Editing Rail transport (section)

==Operations==

===Ownership===
Since the 1980s, there has been an increasing trend to split up railway companies, with companies owning the rolling stock separated from those owning the infrastructure. This is particularly true in Europe, where this arrangement is required by the European Union. This has allowed open access by any train operator to any portion of the European railway network. In the UK, the railway track is state owned, with a public controlled body ([[Network Rail]]) running, maintaining and developing the track, while Train Operating Companies have run the trains since [[privatisation of British Rail|privatization in the 1990s]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about-us/|title = About Us|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141009231027/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about-us/|archive-date = 9 October 2014|url-status = dead}}</ref>

In the U.S., virtually all rail networks and infrastructure outside the [[Northeast corridor]] are privately owned by freight lines. Passenger lines, primarily [[Amtrak]], operate as tenants on the freight lines. Consequently, operations must be closely synchronized and coordinated between freight and passenger railroads, with passenger trains often being dispatched by the host freight railroad. Due to this shared system, both are regulated by the [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) and may follow the [[