - Erfurter Industriebahn GmbH de:Erfurter Bahn
 Eurobahn - Rhenus Keolis GmbH & Co. KG de:Eurobahn
 EVB - Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser GmbH de:Eisenbahnen
und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser
 FEG - Freiberger Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH de:Freiberger Eisenbahn
 FKE - Frankfurt-Königsteiner Eisenbahn AG de:Frankfurt-Königsteiner
Eisenbahn
 FME - Franconian Museum Railway e.V. de:Fränkische Museums-Eisenbahn
 GVG - Georgs-Verkehrs-GmbH
 HEX - HarzElbeExpress (Connex Sachsen-Anhalt GmbH) de:Connex-
Fernverkehr
 HLB - Hessische Landesbahn GmbH de:Hessische Landesbahn
 HSB - Harzer Schmalspurbahnen
 HSB - Heidelberger Straßen- und Bergbahn AG
 HTB - Hellertalbahn GmbH de:Hellertalbahn
 HzL - Hohenzollerische Landesbahn AG de:Hohenzollerische Landesbahn
 IL - Inselbahn Langeoog Inselbahn Langeoog
 KHB - DBAG Kurhessenbahn de:Kurhessenbahn
 KML - Kreisbahn Mansfelder Land GmbH
 MBB - Mecklenburgische Bäderbahn Molli GmbH de:Mecklenburgische
Bäderbahn
 ME - Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft mbB de:Metronom
Eisenbahngesellschaft
 MeBa - Mecklenburg Bahn GmbH
 NB - NordseeBahn de:NordseeBahn
 NBE - Nordbahn Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH de:Nordbahn (Schleswig-
Holstein)
 NEB - Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn de:Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn
 NEG - NEG Niebüll mbH (former NVAG) de:Norddeutsche
Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH (?)
 NOB - Nord-Ostsee-Bahn de:Nord-Ostsee-Bahn
 NWB - NordWestBahn de:NordWestBahn
 OBS - DBAG Oberweißbacher Berg- und Schwarzatalbahn de:Oberweißbacher
Berg- und Schwarzatalbahn
 ODEG - Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH de:Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn
 OEG - Oberrheinische Eisenbahngesellschaft AG de:Oberrheinische Eisenbahn
 OLA - Ostseeland-Verkehr GmbH (former MeBa/OME) de:Ostseeland Verkehr
 OPB - Oberpfalzbahn de:Oberpfalzbahn
 OSB - Ortenau-S-Bahn de:Ortenau-S-Bahn
 PEG - Prignitzer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft de:Prignitzer Eisenbahn
 RBG - Regental Bahnbetriebe GmbH ("Länderbahn") Regentalbahn
 RBK - Regionalbahn Kassel GmbH de:Regionalbahn Kassel
 Regio-Bahn GmbH
 RHB - Rhein-Haardt-Bahn GmbH de:Rhein-Haardt-Bahn
 RNV - Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH de:Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr
 RTB - Rurtalbahn GmbH & Co. KG (former DKB) de:Rurtalbahn
 RüKB - Rügensche Kleinbahn GmbH & Co.
 Saarbahn GmbH de:Saarbahn GmbH
 S-Bahn Berlin GmbH
 SBB - Schweizerische Bundesbahn GmbH
 SBE - Sächsisch-Böhmische Eisenbahn de:Sächsisch-Böhmische
Eisenbahngesellschaft
 SHB - Schleswig-Holstein-Bahn GmbH de:Schleswig-Holstein-Bahn
  SHG - S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH
 SOB - DBAG SüdostBayernBahn de:SüdostBayernBahn
 SOEG - Sächsisch-Oberlausitzer
Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH de:Verkehrsverbund Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien
 SSB - Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG de:Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen
 STB - Süd-Thüringen Bahn de:Süd-Thüringen Bahn
 STE - Strausberger Eisenbahn GmbH de:Strausberger Eisenbahn GmbH
 SWEG - Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs AG de:Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs AG
 TDR - Trans regio Deutsche Regionalbahn GmbH de:Trans regio
 TE - Trossinger Eisenbahn de:Trossinger Eisenbahn
 UBB - Usedomer Bäderbahn de:Usedomer Bäderbahn
 VBG - Vogtlandbahn GmbH de:Vogtlandbahn
 VBK - Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe GmbH de:Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe
GmbH
 vectus - Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft de:Vectus
 VIAS - VIAS GmbH (Odenwald-Bahn) de:VIAS GmbH
 WB - WestfalenBahn de:WestfalenBahn
 WEBA - Westerwaldbahn GmbH de:Westerwaldbahn des Kreises Altenkirchen
GmbH
 WEG - Württembergische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft de:Württembergische
Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft
 Wendelsteinbahn GmbH de:Wendelsteinbahn
 WFB - DBAG WestFrankenBahn de:WestFrankenBahn
 ??? - Zahnradbahn, Stuttgart

Historic state railways

 Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB - German Federal Railways)

 Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR - East German Railways)
 Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRB - German State Railways 1920-45)

Greece

 OSE (Greek Railways Organization - Οργανισμός Σιδηροδρόμων Ελλάδας,

Organismós Sidirodrómon Elládas)
  Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (SPAP), absorbed by the
former Hellenic State Railways in 1962.

Hungary

 MÁV (Hungarian State Railways - Magyar Államvasutak)

 MMV (Hungarian Private Railways Limited - Magyar Magánvasút Zrt.)
 Floyd Kft (Hungarian private rail undertaking)
 GySEV/ROeEE (Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurth Railway - Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurti
Vasút / Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn - Hungaro-Austrian regional
railway company)

Iceland

 Apart from a short line used in the construction of Reykjavik harbour in the
early 20th century, there have never been any railways in Iceland.

Ireland

 Iarnród Éireann - Irish Rail, part of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ)

Italy

 Alifana, operates, also as Metrocampania Nordest, in

northern Campania region
 FAL, operates in Basilicata and Calabria regions
 Metropolitana di Roma, Metro or Subway in Rome
 FCU, operates in Umbria region
 Ferrovia Circumetnea, narrow-gauge line around the vulcano Etna
 Ferrovia del Bernina, railway of Bernina mounts
 Ferrovia Genova-Casella, narrow-gauge line in Genoa
 Ferrovie del Gargano, operates in northern Puglia region
 Ferrovie della Calabria, operates in Calabria region
 Ferrovie della Sardegna, operates in almost all Sardinia region
 FS, Italian State Railways
 Ferrovie del Sud Est, operates in central and southern Puglia region
  FER, operates trains in Emilia Romagna region
 FNM, operates trains in Lombardy and Piedmont
 FUC, operates Ferrovia Udine-Cividale in Friuli region
 GTT, operates in Turin metropolitan area
 LFI, operates in Tuscany region
 Le Nord (passenger division of FNM)
 Met.Ro., operates Ferrovia Roma-Viterbo
 Sangritana, operates in Abruzzo region
 Sepsa, operates as Ferrovia Cumana and Ferrovia
Circumflegrea in Naples metropolitan area
 SFSM, operates as Ferrovia Circumvesuviana narrow-gauge lines
in Naples metropolitan area
 Sistemi Territoriali, operates in Veneto region
 TFT (Passenger division of LFI)
 Trenitalia (Passenger division of FS)
 Trentino trasporti (railway Ferrovia Trento-Malè and bus company in the
Province of Trento)

Kosovo

 Kosovo Railways (Kosovo Railways J.S.C - Hekurudhat e Kosovës Sh.A -

Kosovske Železnice D.D.)

Latvia

 LDz (Latvian Railway - Latvijas dzelzceļš)

 Pasažieru Vilciens (Passenger Train)

Lithuania

 LG (Lithuanian Railways - Lietuvos geležinkeliai)

 ASG (Aukštaitija narrow gauge railways - Aukštaitijos siaurasis geležinkelis)

Luxembourg

 CFL (Luxembourg Railways - Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois)

Macedonia

 MZ (Macedonian Railways - Makedonski Zeleznici)

[Moldova

 CFM (Moldovan Railway - Calea Ferată din Moldova)

Monaco

 SNCF (French National Railways - Société Nationale des Chemins de fer

Français)

Montenegro

 Railways of Montenegro (Railways of Montenegro - Željeznica Crne Gore)

Netherlands

 NS (Dutch Railways - Nederlandse Spoorwegen)

 Arriva Netherlands
 Syntus
 Veolia Transport
 Connexxion
 NS Hispeed

A few Dutch railway stations are served, even for journeys within the country, by
foreign railway companies under the responsibility of NS; these companies are:

 DB Regio, including DB Regionalbahn Westfalen and DB Euregiobahn

 Prignitzer Eisenbahn (part of Arriva Germany)

Cargo operators in Holland

 ACTS
 Rail4Chem
 Captrain
 Veolia transport The Netherlands
  ERS Railways
 Rotterdam Rail Feeding
 PortFeeders
 Railion / DB Schenker

There are also a couple of Train Charter company's active in Holland;

 EETC
 - Alpen Express
 - Skitrein
 - Skitrein Disco
 - Auto Slaaptrein

 RailInsight

- Berglandtrein

 HerikRail

Norway

 Norges Statsbaner (NSB, Norwegian State Railways)

 Jernbaneverket (infrastructure)
 CargoNet
 Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab (defunct)
 Flytoget (Airport Express Train to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen)
 Hector Rail
 Malmtrafikk
 Norsk Hydro (defunct)
 NSB Anbud
 Ofotbanen
 SJ

Poland

 Koleje Mazowieckie — (Rail Mazovia)

  PKP (Polish State Railways — Polskie Koleje Państwowe SA)
 PKP Cargo
 PKP Intercity
 PKP LHS (broad-gauge line operator)
 PKP PLK (infrastructure)
 Przewozy Regionalne
 Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity) (Szybka Kolej Miejska — S-Bahn type service in
Poland's Tricity, Poland region)
 Szybka Kolej Miejska (Warsaw)
 Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa
 Arriva PCC — Consortium of PCC Rail and Arriva Polska won auction of
passenger rail service on diesel lines in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship for 3
years (from December 2007)
 CTL Logistics
 Lotos Kolej
 Orlen KolTrans
 PCC Rail
 PCC Rail Rybnik
 PCC Śląskie Linie Kolejowe (infrastructure)
 Trakcja Polska SA (Building Company)

Portugal

 CP (Portuguese Railways - Caminhos de ferro portugueses); Since 2004:

Portuguese Trains - Comboios de Portugal
 Fertagus (Portuguese Private Railway Operator)
 Takargo (In partnership with COMSA)

Romania

 Căile Ferate Române - State Railway Company

 Grup Feroviar Român
 Unifertrans
 Servtrans
 Regiotrans
  Cargo Trans Vagon
 CTF
 SAAF
 Constantin Group
 Rail Force
 Sudarec
 RollingStock
 Dori Trans
 CET Suceava
 CET Brasov
 Termocentrala Deva-Mintia
 AZOMURES
 Bega Group
 CefMur
 Electro Comp Iasi
 Vitrometan Medias
 Remarul 16 Februarie
 Transferoviar Grup
 Via Terra
 Softrans
 Transcombi
 Suradec
 Trans Expedition Feroviar
 SET CFR
 Trans blue
 Classfer
 Metrorex - Bucharest rapid transit
 RAT - Public transport including trams and light rail

Russia

 RZhD (Russian Railways - Российские железные дороги, Rossiskiye

Zheleznye Dorogi)
Serbia

 ŽS (Serbian Railways - Železnice Srbije)

 Beovoz Belgrade Underground railway

Slovakia

 ŽSR (Železnice Slovenskej Republiky - The Railways of the Slovak Republic,

infrastructure manager)
 ZSSK (Železničná Spoločnosť Slovensko, a.s., passenger transport operator)
 ZSSKC (Železničná Spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia, a.s., freight transport
operator)
 BRKS (Bratislavská regionálna koľajová spoločnosť, a.s.)
 LTE (LTE Logistik a Transport Slovakia s.r.o.)
 SŽDS (Slovenská železničná dopravná spoločnosť, a.s.)

Slovenia

 SŽ (Slovenian Railways - Slovenske železnice)

 Adria Transport, First private railway company in Slovenia de:Adria Transport

Spain

 RENFE (Spanish National Railway Network - Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles

Españoles)
 FEVE (Narrow Gauge Railways - Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha)
 EuskoTren (Basque Railways - Eusko Trenbideak)
 FGC (Catalonian Government Railways - Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de
Catalunya)
 FGV (Valencian Government Railways - Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat
Valenciana)
 FS (Sóller Railway - Ferrocarril de Sóller)
 SFM (Majorcan Railway Services - Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca)
 LOGITREN (Valencian Privat company)

Sweden
  Arlanda Express
 Bergslagernas Järnvägar
 BK Tåg
 Connex Tåg
 Green Cargo
 Hector Rail AB
 SJ (State Railways - Statens Järnvägar)
 Tågkompaniet

Switzerland

See also: Swiss railroads, List of railway companies in Switzerland

 AB (Appenzeller Bahnen, de:Appenzeller Bahnen)

 RHB (Rorschach-Heiden-Bahn)
 TB (Trogenerbahn, de:Trogenerbahn)
 ASm (Aare Seeland mobil) de:Aare Seeland mobil
 BC (Blonay-Chamby)
 BDWM (BDWM Transport AG), merger of
 BD (Bremgarten-Dietikon-Bahn)
 WM (Wohlen-Meisterschwanden-Bahn)
 BLM (Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren)
 BLS (BLS AG), merger of
 BLS (Bern - Lötschberg - Simplon bahn)
 RM (Regionalverkehr Mittelland AG de:Regionalverkehr Mittelland)
 EBT (Emmental-Burgdorf-Thun Bahn de:Emmental-Burgdorf-
Thun-Bahn)
 BLT (Baselland Transport, de:Baselland Transport)
 BOB (Berner Oberland Bahnen), also owns
 SPB (Schynige Platte Bahn)
 BRB (Brienz Rothorn Bahn)
 BVB (Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe)
 CIS (Cisalpino), Train operating company
 CJ (Chemins de fer du Jura de:Chemins de fer du Jura)
 Db (Dolderbahn, Zürich)
 DFB (Dampfbahn Furka-Bergstrecke)
 DVZO (Dampfbahnverein Zürcher Oberland), preserved line ex-SBB
 FART (Ferrovie autolinee regionali ticinesi)
 FB (Forchbahn)
 FLP (Ferrovia Lugano-Ponte Tresa)
 FW (Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn de:Frauenfeld-Wil-Bahn)
 GGB (Gornergrat-Monte Rosa-Bahnen)
 JB (Jungfraubahn)
 KLB (Kriens-Luzern-Bahn), short freight line until Dec 2009, remaining
infrastructure to Zentralbahn
 LEB (Chemin de fer Lausanne-Echallens-Bercher)
 LO (Métro Lausanne-Ouchy)
 MBC (Transports de la région Morges-Bière-Cossonay), was before
 BAM (Chemin de fer Bière-Apples-Morges de:Chemin de fer Bière-
Apples-Morges)
 MG (Monte Generoso Railway)
 MGB (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn) (merger between FO and BVZ)
 BVZ (BVZ Zermatt-Bahn ex Brig - Visp - Zermatt Bahn)
 FO (Furka-Oberalp-Bahn)
 MIB (Meiringen-Innertkirchen Bahn), owned by KWO (Kraftwerke Oberhasli)
 MOB (Chemin de fer Montreux-Oberland Bernois)
 MVR (Transports Montreux-Vevey-Riviera (MVR), de:Transports Montreux-
Vevey-Riviera (merger of MTGN, CEV and some cable cars))
 CEV (Chemins de fer électriques Veveysans)
 MGN (Montreux-Glion-Rochers de Naye)
 NStCM (Chemin de fer Nyon-St-Cergue-Morez de:Chemin de fer Nyon-Saint
Cergue-Morez)
 OeBB (Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn)
 PB (Pilatusbahn)
 RB (Rigi-Bahnen)
 VRB (Vitznau-Rigi-Bahn (see Rigi-Bahnen))
 RBS (Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn, de:Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn)
 RhB (Rhätische Bahn / Viafier retica)
 RiT (Riffelalp Tramway)
 SBB-CFF-FFS (Swiss Federal Railways - Schweizerische Bundesbahnen -
Chemins de fer fédéraux - Ferrovie federali svizzere)
 SEFT (Società Esercizio Ferroviario Turistico operating Ferrovia Mesolcinese)
 SOB (Schweizerische Südostbahn AG de:Schweizerische Südostbahn)
 BT (Bodensee Toggenburg Bahn)
 ST (Sursee-Triengen railway)
 SVB (Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Bern, "Bernmobil", de:Bernmobil)
 SZU (Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn)
 THURBO (THURBO), passenger operation, also successor of
 MThB (Mittelthurgau-Bahn)
 TMR (Transports de Martigny et Régions)
 MC (Martigny-Châtelard de:Martigny-Châtelard-Bahn)
 MO (Martigny-Orsières)
 TN (Transports publics du littoral neuchatelois)
 TPC (Transports Publics du Chablais (merger of AL, AOMC, ASD and VB)
 AL (Aigle-Leysin Bahn (see TPC))
 AOMC (Aigle-Ollon-Monthey-Champéry (see TPC))
 ASD (Aigle-Sépey-Diablerets (see TPC))
 BVB (Bex-Villars-Bretaye) (see TPC)
 TPF (Transports publics Fribourgeois)
 GFM (Chemins der fer Fribourgeios (Gruyére-Friburg-Morat))
 TPG (Transports Publics Genevois)
 TRAVYS (Transports Vallée de Joux - Yverdon-les-Bains - Ste-Croix)
 OC (Orbe-Chavornay)
 PBr (Chemin de fer Pont-Brassus)
 YSC (Chemin de fer Yverdon - Ste-Croix)
 TRN (TRN SA for "Transports publics neuchâtelois")
 TSOL (société du tramway du sud-ouest lausannois S.A.)
 VBG (Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal)
 VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich)
 WAB (Wengernalpbahn)
 WB (Waldenburgerbahn, de:Waldenburgerbahn)
 WSB (Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn)
  ZB Zentralbahn (2005 merger of the Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-
Bahn and SBB Bruenigbahn)
 LSE (Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn)

Turkey

 Turkish State Railways (TCDD - Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları)

 İstanbul Ulaşım A.Ş.
 İzban A.Ş.

Ukraine

 UZ (Ukrainian Railway - Укрзалізниця, Ukrzaliznytsya)

United Kingdom

 Eurotunnel
 See List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom.
 London Underground
 Northern Ireland Railways
 British Rail (1948–1996)
 List of British heritage and private railways

Vatican City

 FS, Italian State Railways

 Trenitalia (Passenger division of FS)

North America

Canada
Further information: List of Canadian railways

Mexico
Further information: List of Mexican railroads and List of defunct Mexican railroads

United States
[show]
 v•d•e
List of United States railroads by political divisio

Amtrak

South America and Central America

Argentina

 Ferrocarriles Argentinos (FA) (Argentine Railways - privatized in 1993 and

broken up into several enterprises):

Freight operators

 Railroad Development Corporation or América Latina Logística -

(ALL) [3] Operates the former San Martín (ALL Central1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad
gauge) and Urquiza (ALL Mesopotámica 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge)
divisions of FA.
 Belgrano Cargas - (BC) Operates the former Belgrano division of the FA.
 Ferrosur Roca - (FR) [4] Operates most of the former Roca division of FA.
 Nuevo Central Argentino - (NCA) [5] Operates former Mitre division of FA.
 Ramal Ferro Industrial Rio Turbio - (RFIRT) Operates the Rio Turbio-Rio
Gallegos narrow gauge coal line.

1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Standard gauge

Buenos Aires suburban operators

 Ferrovías - [6] operates services over Linea Belgrano Norte.

 Metrovias - [7] operates services over Linea Urquiza and also operates
the Buenos Aires Metro.
 Tren de la Costa - [8] operates a light rail line between Maipu station
and Tigre.
 Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) [9] operates services over Linea
Sarmiento and Linea Mitre.
 Unidad de Gestión Operativa Ferroviaria de
Emergencia (UGOFE) [10] operates services over Linea San Martín, Linea
Roca and Linea Belgrano Sur previously run by Metropolitano.
Long distance and regional passenger operators

 América Latina Logística (ALL) [11] operates passenger services between

Basavilbaso and Concordia in Entre Rios Province.
 Ferrobaires (FB) [12] operates passenger services in Buenos Aires Province.
 Ferrocentral operates passenger services Buenos Aires-Rosario-Cordoba,
Buenos Aires-Rosario-Tucumán and Cordoba-Villa Maria.
 Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco (SEFECHA) operates Resistencia suburban
services and regional trains in Chaco Province.
 Trenes de Buenos Aires (TBA) [13] operates passenger services between
Buenos Aires, Rosario and Santa Fé.
 Trenes Especiales Argentinos (TEA) [14] operates passenger services Buenos
Aires-Concordia-Monte Caseros-Posadas.
 Servicios Ferroviarios Patagónico [15] operates passenger services in Rio
Negro Province.

Belize

 (There are no longer any railways in Belize)

 Stann Creek Railway (closed in 1937 - see Rail transport in Belize)

Bolivia

 Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles (ENFER) (Bolivia National Railways, 1996

split and partly privatized)
 Empresa Ferroviaria Andina (FCA) (Western railway network)
 Ferroviaria Oriental S.A. (FO) (Eastern railway network, 50% owned
by Genesee & Wyoming) [16]

Brazil

 Rede Ferroviária Federal SA (RFFSA) (Brazilian Federal Railways, (Privatized in

1998 and broken up in several enterprises):
 América Latina Logística SA (ALL)
 MRS Logística (MRS)
 Ferrovia Centro Atlântica (FCA) (Controlled by Vale do Rio Doce)
  Companhia Ferroviária do Nordeste (CFN) (Controlled by Companhia
Siderúrgica Nacional)
 Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM) (the state owned
company responsible for the commuter trains in the state of São Paulo)
 Supervia(It is the privately owned company responsible for the commuter
trains in the state of Rio de Janeiro)
 Companhia Brasileira de Trens Urbanos (CBTU) (the state owned company
responsible for the commuter trains in several states)
 Ferronorte (controlled by Brasil Ferrovias holding, from 2006 to holdding was
bought by the company América Latina Logística SA (ALL))
 Novoeste (controlled by Brasil Ferrovias holding, from 2006 to holdding was
bought by the company América Latina Logística SA (ALL)))
 Ferroban (controlled by Brasil Ferrovias holding, from 2006 to holdding was
bought by the company América Latina Logística SA (ALL)))

Those lines were ever privately owned:

 Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) (Controlled by Vale do Rio Doce)

 Estrada de Ferro Carajás (EFC) (Controlled by Vale do Rio Doce)

Chile

Locomotive Ferronor 320. Locomotive General Electric U9C

 Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE) Chilean State Railways

 FEPASA, Chilean Freight Operation Concession on the broad gauge lines in
the south
 TRANSAP, Chilean Freight Operation Concession on the broad gauge lines in
the south
  FERRONOR, Chilean Freight Operation Concession on the meter gauge lines
in the north
 FCALP, Chilean Freight Operation Concession on the meter gauge lines in the
north
 FCAB, Chilean Freight Operation Private company on the meter gauge lines in
the north

Colombia

 Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Colombia (National Railways of Colombia)

Costa Rica

 Instituto Costarricense del Ferrocarril (INCOFER)

 National Atlantic Railroad
 Pacific Electric Railroad

Cuba

 Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Cuba (Cuban National Railways)

Ecuador

 Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos (Ecuador State Railways)

Guatemala

 Ferrocarriles de Guatemala (FEGUA) (Guatemala Railway) - see Rail transport

in Guatemala

Guyana
Haiti

(see main article: Rail transport in Haiti)

  Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de Port-au-Prince, January 17, 1878 - April
1888
 Société des Tramways de Port-au-Prince, April 18, 1897 - 1901
(purchased by Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de la Plaine du Cul-de-Sac)
 Chemin de Fer Central (owned by Haitian American Sugar Company/Hasco)
1915 - 1932(?)
 Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de la Plaine du Cul-de-Sac 1896 - 1950's(?)
 Compagnie Nationale (Compagnie de Fer Nationale?/Haitian National
Railroad?) 1905 - 1940's(?)
(probably purchased by Societe Haitiano-Americaine de Developpement
Agricole/SHADA in 1940's)

Honduras

 Ferrocarril Nacional de Honduras

 Vaccaro Railway
 Tela Railroad

Here are some pictures and information on Ferrocarril Nacional de

Honduras http://www.fahrplancenter.com/FCNacionalHondurasEntry.html

Jamaica

 Jamaica Railway Corporation (See Transport in Jamaica)

Nicaragua

 (There are no longer any railways in Nicaragua)

 Ferrocarril del Pacifico de Nicaragua (Pacific Railway of Nicaragua)

see some pictures on http://www.fahrplancenter.com/NicaraguaTitel.html

Panama

 Panama Canal Railway

 Chiriqui National Railroad

Paraguay
  Ferrocarril Presidente Carlos Antonio Lopez (President Carlos Antonio Lopez
Railway)

Peru

 Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Peru (ENAFER) (Peruvian National

Railways)

El Salvador

 Ferrocarriles Nacionales del Salvador (FENADESAL) (National Railways of El

Salvador)

Suriname

 Suriname Government Railway

Uruguay

 Administación de Ferrocarriles del Estado (AFE) [17] (State Railways

Administration).

Venezuela

 Instituto Autónomo de Ferrocarriles del Estado (IAFE) [18] (Venezuela

National Railways)
List of rail transport topics
General topics

 Rail transport
 High-speed rail
 Rapid transit

Technology and Theory

Locomotives (Steam)
Locomotives (Diesel)
Locomotives (Electric)
Rolling Stock

 Wheelset
 Bogie

Track and Infrastructure

Signalling

 Integrated Electronic Control Centre

 railway signal

Types of railway/railroad

 Fell mountain railway system

 Heritage railway
 Monorail
 Mountain railway
 Plateway
 Rack railway
 Tourist railroad
 Wagonway
Lists

 List of rail accidents:

 Rail accidents pre-1950

 Rail accidents 1950–1999
 Rail accidents 2000–present

 List of railway acts (United Kingdom railway legislation)

 List of heritage railways
 List of named passenger trains
 List of railroad-related periodicals
 List of railway companies
 List of railway companies in Switzerland
 List of railway roundhouses
 List of suburban and commuter rail systems

Alphabetical list

 Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 (United States)

 Rail Passenger Service Act (United States)
 rail transport by country
 rail transport modelling (see under methods of power)
 rail transport operations
 rail usage statistics by country
 rail vehicles
 rail yard
 (rail way: see) rail transport
 (rail yard) classification yard (marshalling yard)
 (Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union) National Union of Rail,
Maritime and Transport Workers
 (rail-bus) railcar
 (rail-road) rail transport
 (rail-way) rail transport
 (railbanking: see) rail trail
 (railbuff) railfan
 (railbus) railcar
 railcar
 (railcar mover) rail car mover
 railfan
 railgrinder (rail grinder)
 railhead
 (railroad: see) rail transport
 (railroad-related periodicals: see) List of railroad-related periodicals
 Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
 Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act (United States)
 (Railroad Transportation Act) Esch-Cummins Act (United States)
 (Railroad and Railway: see) usage of the terms railroad and railway
 (railroad buff) railfan
 railroad car
 (railroad car float) car float
 railroad chronometers
 (railroad crossing) level crossing (grade crossing)
 railroad directions
 (railroad station) train station
 railroad switch
 (railroad terminal) terminal station
 (railroad terminology) rail terminology
 railroad tie (sleeper)
 (railroad track: see) rail tracks
 (railroad tracks) rail tracks
 (railyard) classification yard (marshalling yard)
 Railways Act 1993 (Britain)
 Railway Construction Act (in Japan)
 Railway Express Agency
 Railway Labor Act (United States)
 Railway Mail Service
 Railway Nationalization Act (Japan)
 railway post office
 Railway Procurement Agency (in Ireland)
 railway signal
 Railway Systems engineering
 Railway Technical Centre (in Britain)
 (railway car) railroad car
 (railway companies: see) list of railway companies
 railway electrification system
 (railway ferry) train ferry
 (railway gauge) rail gauge
 (railway junction) junction (rail)
 (railway line) rail tracks
 (railway line of Dakar-Niger) Dakar-Niger Railway
 (railway locomotive) locomotive
 Railway Mania
 railway nationalization
 railway platform
 railway post office (RPO)
 railway signal
 railway signalling
 (railway sleeper) railroad tie
 (railway station) train station
 railway station layouts
 railway stations in Leeds
 railway stations in Newport
 railway stations in the Netherlands
 railway stations of Hong Kong
 (railway switch) railroad switch
 (railway terminology) rail terminology
 (railway terminus) terminal station
  (railway transport in Belgium) rail transport in Belgium
 (railways: see) rail transport
 Railways Act 1921 (in Britain)
 Railways Act 1993 (in Britain)
 Railways Act 2005 (in the United Kingdom)
 (railways disasters) list of rail accidents: pre-1950; 1950–1999; 2000–
present
 railways in Adelaide (in Australia)
 (railways in Australia: see) rail transport in Australia
 (railways in China: see) rail transport in the People's Republic of China
 (railways in Hong Kong: see) rail transport in Hong Kong
 railways in Melbourne
 (railways in Mexico: see) rail transport in Mexico
 railways in Namibia
 (railways in New Zealand: see) rail transport in New Zealand
 (railways in Taiwan: see) rail transport in Taiwan
 (railways in Victoria: see) rail transport in Victoria (in Australia)
 railways of Shropshire (in Britain)
 (railways of Taiwan: see) rail transport in Taiwan
 (railways of the People Republic of China: see) rail transport in the
People's Republic of China
 (railyard) classification yard (marshalling yard)

Rail transport
.
BNSF Railway freight service in the United States

German InterCityExpress

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 Terminology

By country

Accidents

Modelling

This box: view • talk • edit

Rail transport is the means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of

wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where
vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided
by the tracks they run on. Track usually consists of steel rails installed
on sleepers/ties and ballast, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal
wheels, moves. However, other variations are also possible, such as slab track
where the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared
subsurface.

Rolling stock in railway transportation systems generally has lower frictional

resistance when compared with highway vehicles, and the carriages and
wagons can be coupled into longer trains. The operation is carried out by a railway
company, providing transport between train stations or freight customer facilities.
Power is provided by locomotives which either draw electrical powerfrom a railway
electrification system or produce their own power, usually by diesel engines. Most
tracks are accompanied by asignalling system. Railways are a safe land
transportation system when compared to other forms of transportation.[1] Railway
transportation is capable of high levels of passenger and cargo utilization and
energy efficiency, but is often less flexible and more capital-intensive
than highway transportation is, when lower traffic levels are considered.

The oldest, man-hauled railways date to the 6th century B.C, with Periander, one of
the Seven Sages of Greece, credited with its invention. With the British
development of the steam engine, it was possible to construct mainline railways,
which were a key component of the industrial revolution. Also, railways reduced the
costs of shipping, and allowed for fewer lost goods. The change from canals to
railways allowed for "national markets" in which prices varied very little from city to
city. Studies have shown that the invention and development of the railway in
Europe was one of the most important technological inventions of the late 19th
century for the United States, without which, GDP would have been lower by 7.0%
in 1890. In the 1880s, electrified trains were introduced, and also the first tramways
and rapid transit systems came into being. Starting during the 1940s, the non-
electrified railways in most countries had their steam locomotives replaced
by diesel-electric locomotives, with the process being almost complete by 2000.
During the 1960s, electrified high-speed railway systems were introduced
in Japan and a few other countries. Other forms of guided ground transportation
outside the traditional railway definitions, such as monorail or maglev, have been
tried but have seen limited use.

History

Horsecar in Brno, Czech Republic

Pre-steam

The earliest evidence of a railway was a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) Diolkos wagonway,
which transported boats across theCorinth isthmus in Greece during the 9th century
BC. Trucks pushed by slaves ran in grooves in limestone, which provided the track
element. The Diolkos ran for over 600 years.[2]

Railways began reappearing in Europe after the Dark Ages. The earliest known
record of a railway in Europe from this period is a stained-glass window in
the Minster of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany, dating from around 1350.[3] In
1515,Cardinal Matthäus Lang wrote a description of the Reisszug, a funicular
railway at the Hohensalzburg Castle in Austria. The line originally used wooden rails
and a hemp haulage rope, and was operated by human or animal power. The line
still exists, albeit in updated form, and is probably the oldest railway still to operate.
[4][5]

By 1550, narrow gauge railways with wooden rails were common in mines in
Europe.[6] By the 17th century, wooden wagonways were common in the United
Kingdom for transporting coal from mines to canal wharfs for transshipment to
boats. The world's oldest continually working railway, built in 1758, is the Middleton
Railway in Leeds. In 1764, the first gravity railroad in the United States was built
in Lewiston, New York.[7] The first permanent was the 1810 Leiper Railroad.[8]

The first iron plate rail way made with cast iron plats on top of wooden rails, was
taken into use in 1768. This allowed a variation of gauge to be used. At first
only balloon loops could be used for turning, but later, movable points were taken
into use that allowed for switching.[9] From the 1790s, iron edge rails began to
appear in the United Kingdom.[10] In 1803, William Jessop opened the Surrey Iron
Railway in south London, arguably the world's first horse-drawn public railway.
[11]
Hot rolling iron allowed the brittle, and often uneven, cast iron rails to be
replaced by wrought iron in 1805.[citation needed] These were succeeded by steel in 1857.
[10]

Age of steam

A British steam locomotive-hauled train

The development of the steam engine spurred ideas for mobile steam
locomotives that could haul trains on tracks. The first was patented byJames Watt in
1794.[12] In 1804, Richard Trevithick demonstrated the first locomotive-hauled train
in Merthyr Tydfil, United Kingdom.[13][14]Accompanied with Andrew Vivian, it ran with
mixed success,[15] breaking some of the brittle cast-iron plates.[16] Two years later,
the first passenger horse-drawn railway was opened nearby
between Swansea and Mumbles.[17] In 1811, John Blenkinsop designed the first
successful and practical railway locomotive[18]—a rack railway worked by a steam
locomotive between Middleton Colliery and Leeds on theMiddleton Railway. The
locomotive, The Salamanca, was built the following year.[19]:20 In 1825, George
Stephenson built the Locomotion for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north
east England, which was the first public steam railway in the world. In 1829, he
built The Rocketwhich was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. This success led to
Stephenson establishing his company as the pre-eminent builder of steam
locomotives used on railways in the United Kingdom, the United States and much of
Europe.[19]:24–30 In 1830, the first intercity railway, the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway, opened. The gauge was that used for the early wagonways and had been
adopted for the Stockton and Darlington Railway.[20] The 1,435 mm (4
ft 8 1⁄2 in) width became known as the international standard gauge, used by about
60% of the world's railways. This spurred the spread of rail transport outside the UK.
The Baltimore and Ohio that opened in 1830 was the first to evolve from a single
line to a network in the United States.[21] By 1831, a steam railway connected
Albany and Schenectady, New York, a distance of 16 miles, which was covered in 40
minutes.[22] In 1867, the first elevated railway was built in New York. The
symbolically important first transcontinental railway was completed in 1869.[23]

Elevated section of the Chicago L

Electrification and dieselisation

Experiments with electrical railways were started by Robert Davidson in 1838. He

completed a battery-powered carriage capable of 6.4 km/h (4 mph). The Giant's
Causeway Tramway was the first to use electricity fed to the trains en-route, using
a third rail, when it opened in 1883.Overhead wires were taken into use in 1888. At
first, this was taken into use on tramways that, until then, had been horse-
drawn tramcars. The first conventional electrified railway was the Roslag Line in
Sweden. During the 1890s, many large cities, such as London, Paris and New
Yorkused the new technology to build rapid transit for urban commuting. In smaller
cities, tramways became common and were often the only mode of public
transport until the introduction of buses in the 1920s. In North
America, interurbans became a common mode to reach suburban areas. At first, all
electric railways used direct current but, in 1904, the Spubeital Line in Austria
opened with alternating current.[24]

Steam locomotives require large pools of labour to clean, load, maintain and run.
After World War II, dramatically increased labour costs in developed countries made
steam an increasingly costly form of motive power. At the same time, the war had
forced improvements in internal combustion engine technology that made diesel
locomotives cheaper and more powerful. This caused many railway companies to
initiate programmes to convert all unelectrified sections from steam to diesel
locomotion.

Luas in Dublin, Ireland

Following the large-scale construction of motorways after the war, rail transport
became less popular for commuting and air transport started taking large market
shares from long-haul passenger trains. Most tramways were either replaced by
rapid transits or buses, while high transshipment costs caused short-haul freight
trains to become uncompetitive. The 1973 oil crisis led to a change of mind set and
most tram systems that had survived into the 1970s remain today. At the same
time, containerization allowed freight trains to become more competitive and
participate in intermodal freight transport. With the 1962 introduction of
the Shinkansen high-speed rail in Japan, trains could again have a dominant position
on intercity travel. During the 1970s, the introduction of automated rapid transit
systems allowed cheaper operation. The 1990s saw an increased focus
on accessibility and low-floor trains. Many tramways have been upgraded to light
rail and many cities that closed their old tramways have reopened new light railway
systems.
Trains
Main article: Train

A train is a connected series of rail vehicles that move along the track. Propulsion
for the train is provided by a separate locomotive or from individual motors in self-
propelled multiple units. Most trains carry a revenue load, although non-revenue
cars exist for the railway's own use, such as for maintenance-of-way purposes.
The engine driver controls the locomotive or other power cars, although people
movers and some rapid transits are driverless.

Russian 2TE10U diesel locomotive

Haulage
Main articles: Locomotive and Multiple unit

Traditionally, trains are pulled using a locomotive. This involved a single or multiple
powered vehicles being located at the front of the train and providing sufficient
adhesion to haul the weight of the full train. This remains dominant for freight trains
and is often used for passenger trains. Apush-pull train has the end passenger car
equipped with a driver's cab so the engine driver can remotely control the
locomotive. This allows one of the locomotive-hauled trains drawbacks to be
removed, since the locomotive need not be moved to the end of the train each time
the train changes direction. A railroad car is a vehicle used for the haulage of either
passengers or freight.

A multiple unit has powered wheels throughout the whole train. These are used for
rapid transit and tram systems, as well as many both short- and long-haul
passenger trains. A railcar is a single, self-powered car. Multiple units have a
driver's cab at each end of the unit and were developed following the ability to
build electric motors and engines small enough to build under the coach. There are
only a few freight multiple units, most of which are high-speed post trains.
Motive power

A RegioSwinger multiple unit of theCroatian Railways

Steam locomotives are locomotives with a steam engine that provides

adhesion. Coal, petroleum, or wood is burned in a firebox. The heat boils water in
the fire-tube boiler to create pressurized steam. The steam travels through
the smokebox before leaving via the chimney. In the process, it powers
a piston that transmits power directly through a connecting rod (US: main rod) and
a crankpin (US: wristpin) on the driving wheel (US main driver) or to a crank on a
driving axle. Steam locomotives have been phased out in most parts of the world
for economical and safety reasons although many are preserved in working order
by heritage railways.

Electric locomotives draw power from a stationary source via an overhead wire or
third rail. Some also or instead use a battery. A transformer in the locomotive
converts the high voltage, low current power to low voltage, high current used in
the electric motors that power the wheels. Modern locomotives use three-phase AC
induction motors. Electric locomotives are the most powerful traction. They are also
the cheapest to run and provide less noise and no local air pollution. However, they
require high capital investments both for the overhead line and the supporting
infrastructure. Accordingly, electric traction is used on urban systems, lines with
high traffic and for high-speed rail.

Diesel locomotives use a diesel engine as the prime mover. The energy
transmission may be either diesel-electric, diesel-mechanical or diesel-hydraulic but
diesel-electric is dominant. Electro-diesel locomotives are built to run as diesel-
electric on unelectrified sections and as electric locomotives on electrified sections.

Alternative methods of motive power include magnetic levitation, horse-

drawn, cable, gravity, pneumatics and gas turbine.
Passenger trains
Main article: Passenger train

A passenger train travels between stations where passengers may embark and
disembark. The oversight of the train is the duty of a guard/train manager.
Passenger trains are part ofpublic transport and often make up the stem of the
service, with buses feeding to stations.

Interior view of the top deck of a VRInterCity2 double-deck carriage

Intercity trains are long-haul trains that operate with few stops between cities.
Trains typically have amenities such as a dining car. Some lines also provide over-
night services with sleeping cars. Some long-haul trains been given a specific
name. Regional trains are medium distance trains that connect cities with outlying,
surrounding areas, or provide a regional service, making more stops and having
lower speeds.Commuter trains serve suburbs of urban areas, providing a
daily commuting service. Airport rail links provide quick access from city centres
toairports.

Rapid transit is built in large cities and has the highest capacity of any passenger
transport system. It is grade separated and commonly built underground or
elevated. At street level, smaller trams can be used. Light rails are upgraded trams
that have step-free access, their own right-of-way and sometimes sections
underground. Monorail systems operate as elevated, medium capacity systems.
A people mover is a driverless, grade-separated train that serves only a few
stations, as a shuttle.

High-speed rail operates at much higher speeds than conventional railways, the
limit being regarded at 200 to 320 km/h. High-speed trains are used mostly for long-
haul service and most systems are in Western Europe and East Asia. The speed
record is 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph), set by a modified French TGV.[25][26] Magnetic
levitation trains such as the Shanghai airport train use under-riding magnets which
attract themselves upward towards the underside of a guideway and this line has
achieved somewhat higher peak speeds in day-to-day operation than conventional
high-speed railways, although only over short distances.

Freight train
Main article: Freight train

Bulk cargo of minerals

A freight train hauls cargo using freight cars specialized for the type of goods.
Freight trains can be very efficient, with economy of scale and high energy
efficiency. However, their use is reduced by lack of flexibility, often by the need of
transshipment at both ends of the trip due to lack of tracks to the points of pick-up
and delivery. Authorities often encourage the use of cargo rail transport due to its
environmental profile.

Container trains have become the dominant type in the US for non-bulk haulage.
Containers can easily be transshipped to other modes, such as ships and trucks,
using cranes. This has succeeded the boxcar (wagon-load), where the cargo had to
be loaded and unloaded into the train manually. In Europe, the sliding wall
wagon has largely superseded the ordinary covered wagons. Other types of cars
include refrigerator cars,stock cars for livestock and autoracks for road vehicles.
When rail is combined with road transport, a roadrailer will allow trailers to be
driven onto the train, allowing for easy transition between road and rail.

Bulk handling represents a key advantage for rail transport. Low or even zero
transshipment costs combined with energy efficiency and low inventory costs allow
trains to handle bulk much cheaper than by road. Typical bulk cargo includes coal,
ore, grains and liquids. Bulk is transported in open-topped cars and tank cars.

Infrastructure
Main article: Permanent way

Left: Railway turnouts; Right: Chicago Transit Authority control tower 18 guides
elevated Chicago 'L' north and southbound Purple and Brown lines intersecting with
east and westbound Pink and Green lines and the looping Orange line above
theWells and Lake street intersection in the loop at an elevated right of way.

Right of way
Main article: Right-of-way

Railway tracks are laid upon land owned or leased by the railway company. Owing
to the desirability of maintaining modest grades, rails will often be laid in circuitous
routes in hilly or mountainous terrain. Route length and grade requirements can be
reduced by the use of alternating cuttings, bridges and tunnels—all of which can
greatly increase the capital expenditures required to develop a right of way, while
significantly reducing operating costs and allowing higher speeds on longer radius
curves. In densely urbanized areas, railways are sometimes laid in tunnels to
minimize the effects on existing properties.

Trackage
Main article: Rail tracks

Long freight train crossing the Stoney Creek viaduct on theCanadian Pacific
Railway in southern British Columbia

Track consists of two parallel steel rails, anchored perpendicular to members

called ties (sleepers) of timber, concrete, steel, or plastic to maintain a consistent
distance apart, or gauge. The track guides the conical, flanged wheels, keeping the
cars on the track without active steering and therefore allowing trains to be much
longer than road vehicles. The rails and ties are usually placed on a foundation
made of compressed earth on top of which is placed a bed of ballast to distribute
the load from the ties and to prevent the track from buckling as the ground settles
over time under the weight of the vehicles passing above. The ballast also serves as
a means of drainage. Some more modern track in special areas is attached
by direct fixation without ballast. Track may be prefabricated or assembled in place.
By welding rails together to form lengths of continuous welded rail, additional wear
and tear on rolling stock caused by the small surface gap at the joints between rails
can be counteracted; this also makes for a quieter ride (passenger trains). On
curves the outer rail may be at a higher level than the inner rail. This is called
superelevation or cant. This reduces the forces tending to displace the track and
makes for a more comfortable ride for standing livestock and standing or seated
passengers. A given amount of superelevation will be the most effective over a
limited range of speeds.

Turnouts, also known as points and switches, are the means of directing a train onto
a diverging section of track. Laid similar to normal track, a point typically consists of
a frog (common crossing), check rails and two switch rails. The switch rails may be
moved left or right, under the control of the signalling system, to determine which
path the train will follow.

Spikes in wooden ties can loosen over time, but split and rotten ties may be
individually replaced with new wooden ties or concrete substitutes. Concrete ties
can also develop cracks or splits, and can also be replaced individually. Should the
rails settle due to soil subsidence, they can be lifted by specialized machinery and
additional ballast tamped under the ties to level the rails. Periodically, ballast must
be removed and replaced with clean ballast to ensure adequate drainage. Culverts
and other passages for water must be kept clear lest water is impounded by the
trackbed, causing landslips. Where trackbeds are placed along rivers, additional
protection is usually placed to prevent streambank erosion during times of high
water. Bridges require inspection and maintenance, since they are subject to large
surges of stress in a short period of time when a heavy train crosses.

Great Western Railwaysemaphore-type signal

Signalling
Main article: Railway signalling

Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely to prevent trains
from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails with low friction, trains are uniquely
susceptible to collision since they frequently operate at speeds that do not enable
them to stop quickly or within the driver's sighting distance. Most forms of train
control involve movement authority being passed from those responsible for each
section of a rail network to the train crew. Not all methods require the use of
signals, and some systems are specific to single track railways. The signalling
process is traditionally carried out in a signal box, a small building that houses
the lever frame required for the signalman to operate switches and signal
equipment. These are placed at various intervals along the route of a railway,
controlling specified sections of track. More recent technological developments
have made such operational doctrine superfluous, with the centralization of
signalling operations to regional control rooms. This has been facilitated by the
increased use of computers, allowing vast sections of track to be monitored from a
single location. The common method of block signalling divides the track into zones
guarded by combinations of block signals, operating rules, and automatic-control
devices so that only one train may be in a block at any time.

Electrification
Main article: Railway electrification system

The electrification system provides electrical energy to the trains, so they can
operate without a prime mover onboard. This allows lower operating costs, but
requires large capital investments along the lines. Mainline and tram systems
normally have overhead wires, which hang from poles along the line. Grade-
separated rapid transit sometimes use a ground third rail. Power may be fed
as direct or alternating current. The most common currencies are 600 and 750 V for
tram and rapid transit systems, and 1,500 and 3,000 V for mainlines. The two
dominant AC systems are 15 kV AC and 25 kV AC.

Stations
Main article: Train station

Secunderabad Railway Station inHyderabad, India

A railway station serves as an area where passengers can board and alight from
trains. A goods station is a yard which is exclusively used for loading and unloading
cargo. Large passenger stations have at least one building providing conveniences
for passengers, such as purchasing tickets and food. Smaller stations typically only
consist of a platform. Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and
goods facilities.[27] Platforms are used to allow easy access to the trains, and are
connected to each other via underpasses, footbridge and level crossings. Some
large stations are built as cul-de-sac, with trains only operating out from one
direction. Smaller stations normally serve local residential areas, and may have
connection to feeder bus services. Large stations, in particular central stations,
serve as the main public transport hub for the city, and have transfer available
between rail services, and to rapid transit, tram or bus services.

Operations

Main article: Rail transport operations

In the United States, railways, such asUnion Pacific, are privately owned

Ownership
Main article: Railway company

Traditionally, the infrastructure and rolling stock are owned and operated by the
same company. This has often been by a national railway, while other companies
have had private railways. Since the 1980s, there has been an increasing tendency
to split up railway companies, with separate companies owning the stock from
those owning the infrastructure, particularly in Europe, where this is required by
the European Union. This has allowed open access by any train operator to any
portion of the European railway network.

Financing
The main source of income for railway companies is from ticket revenue (for
passenger transport) and shipment fees for cargo. Discounts and monthly passes
are sometimes available for frequent travellers. Freight revenue may be sold per
container slot or for a whole train. Sometimes, the shipper owns the cars and only
rents the haulage. For passenger transport, advertisement income can be
significant.

Government may choose to give subsidies to rail operation, since rail transport has
fewer externalities than other dominant modes of transport. If the railway company
is state-owned, the state may simply provide direct subsidies in exchange for an
increased production. If operations have been privatized, several options are
available. Some countries have a system where the infrastructure is owned by a
government agency or company—with open access to the tracks for any company
that meets safety requirements. In such cases, the state may choose to provide the
tracks free of charge, or for a fee that does not cover all costs. This is seen as
analogous to the government providing free access to roads. For passenger
operations, a direct subsidy may be paid to a public-owned operator, or public
service obligation tender may be helt, and a time-limited contract awarded to the
lowest bidder.

Safety
Main article: list of rail accidents pre-1950; 1950–1999; 2000–present.

Train crash at Montparnasse Station, Paris, France, in 1895.

Rail transport is one of the safest forms of land travel.[28] Trains can travel at
very high speed, but they are heavy, are unable to deviate from the track and
require a great distance to stop. Possible accidents include derailment (jumping
the track), a collision with another train or collision with an automobile or other
vehicle at level crossings. The latter accounts for the majority of rail accidents
and casualties. The most important safety measures to prevent accidents are
strict operating rules, e.g. railway signalling and gates or grade separation at
crossings. Train whistles, bells or horns warn of the presence of a train, while
trackside signals maintain the distances between trains.

An important element in the safety of many high-speed inter-city networks such

as Japan's Shinkansen is the fact that trains only run on dedicated railway lines,
without level crossings. This effectively eliminates the potential for collision
with automobiles, other vehicles and pedestrians, vastly reduces the likelihood
of collision with other trains and helps ensure services remain timely.

Impact

Energy
[29]
Rail transport is an energy-efficient but capital-intensive, means of
mechanized land transport. The tracks provide smooth and hard surfaces on
which the wheels of the train can roll with a minimum of friction. As an
example, a typical modern wagon can hold up to 113 tonnes of freight on two
four-wheel bogies. The contact area between each wheel and the rail is a strip
no more than a few millimetres wide, which minimizes friction. The track
distributes the weight of the train evenly, allowing significantly greater loads
per axle and wheel than in road transport, leading to less wear and tear on the
permanent way. This can save energy compared with other forms of
transportation, such as road transport, which depends on the friction between
rubber tires and the road. Trains have a small frontal area in relation to the load
they are carrying, which reduces air resistance and thus energy usage.

In addition, the presence of track guiding the wheels allows for very long trains
to be pulled by one or a few engines, even around curves, which allows
for economies of scale in energy use; by contrast, in road transport, more than
two articulations causes fishtailing and makes the vehicle unsafe.
 Railway tracks running throughStanhope, United Kingdom

Usage

Due to these benefits, rail transport is a major form of passenger and freight
transport in many countries. In India, China, South Korea and Japan, many
millions use trains as regular transport. It is widespread in European countries.
Freight rail transport is widespread and heavily used in North America, but
intercity passenger rail transport on that continent is relatively scarce outside
the Northeast Corridor.[30]

Africa and South America have some extensive networks such as in South
Africa, Northern Africa and Argentina; but some railway on these continents are
isolated lines connecting two places. Australia has a generally sparse network
befitting its population density, but has some areas with significant networks,
especially in the southeast. In addition to the previously existing east-west
transcontinental line in Australia, a line from north to south has been
constructed. The highest railway in the world is the line to Lhasa, in Tibet,
partly running over permafrost territory. The western Europe region has the
highest railway density in the world, and has many individual trains which
operate through several countries despite technical and organizational
differences in each national network.

Of 236 countries and dependencies globally, 143 have rail transport (including
several with very little), of which about 90 have passenger

High-speed rail
"High speed train" redirects here. For an article about the High Speed Train, a
diesel-powered train in the UK, see InterCity 125.
"Fast train" redirects here. For other uses, see Fast Train (disambiguation).

Automotrice à grande vitesse (AGV) being tested in Velim, Czech Republic

E5 Series Shinkansen in Japan

German designed third generation ICE onCologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line

High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of passenger rail transport that operates

significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by
the European Union include 200 km/h (120 mph) for upgraded track and 250 km/h
(160 mph) or faster for new track.[1] In Japan,Shinkansen lines run at speeds in
excess of 260 km/h (160 mph) and are built using standard gauge track with no at-
grade crossings.[2] InChina, high-speed conventional rail lines operate at top speeds
of 350 km/h (220 mph),[3] and one Maglev Line in Shanghai reaches speeds of
431 km/h (268 mph). The world record for conventional high-speed rail is held by
the V150, a specially configured version of Alstom's TGVwhich clocked 574.8 km/h
(357.2 mph) on a test run. The world speed record for Maglev is held by the
Japanese experimental MLX01: 581 km/h (361 mph).[4]

While high-speed rail is usually designed for passenger travel, some high-speed
systems also carry some kind of freight service. For instance, the French mail
service La Poste owns a few special TGV trains for carrying postal freight.

History

The Italian ETR 200 in 1938 was the first high speed service train. It achieved
theworld mean speed record in 1938, reaching 203 km/h (126 mph) near Milan

Shinkansen First High speed train design in 1964, the 0 Series at Fukuyama Station,
April 2002 (retired). The first Shinkansen trains ran at speeds of up to 210 km/h
(130 mph), soon after increased to 220 km/h (140 mph).

Railways were the first form of mass transportation on land and until the
development of the motorcar in the early 20th century had an effective monopoly
on land transport. Both streamlined steam locomotives and high-speed EMUs were
used for high speed services.

The modern high-speed rail era started 6 October 1903. An electrical railcar
from Siemens & Halske sped away at 203 km/h (126 mph) on the military railway
track between Marienfeld and Zossen in Germany. It showed that high-speed rail
was possible, and that the future was electrical. For scheduled trains, however, such
a speed still was more than 60 years away. For rail speed records, see Land speed
record for rail vehicles.

The high-speed interurbans

The electrical streetcar (tram) was born as an urban transportation medium, but
already before 1890 the first urban lines or networks were connected.
The interurban, the remarkable hybrid between a streetcar and a conventional
train, was created. Interurbans were built (and do still exist) both in Europe and
Asia, but the high-speed interurban was a U.S. invention, and their constructors
were the first to implement several HSR technologies. Interurbans were especially
popular in the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin). Another stronghold was
the Philadelphia area. Two essential HSR properties – streamlining to reduce air
resistance, and tracks with no grade crossing – were introduced more than hundred
years ago on the interuban scene. In 1903 the officials of the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition organized the Electric Railway Test Commission to conduct a series of
tests to develop a carbody design that would reduce wind resistance at high
speeds. After a couple of years’ research with speeds up to 70 mph (above
110 km/h), several streamliners were built – but for the service speeds and heavy
equipment of this era, no significant operating economies were realized, and
streamlining was soon discarded for another quarter century. In 1907 Philadelphia &
Western Railroad (P&W) opened their double-track Strafford–Upper Darby line
without a single grade crossing, and the first absolute block signal system ever
installed on an interurban.[5]

The interurban development culminated with high-speed railcars like the Red
Devils (which were inaugurated in 1929), the Bullets from J. G. Brill
Company (1931), and the Electroliners which in 1941-63 ran between Chicago and
Milwaukee and in 1963–1976 in the Philadelphia area. These lightweight
constructions weighed only about 500 kg per seat; today’s high-speed trains are
heavier. Their commercial top speed was about 145 km/t (90 mph), but they able to
about 160 km/t in test runs – the Electroliners even almost 180 km/h (110 mph), a
respectable speed for a “tram”. Station-to-stations speeds at 70 mph (more than
110 km/h) were not infrequently attained on Samuel Insull’s interurbans in the
Chicago area.[5] The Bullets were the first rail equipment made
after windtunnel research to reduce the air resistance;[6] they are called ‘very first
high-speed “Super” trains; ancestors of the TGV, ICE, Shinkansen, and the Acela
Express’.[7]

The diesel-electric hegemony

In most of the U.S., the rail passenger transport deteriorated because of the fierce
competition from cars and buses, which ran on subsidized streets and highways – at
many places also because of infiltration from the automaker companies (Great
American streetcar scandal). The electrical trams (streetcars) and interurbans were
especially sensitive to the competition, partially because the were clogged in the
streets’ car jams. Yet the P&W survived, and survived very well; their
successor SEPTA serves the Philadelphia area very well even today. After the
Electroliners’ introduction, however, the interurbans didn’t contribute to the high-
speed development.

In addition to their own Bullets, P&W bought the used Electroliners and made the
Philadelphia area a refugium for old interurbans. They held a couple of Bullets
almost 60 years in a commuter service; the last Bullets were phased out after
surviving six generations of «modern» buses.

Some few years, diesel-electrics dominated among the high-speed trains, or proto-
high-speed trains if the HSR limit is set to 200 km/h (in 1931, Franz Kruckenberg’s
gasoline-drivenSchienenzeppelin reached 230 km/h, but didn’t come into regular
service). In 1933, Germany’s Fliegender Hamburger – a train with two wagons and
102 seats – sped at 160 km/h in commercial traffic on the route Hamburg–Berlin.
The average speed, 124 km/h, was faster than the interurbans, mostly because the
train ran non-stop and without running at snail’s pace through congested city
streets – though not much faster. A few similar trains were inaugurated on other
mainlines. However, the Nazi regime preferred motorways and planes to railways.

The U.S. railways still have not given up the race. In 1934, a diesel-electric
streamliner, the legendary Pioneer Zephyr from the Budd Company, was
inaugurated on the Kansas City (Missouri)–Omaha–Lincoln (Nebraska) route. It had
72 seats (later expanded to 112). It was one of the first articulated trains
with Jacobs bogies and was followed by several similar Zephyrs, which served U.S.
railways till about 1960. In 1939, the Wisconsin people could say good morning to
the first train reaching the 100 mph mark (161 km/h) in regular service. Its name
was Morning Hiawatha – the last steam engine in the record books. This record
should survive a quarter of a century. Yet the Italian ETR 200 sped at up to
203 km/h between Florence and Milan, but only on a test run.

The stagnation

In the USA, the passenger traffic by rail became marginalized, at least outside
the Northeast Corridor (Boston–Washington) and the Chicago area.[citation needed] Not so
in Europe, even if the high-speed development stagnated here, too, and many rural
branch lines were given up.[citation needed] Yet the sluggish steam locomotives were
substituted by not-so-sluggish diesels; a few countries like Switzerland, Sweden and
Norway also electrified their mainlines.[citation needed] This brought the journey times
down.[citation needed] In 1957, some countries introduced the TEE (Trans-Europe Express)
international service, but none of the trains on that network surpassed Fliegender
Hamburger’s speed until much later.[citation needed]

The turbotrain siding

In the 1960s, several jet-powered and gas turbine trains appeared on the high-
speed scene. These sorts of engines had a much higher power-to-weight ratio than
diesels, and the fuel was cheap – which made them well fit to nonelectrified service.

In 1966, the M-497 Black Beetle was born. Two second-hand General Electric J47-19
jet engines (designed as boosters for the Convair B-36 intercontinental bomber)
were mounted atop an existing Budd Rail Diesel Car body which had received a
streamlined front cowling. On an arrow-straight track in Indiana and Ohio this “Jet
Zephyr” set a still valid North American speed record at 296 km/h (183 mph) – but
with exception of the record books, both the train and the data were ignored. In
1970, a similar train was built in the USSR.

The most innovative gas turbine train was the UAC TurboTrain made by the United
Aircraft Corporation in Canada. It was a sleek, articulated train with Jacobs
bogies like the Pioneer Zephyr and the Electroliners, with an alumium carbody, and
with a tilting mechanism. The turbines were small and light compared to diesel
engines, too. The turbines were downrated from 600 to 300 hp or 447 to 224 kW
(probably because the noise from a turbine usually increases much more than the
rotation speed) and weighed only 136 kg; each power car had up to six turbines for
propulsion, and one which run a generator for lighting etc. On a high-speed stretch
in the Northeast Corridor it sped away at 275 km/h, still U.S. record for any
commercial train. More important, the train was able to run at high speed on
mediocre tracks – in theory. Canadian and U.S. railroads bought five and two,
respectively, and they were inaugurated in 1968 though the Canadian ones paused
till 1973 after problems during the cold winter 1969. In service, they were limited to
161 km/h (100 mph). They reduced the journey time from about five to about four
hours on the Toronto–Montreal line; with an availability rate of over 97% they
offered two departures each way a day in the years 1973-82. After that, the last
UAC TurboTrain was parked.

The more mundane French turbotrains and their derivatives (Turboliners etc.) were
the most successful of all passenger turbotrains, both in North America and in
France itself. The FrenchRTG Turbotrain ran till 2005 and survived all other
turbotrains in regular service. Their commercial speed didn’t surpass 160 km/h, but
their follow-up, the very first TGV, reached 318 km/h, which is still world record for
turbotrains. SNCF got valuable experiences with this experimental train, and the
commercial TGVs were very similar to the TGV-001 – but rising oil prices made SNCF
switching to electricity. The turbotrains were noisy, too, especially when starting at
the stations.

In 2002, Bombardier tried to breathe new life into the turbotrain technology with
its JetTrain. As of 2010, it has yet to amount to anything more than an experimental
train.

Shinkansen

The true HSR breakthrough started in Japan. In this densely populated country,
especially the 45-million-people area between Tokyo and Osaka, the traffic during
the 1950s congested to reach maximum capacity.[citation needed] Both the roads and the
narrow-gauge railways were jammed.[citation needed] In 1957, the Odakyu Electric
Railway in Greater Tokyo area had launched its Romancecar 3000 SE. Again the
train designers were inspired by the U.S. interurbans,[who?] in this case the last of
them – the Electroliners. The Romancecars set a world record for narrow gauge
trains at 145 km/h (90 mph), giving Japanese designers[who?] confidence they could
safely and reliably build even faster trains at standard gauge.[citation needed]The idea of
high speed rail was born. Yet a new, dedicated high-speed line was calculated to be
very expensive. But it would be even more expensive not to build it. The
construction started in April 1959, and test runs in 1963 hit top speeds at 256 km/h.
And in October 1964, just in time for the Olympics, they opened the first
Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Shinkansen, between the two cities.[8]
The first Shinkansen trains, the 0 Series Shinkansen, built by Kawasaki Heavy
Industries[8] – in English often called ‘’Bullet’’ Trains – outclassed the earlier fast
trains in commercial service. They ran the 515 km distance with a top speed at
210 km/h and an average speed at 162.8 km/h with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto; the
records before Shinkansen were 161 and 132.8 km/h, respectively.[citation needed] But
the speed was only a part of the Shinkansen revolution. The earlier high-speed or
proto-high-speed trains and railcars were few and far between (ten Red Devils, 15
Brill Bullets, a few Zephyrs with different forenames, two Elelectroliners, one
Morning Hiawatha, one Fliegender Hamburger, etc., each with 150 seats at best).
While these services were initially limited, Shinkansen offered HSR for the masses.
The first Bullet trains had 12 cars; later versions have up to 16, and there are
double-deck trains too, to increase the capacity.[citation needed]

After three years, more than 100 million passengers had used the trains, and the
first billion was passed in 1976.[citation needed] Later, the Shinkansen system has grown
to a 2459 km network, and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen still is the world's busiest high-
speed rail line. Up to ten trains per hour with 16 cars each (1,300 seats capacity)
run in each direction with a minimum of 3 minutes between trains.[citation
needed]
Though largely a long-distance transport system, the Shinkansen also serves
commuters who travel to work in metropolitan areas from outlying cities.[citation
needed]
But it doesn’t only replace car travel; it also substitutes much of the air traffic.
[citation needed]

Introduction in Europe

Japan’s Shinkansen success contributed to a revival for the HSR idea in Europe –
together with rising oil prices, a growing environmental interest, and rising traffic
congestions on the roads.

In Europe, high-speed rail started during the International Transport Fair

in Munich in June 1965, when DB Class 103 hauled a total of 347 demonstration
trains at 200 km/h between Munich and Augsburg. The first regular service at this
speed was the TEE "Le Capitole" between Paris and Toulouse with specially
adapted SNCF Class BB 9200 locomotives.

Great Britain introduced Europe’s first regular above-200 km/h-service, albeit with a
small margin, and without building new lines. In the years 1976-82 they made 95
dieselecetric train sets of the type InterCity 125 – called so because of their
maximum speed at 125 mph (201 km/h), compared to 100 mph (161 km/h) for their
forerunners. Their acceleration was better, too. Thus journey times were reduced,
e.g. by an hour on the East Coast Main Line, and the passenger numbers soared.
The IC 125 was planned to be followed by a tilting train, APT, to maximize the speed
on twisted lines from the Victorian times – but the tilting mechanism brought on
nausea in some of the passengers, and the APT project was shelved. This prolonged
the IC 125’s lifetime, and even today they serve the nonelectrified mainlines.

In the Continental Europe, several countries started to build new high-speed lines
during the 1970s – Italy’s ‘’Direttissima’’ between Rome and Florence, Western
Germany’s Hannover–Würzburg and Stuttgart–Mannheim lines, and France’s Paris–
Lyon TGV line (LGV Sud-Est). The latter was the world’s fastest when it was fulfilled
in 1983 (the Paris–Dijon partition was opened in 1981), with a maximum speed at
260 km/h and average at 214 km/h. Fares were affordable and the line became very
popular; the air route between these cities was practically de-invented when the
trains’ journey times shrunk from about 3½ to two hours. France went on building
an extensive high-speed network. In combination with the Belgian and British lines,
the Paris-Lille-Calais line allowed to open the fist HSR international services: Paris-
London (1994), London-Brussels (1994), both via the Channel Tunnel,[9] and
Brussels-Paris (1995).[10] Germany followed up with its own high-speed network, and
after Germany was re-united in 1990, the Hamburg–Berlin line again became a
mainline.

Spain’s first high speed line opened in 1992 between Madrid and Seville. In 2005
the Spanish Government elaborated an ambitious plan of infrastructures (PEIT
2005-2020)[11] - it is envisioned that by 2020, 90 percent of the population will live
within 50 km of a station served by AVE-. Spain is thenceforth building the largest
HSR network in Europe: four new lines have been opened (Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida-
Tarragona-Barcelona, Córdoba- Malaga, Madrid-Toledo, Madrid-Segovia-Valladolid)
and another 2219 km are currently under construction.[12]

High speed rail in China

Chinese designed CRH380A train leaving Shanghai's Hongqiao Station.

In the middle of the 1990s, China's trains used to travel at a top speed of around
60 km/h.[13] To increase railway transportation speed and capacity, The Ministry of
Railways (MOR) has continuously increased the speed of its commercial train
service on existing lines. From 1997 to 2007, the speed of China's railways
increased six times, boosting passenger train speed on 22,000 km of tracks to
120 km/h, on 14,000 km of tracks to 160 km/hr, on 2,876 km of tracks to 200 km/h
and on 846 km of tracks to 250 km/h.[14]

The state plan to develop high speed railways in China first began in the early
1990s. The Ministry of Railways submitted a proposal to build the Beijing - Shanghai
high speed railway to the National People's Congress in December 1990.[15] In 1995,
Premier Li Peng announced that preparatory work on the Beijing Shanghai HSR
would begin in the 9th Five Year Plan (1996–2000). The MOR's initial design for the
Jinghu high-speed line was completed and led to a suggestion report for state
approval in June 1998. The construction plan finally been determined at 2004
beginning after five years' debate on whether to use rail track or the maglev
technology.[16][17]

On 7 January 2004, at a regular meeting of the State Council chaired by Premier

Wen Jiabao, the nation's "medium-and-long term plan of railway network" was
discussed and passed in principle. The plan comprised a high-speed railway network
consisting of four north-south lines and four west-east lines, with the Beijing-
Shanghai railway placed at the top.[17]

When China first decided to develop high speed rail, the original idea was to
research and develop domestic technology to reach a world standard. In 1998,
China started the construction of its first high speed rail, the Qinhuangdao-
Shenyang Passenger Dedicated line (Qinshen PDL), which was opened in 2003, with
a designed speed of 200 km/h, and several manufacturers' prototypes meant to
reach 300 km/h were tested here. They are "China Star", "Pioneer" and latterly
"Changbai Mountain". However, the fastest operating speed achieved by "Changbai
Mountain" is only 180 km/h.

As the development of domestic technology was not as successful as expected, in

order to realize the high speed railway service as soon as possible, the MOR decided
to import HSR trains and technology from Europe and Japan. Most of the trainsets
are manufactured by Chinese companies as technology transfer agreements
contracted as part of the deals with foreigner companies.

In April 2007, China launched the sixth "speed up" campaigns. CRH (China Railway
High-speed) service firstly opened at some 6,003 km of tracks, 52 CRH trainsets
(CRH1, CRH2 andCRH5) were put into operation, service as 280 train numbers.

By 2007, the top speed of Qinshen PDL was increased to 250 km/h, on 19 April 2008
China opened its second High Speed Rail, the Hening (Hefei-Nanjing) PDL, also with
a top speed of 250 km/h, on 1 August 2008, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity line (Jingjin
ICL) was opened, and its top speed reached 350 km/h. A new
trainset, CRH2C and CRH3C, with designed top operating speed 350 km/h, were first
put into commercial service. Currently the fastest CRH Service is at the Wuguang
(Wuhan-Guangzhou) PDL, opened by 26 December 2009. It travels 968 kilometres
(601 mi) in 3 hours reaching top speeds of 350 kilometres per hour (220 mph) and
averaging 310 kilometres per hour (190 mph).

On 26 October 2010, China opened its 15th High speed rail, the Shanghai-Hangzhou
PDL, and the CRH380A trainset manufactured by CSR Sifang started regular service.
the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway is set to open by July 2011, The railway
line is the first one in the world with designed top speed of 380 km/h in commercial
service. and will use the new CRH380B train made by Changchun Railway
Vehicle and Tangshan Railway Vehicle.[18][19]

Currently China has the world’s longest high-speed rail network with about
7,431 km (4,618 mi)[20] of routes capable for 200+ km/h running in service as of
October 2010, including 2,197 km (1，365 mi) of rail lines with top speeds of
350 km/h (220 mph).[21] According to the MOR's “Mid-to-Long Term Railway Network
Plan (revised in 2008)”, the National High-Speed Rail Grid is composed of 8 high-
speed rail corridors, 4 north-south corridors and 4 east-west corridors; together with
some less important lines the total length will be about 12,000 km (7,456 mi).

Definition of high-speed rail

See also: Passenger rail terminology

There are a number of different definitions for high-speed rail in use worldwide and
there is no single standard, however there are certain parameters that are unique
to high-speed rail. UIC (International Union of Railways) and EC Directive
96/58 define high-speed rail as systems of rolling stock and infrastructure which
regularly operate at or above 250 km/h on new tracks, or 200 km/h on existing
tracks.[1] However lower speeds can be required by local constraints.[1] A definitive
aspect of high speed rail is the use of continuous welded rail which reduces track
vibrations and discrepancies between rail segments enough to allow trains to pass
at speeds in excess of 200 km/h (120 mph). Depending on design speed, banking
and the forces deemed acceptable to the passengers, curves radius is above 4.5
kilometers, and for lines capable for 350 km/h running, typically at 7 to 9
kilometers. There are also a number of characteristics common to most high-speed
rail systems but not required: almost all are electrically driven via overhead lines
and have in-cab signalling as well as no level crossings. Advanced switches using
very low entry and frog angles are also often used. Magnetic levitation trains fall
under the category of high-speed rail due to their association with track oriented
vehicles; however their inability to operate on conventional 'rails' often leads to
their classification in a separate category.

In the United States, high-speed rail is defined as having a speed above 110 mph
(180 km/h) by the United States Federal Railroad Administration[22]

In Japan, high speed Shinkansen lines use standard gauge track rather than narrow
gauge track used on most other Japanese lines. These travel at speeds in excess of
260 km/h (160 mph) without level crossings.[2]

In China, there are two grades of high speed lines: Firstly, slower lines running at
speeds of between 200 and 250 km/h (120 and 160 mph) which may comprise
either freight or passenger trains. Secondly, passenger dedicated high speed rail
lines operating at top speeds of up to 350 km/h (220 mph).[23]

Rationale
500 Series Shinkansen in Japan

Siemens Velaro in Barcelona, Spain

In both Japan and France the initial impetus for the introduction of high speed rail
was the need for additional capacity to meet increasing demand for passenger rail
travel. By the mid-1950s, the Tōkaidō Main Line in Japan was operating at full
capacity, and construction of the first segment of the Tōkaidō
Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka started in 1959. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen
opened on October 1, 1964, in time for the Tokyo Olympics. The situation for the
first line in Japan was different from the subsequent lines. The route was already so
densely populated and rail oriented that highway development would be extremely
costly and one single line between Tokyo and Osaka could bring service to over half
the nation's population. In 1959 that was nearly 45 million people; today it is well
over 65 million. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen line is the most heavily traveled high
speed line in the world and still transports more passengers than all other high
speed rail lines in the world combined. Subsequent lines in Japan had a rationale
more similar to situations in Europe.

In France the main line between Paris and Lyon was projected to run out of capacity
by 1970. In both cases the choice to build a completely separate passenger-only
line allowed for the much straighter higher speed lines. The dramatically reduced
travel times on both lines, bringing cities within three hours of one another, caused
explosions in ridership.[24] It was the commercial success of both lines that inspired
those countries and their economies to expand or start high speed rail networks.

In post-World War II United States, improvements in automobiles and aircraft made

those means practical for a greater portion of the population than previously. In
Europe and Japan, emphasis was given to rebuilding the railways after the war. In
the United States, emphasis was given to airports and an extensive
national interstate highway system. The U.S. railway had been less competitive as a
means of transportation. The lower population density in North America allowed
easier construction of a national highway network, but mass highway construction
would not have been as easy in the high population densities of the European
nations and Japan. Presently, however, as energy costs continue to increase, rail
ridership is now increasing across the United States.[25]

In China, the plans for the largest high-speed railway network in history were driven
by a combination of capacity constraints on existing lines and a desire to shorten
journey times across the nation, whilst promoting development along the route. The
construction schedule was significantly accelerated due to additional funding in the
4 trillion CNY stimulus package of 2008 and a number of lines are due to be
completed by 2013.

Travel by rail becomes more competitive in areas of higher population density or

where gasoline is expensive, because conventional trains are more fuel efficient
than cars when ridership is high, similar to other forms of mass transit. Very few
high-speed trains consume diesel or other fossil fuels but the power stations that
provide electric trains with power can consume fossil fuels. In Japan and France,
with very extensive high speed rail networks, a large proportion of electricity comes
from nuclear power.[26] Even using electricity generated from coal or oil, high speed
trains are significantly more fuel efficient per passenger per kilometer traveled than
the typical automobile because of economies of scale in generator technology.
[27]
For example, on the Eurostar, emissions from travelling by train from London to
Paris are 90% lower than by flying.[28] Rail networks, like highways, require large
fixed capital investments and thus require a blend of high density and government
investment to be competitive against existing capital infrastructure for aircraft and
automobiles.[citation needed] Urban density and mass transit have been key factors in the
success of European and Japanese railway transport, especially in countries such as
the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Spainand France.
Technology

Alstom's TGV has been adapted for use in South Korea

KTX-Sancheon, a South Korean high-speed train at Seoul Station.

Much of the technology behind high-speed rail is an improved application of mature

standard gauge rail technology using overhead electrification. By building a new rail
infrastructure with 20th century engineering, including elimination of constrictions
such as roadway at-grade (level) crossings, frequent stops, a succession of curves
and reverse curves, and not sharing the right-of-way with freight or slower
passenger trains, higher speeds (250–320 km/h) are maintained. Total cost of
ownership of HSR systems is generally lower than the total costs of competing
alternatives (new highway or air capacity). Japanese systems are often more
expensive than their counterparts but more comprehensive because they have their
own dedicated elevated guideway, no traffic crossings, and disaster monitoring
systems. Despite this the largest of the Japanese system's cost is related to the
boring of tunnels through mountains, as was in Taiwan. Recent advances in wheeled
trains in the last few decades have pushed the speed limits past 400 km/h, among
the advances being tilting trainsets, aerodynamic designs (to reduce drag, lift, and
noise), air brakes, regenerative braking, stronger engines, dynamic weight shifting,
etc. Some of the advances were to fix problems, like the Eschede disaster.
European high-speed routes typically combine segments on new track, where the
train runs at full commercial speed, with some sections of older track on the
extremities of the route, near cities.

In France, the cost of construction (which was €10 million/km (US$15.1 million/km)
for LGV Est) is minimised by adopting steeper grades rather than building tunnels
and viaducts. However, in mountainous Switzerland, tunnels are inevitable. Because
the lines are dedicated to passengers, gradients of 3.5%, rather than the previous
maximum of 1–1.5% for mixed traffic, are used. Possibly more expensive land is
acquired in order to build straighter lines which minimize line construction as well
as operating and maintenance costs. In other countries high-speed rail was built
without those economies so that the railway can also support other traffic, such as
freight. Experience has shown however, that trains of significantly different speeds
cause massive decreases of line capacity. As a result, mixed-traffic lines are usually
reserved for high-speed passenger trains during the daytime, while freight trains go
at night. In some cases, night-time high-speed trains are even diverted to lower
speed lines in favour of freight traffic.[citation needed]

High-speed railways by region

Operational high-speed lines in Europe 320–350 km/h 300 km/h 250–

280 km/h 200–230 km/h
High-speed lines in East Asia 300+ km/h 250–299 km/h 200–
249 km/h Under Construction Other railways

Main article: High-speed rail by country

See also: Planned high-speed rail by country

The following table shows all high speed dedicated lines (speed over 250 km/h) in
service and under construction, listed by country. Based on UIC figures
(International Union of Railways), it has been updated with other sources (see
discussion). Since the purpose is to convey updated information with unified
criteria, planned lines are not included.
In operation (km) Under construction Total Country
Country [29]
(km)[29] (km)
China 4326 6696 (approx.) 10025 (approx.)
Spain 1525 2219 3744
[30]
Japan 1986 510 2496
France 1872 234 2106
Germany 1032 378 1410
Italy 923 0 923
Turkey 235 510 745
South Korea 330 82 412
Taiwan 345 0 345
Belgium 209 0 209
The
120 0 120
Netherlands
United
113 0 113
Kingdom
Switzerland 35 72 107
Maximum speed records
Main article: Land speed record for railed vehicles

Maximum speed in service

MLX01 maglev train 581 km/h (current world record holder)

World speed record holding (574.8 km/h/357mph) TGV — the V150

The Shanghai Maglev Train reaches top speeds of 431 km/h, the fastest high-speed
train in service in the world.

The term "maximum speed" has many meanings here. It can reflect:

 maximum average speed between two scheduled stops based on the running
times in timetables - daily operation.
  maximum speed at which a train is allowed to run safely as set by law or
policy on a straight section in daily service with minimal constraints (MOR)
 the maximum speed at which an unmodified train is proved to be capable of
running
 the maximum speed a specially modified train is proved to be capable of
running.

A one time specially modified system and trainset record (see land speed record for
railed vehicles) was set by the manned TGV's 574.8 km/h run. This run was for proof
of concept and engineering, not to test normal passenger service.

The record for railed vehicles is 10,325 km/h (6,416 mph) by an unmanned rocket
sled by the United States Air Force.

The maximum speed an unmodified train is capable of running was set by the non-
wheeled 581 km/h JR-Maglev MLX01 run in 2003. However, even this is not
necessarily suitable for passenger operation as there can be concerns such as
noise, cost, deceleration time in an emergency, etc.

The Shanghai Maglev Train reaches 431 km/h during its daily service between
Longyang Road and Pudong International Airport, holds the speed record of any
commercial train services. Besides maglev, the fastest maximum operating speed
(MOR) of any segment of any high speed rail line is currently 350 km/h (221 mph), a
record held by multiple lines in China, first achieved by the Beijing–Tianjin Intercity
Railway in August 2008. In October 2010, the trains on Shanghai–Hangzhou High-
Speed Railway have shown an unmodified capability of running 416.6 km/h in tests,
and thus have been set to run 350 km/h in normal operation.[3]

The highest scheduled average speed between two scheduled stops is held
by China Railway High-speed service on Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway.
[31]
Starting from December 26, 2009, until January 29, 2010, non-stop trains on this
line cover the 922-km journey in 2 hours, 57 minutes, at an average speed of
312.5 km/h from Wuhan to Guangzhou North. The average speed slowed down to
309 km/h for a longer 968 km journey when Guangzhou South, the new terminal of
the line, was opened on January 30, 2010. Since July 1, 2010, all non-stop trains
were canceled and the fastest trains run at an average speed of 296 km/h with one
stop in Changsha South. The trains cover Guangzhou South and Changsha South
section in 02h02m, hold the speed record at 305 km/h.
Records in trial runs

 1963 - Japan - Shinkansen - 256 km/h (First country to develop HSR

technology)
 1965 - West Germany - Class 103 locomotives - 200 km/h (Second country to
develop HSR technology)
 1967 - France - TGV 001 - 318 km/h (Third country to develop HSR
technology)
 1972 - Japan - Shinkansen - 286 km/h
 1974 - West Germany - EET-01 – 230 km/h
 1974 - France - Aérotrain - 430.2 km/h (high speed monorail train)
 1975 - West Germany - Comet - 401.3 km/h (steam rocket propulsion)
 1978 - Japan - HSST-01 - 307.8 km/h (Auxiliary rocket propulsion)
 1978 - Japan - HSST-02 – 110 km/h
 1979 - Japan - Shinkansen - 319 km/h
 1979 - Japan - ML-500R (unmanned) - 504 km/h
 1979 - Japan - ML-500R (unmanned) - 517 km/h
 1981 - France - TGV - 380 km/h
 1985 - West Germany - InterCityExperimental - 324 km/h
 1987 - Japan - MLU001 (manned) - 400.8 km/h
 1988 - West Germany - InterCityExperimental - 406 km/h
 1988 - Italy - ETR 500-X - 319 km/h (Fourth country to develop HSR
technology)
 1988 - West Germany - TR-06 - 412.6 km/h
 1989 - West Germany - TR-07 - 436 km/h 　
 1990 - France - TGV - 515.3 km/h
 1992 - Japan - Shinkansen - 350 km/h
 1993 - Japan - Shinkansen - 425 km/h
 1993 - Germany - TR-07 - 450 km/h
 1994 - Japan - MLU002N - 431 km/h
 1996 - Japan - Shinkansen - 446 km/h
 1997 - Japan - MLX01 - 550 km/h
 1999 - Japan - MLX01 - 552 km/h
  2002 - Spain - AVE S-102 (Talgo 350) - 362 km/h (Fifth country to develop
HSR technology)
 2002 - China - China Star - 321 km/h (Sixth country to develop HSR
technology)
 2003 - Germany (train)- China (line) - Siemens Transrapid 08 – 501 km/h
 2003 - Japan - MLX01 - 581 km/h (current absolute world record holder)
 2004 - South Korea - HSR-350x - 352.4 km/h (Seventh country to develop
HSR technology)
 2006 - Germany (train) - Spain (line) - AVE S-103 (Siemens Velaro) - 404 km/h
(unmodified commercial trainset)
 2007 - France - V150 - 574.8 km/h (current world record holder on
conventional rails)
 2007 - Japan (train) - Republic of China (Taiwan) (line) - 700T series train -
350 km/h
 2008 - Germany (train,manufactured in China) - China (line) - CRH3 -
394.3 km/h
 2010 - China - CRH380A - 416.6 km/h
 2010 - China - CRH380AL - 486.1 km/h (current world record holder for
unmodified commercial trainset)

Target areas for high-speed trains

Density of High-speed railway in Europe. km per million inhabitants.

Density of High-speed railway in East-Asia. km per million inhabitants.

Taiwan's Japanese-built 300 km/h operating, 350 km/h capable 700T series train

The early target areas, identified by France, Japan, and the U.S., were connections
between pairs of large cities. In France, this wasParis–Lyon, in Japan, Tokyo–Osaka,
and in the U.S. the proposals are in high-density areas. The only rail service at
present in the U.S. using high-speed trains is the Acela Express in the Northeast
Corridor between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C.; it uses tilting trains to
achieve speeds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph) on existing tracks. Chicago, with its
central location and metropolitan population of approximately 10 million people, is
envisioned as the hub of a national high-speed rail network in the U.S. The
beginning Midwest phases study aMinneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago-Detroit link;
a Kansas City-St Louis-Chicago link; and a Chicago-Indianapolis-Cincinnati-
Columbus, OH link.

In Europe, South Korea, and Japan, dense networks of city subways and railways
connect seamlessly with high speed rail lines. Some argue[who?] that cities lacking
dense intra-city rail infrastructure, like some cities in the USA, would find low
ridership for high speed rail. The argument is that it is incompatible with existing
automobile infrastructure. (People will want to drive when traveling in city, so they
might as well drive the entire trip). However, others contend that this does not
square with the high use of rail transport currently in the Northeast Corridor, where
many people living in cities outside the rail link, drive to the commuter train and
then commute by train the rest of the way, similar to the way many people drive to
an airport, park their cars and then fly to their final destination. Car rentals and
taxis can also supplement local public transportation. Increased commercial
development is also projected near the destination stations.

Since in Japan intra-city rail daily usage per capita is the highest,[citation needed] it follows
naturally that ridership of 6 billion passengers[32]exceeds the French TGV of 1 billion
(until 2003), the only other system to reach a billion cumulative passengers.[33] For
comparison, the world's fleet of 22,685 aircraft carried 2.1 billion passengers in
2006, according to International Civil Aviation Organization.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is currently planning lines from the San
Francisco Bay and Sacramento to Los Angeles and Irvine via the Central Valley, as
well as a line from Los Angeles to San Diego via the Inland Empire. The Texas High
Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation strives to bring Texas an innovative
high-speed rail and multimodal transportation corridor. The Corporation developed
the Texas T-Bone and Brazos Express corridors to link Central Texas.[34] New York
State Senator Caesar Trunzo announced a long-term plan to bring high-speed rail
service between Buffalo and New York City, via Albany, to under three hours.[35]

Later high speed rail lines, such as the LGV Atlantique, the LGV Est, and most high
speed lines in Germany, were designed as feeder routes branching into
conventional rail lines, serving a larger number of medium-sized cities.

A side effect of the first high-speed rail lines in France was the opening up of
previously isolated regions to fast economic development. Some newer high-speed
lines have been planned primarily for this purpose, such as the Madrid–Sevilla line
and the proposed Amsterdam–Groningenline. Cities relatively close to a major city
may see an increase in population, but those farther away may actually lose
population (except for tourist spots), having a ripple effect on local economies.

Five years after construction began on the line, the first Japanese high-speed rail
line opened on the eve of the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, connecting the capital
with Osaka. The first French high-speed rail line, or Ligne à grande vitesse (LGV),
was opened in 1981 by SNCF, the French rail agency, planning starting in 1966 and
construction in 1976.
'Market segmentation has principally focused on the business travel market. The
French original focus on business travelers is reflected by the early design of
the TGV trains, including the bar car. Pleasure travel was to be a secondary market;
now many of the French extensions connect with vacation beaches on
the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as major amusement parks and also the
very popular Alpine ski resorts in France or Switzerland. Friday evenings are the
peak time for TGVs (train à grande vitesse) (Metzler, 1992). The system has lowered
prices on long distance travel to compete more effectively with air services, and as
a result some cities within an hour of Paris by TGV have become commuter
communities, thus increasing the market while restructuring land use.' (Levinson,
D.)

On the Paris - Lyon service, the number of passengers grew to impressive numbers
justifying the introduction of double-decks coaches on the TGV trainsets.

Other target areas include freight lines, such as the Trans-Siberian

Railway in Russia, which would allow 3 day Far East to Europe service for freight as
opposed to months by ship (but still slower than air), and allow just in
time deliveries. High speed north-south freight lines in Switzerland are under
construction, avoiding slow mountainous truck traffic, and lowering labour costs.

In South America, Argentina has already assigned the construction of a high speed
railway connecting the cities of Buenos Aires, Rosario and Cordoba.[36] The Brazilian
government is currently studying a high speed rail line connecting the cities
Campinas and São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. This high speed rail line will also connect
these airports: Viracopos (Campinas), Guarulhos (São Paulo) and Galeao (Rio de
Janeiro).[37]

Road rail parallel layout

Road Rail Parallel Layout is an approach that uses the land around the road to pass
the railway lines, like the HSR line from Paris to Lyon started in 1981 with 15% of its
stretch along highway and Cologne to Frankfurt with 70%.[38]

Comparison with other modes of transport

Construction of the route through the Kösching forest, north of Ingolstadt, had a
large environmental impact but with Road-Rail Parallel Layout this would be less
than using multiple routes.

High speed rail is often viewed as an isolated system and simply as advantageous
or disadvantageous as compared to other transport systems, but all transport
systems must work together to maximize benefits. A good HSR system has capacity
for non-stop and local services and has good connectivity with other transport
systems. HSR, like any transport system, is not inherently convenient, fast, clean,
nor comfortable. All of this depends on design, implementation, maintenance,
operation and funding. Operational smoothness is often more indicative of
organizational discipline than technological prowess.

Due to current infrastructure designs in many nations, there are constraints on the
growth of the highway and air travel systems. Some key factors promoting HSR are
that airports and highways have no room to expand, and are often overloaded.
High-speed rail has the potential for high capacity on its fixed corridors (double
decked E4 Series Shinkansen can carry 1,634 seated passengers, double that of
an Airbus A380 in all economy class, and even more if standing passengers are
allowed), and has the potential to relieve congestion on the other systems. Well-
established high speed rail systems in use today are more environmentally friendly
than air or road travel. This is due to:
  displaced usage from more environmentally damaging modes of transport.
 lower energy consumption per passenger kilometer
 reduced land usage for a given capacity compared to motorways

Automobiles

High-speed rail has the advantage over automobiles in that it can move passengers
at speeds far faster than those allowed by car in most countries. The lower limit for
HSR (200 km/h, 125 mph) is substantially faster than the highest road speed limit in
most countries. Ignoring the few countries without a general speed limit, the speed
limit is rarely higher than 130 km/h (80 mph). For journeys that connect city centre
to city centre, HSR's advantage is increased due to the lower speed limits within
most urban areas. Generally, the longer the journey, the better the time advantage
of rail over road if going to the same destination.

Moreover, train tracks permit a far higher throughput of passengers per hour than a
road the same width. A high speed rail needs just a double track railway, one track
for each direction. A typical capacity is 15 trains per hour and 800 passengers per
train (as for the Eurostar sets), which implies a capacity of 12,000 passengers per
hour in each direction. By way of contrast, the Highway Capacity Manual gives a
maximum capacity for a single lane of highway of 2,250 passenger cars per hour
(excluding trucks or RVs). Assuming an average vehicle occupancy of 1.57 people,
[39]
a standard twin track railway has a typical capacity 13% greater than a 6-lane
highway (3 lanes each way), while requiring only 40% of the land (1.0/3.0 versus
2.5/7.5 hectares per kilometer of direct/indirect land consumption). This means that
typical passenger rail carries 2.83 times as many passengers per hour per meter
(width) as a road. Some passenger rail systems, such as the Tokaido Shinkansen
line in Japan, have much higher ratios (with as many as 20,000 passengers per hour
per direction). Congested roadways tend to be commuter – these carry fewer than
1.57 persons per vehicle (Washington State Department of Transportation, for
instance, uses 1.2 persons per vehicle) during commute times. Congestion also
causes the maximum throughput of a lane to decrease.

Aircraft
Optimal distance
Spanish high speed, AVE Talgo-350. Maximum speed: 330 km/h (210 mph)

The ETR 500 "Frecciarossa" of the Italian Railways. Maximum speed: 300 km/h (190
mph) Takes 1 hour from downtown Milan to the centre of Bologna, while a
plane+taxi takes an hour and a half to do the same distance.

While commercial high-speed trains have maximum operating speeds much slower
than jet aircraft, they have advantages over air travel mostly for relatively short
distances, and can be an integral part of a transportation system. They also connect
city centre rail stations to multiple other city centre rail stations (with an
intermediate stop passenger loading/unloading time of one or two minutes), while
air transport necessarily connects airports outside city centres to other airports
outside city centres (with a stop time for intermediate destinations of 30 minutes to
1 hour). Both systems complement each other if they are well designed and
maintained.

HSR is best suited for journeys of 2 to 3 hours (250–900 km or about 150–

550 miles), for which the train can beat both air and car in this range. When
traveling less than about 650 km (400 mi), the process of checking in and going
through security screening at airports, as well as the journey to the airport itself
makes the total air journey time no faster than HSR. However, anecdotally,
competition authorities in Europe treat HSR for city pairs as competitive with
passenger air at 4 to 4.5 hours, allowing a 1 hour flight at least 40 minutes at each
point for travel to and from the airport, check-in, security, boarding,
disembarcation, baggage retrieval, and other waits.

However, unless air travel is severely congested, merely providing a comparable

service is often not a compelling financial basis for building an HSR system from
scratch. As a rule of thumb, rail journeys need to be four hours or thereabouts to be
competitive with air travel on journey time. One factor which may have a further
bearing on HSR's competitiveness is the general lack of inconvenience when using
HSR: For example the lack of a requirement to check baggage, or repeated queuing
for check in, security and boarding as well as a typically high on-time reliability as
compared to air. Separately, from a business traveler's perspective, HSR can offer
amenities such as cellular phone network availability, booth tables, more elaborate
power outlets (AC mains outlet vs DC 12 V outlet), more elaborate food service, no
low altitude electronics ban, self service baggage storage area at end of car
(eliminating checked baggage), and on for example Franco-German TGV-Est
wireless internet broadband.

There are routes where high-speed trains have totally beaten air transport, so that
there are no air connections any more. Examples are Paris-Brussels and Cologne-
Frankfurt in Europe, as well as Tokyo-Nagoya, Tokyo-Sendai and Tokyo-Niigata in
Japan. If the train stops at a big airport, like Paris and Frankfurt, these short
distance airplanes lose an extra advantage for the many travelers who want to go
to the airport for a long-distance journey. Airplane tickets can include a train
segment for the journey, with guaranteed rebooking if the connection is missed, like
normal air travel.

HSR is also competitive with cars on shorter distances, like 50–150 km for example
for work commuting if there is road congestion or for people who have expensive
parking fees at their work. For large cities this is common. Not every HSR route has
such regional high speed trains, but it is common. Introduction of them enlarges the
labour market around a large city.

China Southern Airlines, China's largest airline, expects the construction of China's
high speed railway network to impact on 25% of its route network in the coming
years.[40]

Market shares

Statistics from Europe indicate that air traffic is more sensitive than road traffic (car
and bus) to competition from HSR, at least on journeys of 400 km and more –
perhaps because cars and buses are far more flexible than planes (on the shortest
HSR journeys, like Augsburg–Munich, which is served by four ICE routes, air travel is
no alternative). TGV Sud-Est reduced the travelling time Paris–Lyons from almost
four to about two hours. The rail market share rose from 49 to 72 %. For air and
road traffic, the market shares shrunk from 31 to 7 % and from 29 to 21 %,
respectively. On the Madrid–Sevilla relation, the AVE connection rose the rail market
share from 16 to 52 ; air traffic shrunk from 40 to 13 %; road traffic from 44 to
36 %.[41] According to Peter Jorritsma, the rail marked share y compared to planes
approximately can be computed as a function of the travelling time in minutes x by
the formula[42]

y = 1 / (0.031*1.016^x + 1)

According to this formula, a journey time of three hours gives 65 % market share.
However, market shares are also influenced by ticket prices, so some air carriers
have regained market shares by price slashing.[43]
In the US Northeast Corridor the rail market share between New York and
Washington is lower than the formula indicates, 47 % even if the journey time by
the Acela Express is only about 2h 45min.

Other considerations

Although air travel has higher speeds, more time is needed for taxiing, boarding
(fewer doors), security check, luggage drop, and ticket check. Also rail stations are
usually located nearer to urban centers than airports. These factors often offset the
speed advantage of air travel for mid-distance trips.

Construction costs
Weather

Rail travel has less weather dependency than air travel. If the rail system is well-
designed and well-operated, severe weather conditions such as heavy snow, heavy
fog, and storms do not affect the journeys; whereas flights are generally canceled
or delayed under these conditions. Nevertheless, snow and wind can cause some
issues and can delay trains.

Comfort

Although comfort over air travel is often believed to be a trait of high speed rail
because train seats are larger and it is easy for passengers to move around during
the journey, the comfort advantage of rail is not inherent; it depends on the specific
implementation. For example, high speed trains which are not subject to
compulsory reservation may carry some standing passengers. Airplanes do not
allow standing passengers, so excess passengers are denied boarding. Train
passengers can have the choice between standing or waiting for a bookable
connection.

Larger number of target areas

From the operator's point of view, a single train can call at multiple stations, often
far more stops than aircraft, and each stop takes much less down time. One train
stopping pattern can allow a multitude of possible journeys, increasing the potential
market. This increase in potential market allows the operator to schedule more
frequent departures than the aircraft, and hence create another good reason for
preference.

Safety

From the point of view of required traffic control systems and infrastructure, high-
speed rail has the added advantage of being much simpler to control due to its
predictable course, even at very high passenger loads; this issue is becoming more
relevant as air traffic reaches its safe limit in busy airspaces over London, New York,
and other large centers. However, it must be noted that high speed rail systems
[44][45]
reduce (but do not eliminate ) the possibility of collisions with automobiles or
people, while other lower speed rail systems that a high speed train uses to reach
high speed tracks may have level crossings.

Narrow gauge

Narrow gauge trains tend to be slower than standard gauge trains for two main
reasons:
  firstly, the narrower track gauge is inherently a little less stable at hight
speed.

 secondly, narrow gauge lines tend to have very sharp (say 100m) and low
speed curves as saving money is the prime rational for having narrow gauge in
the first place.

Tunisia is reputed to have the fastest metre gauge trains.[46]

The Acela Express, currently the only high-speed rail line in the U.S., with a top
speed of 150 mph (240 km/h)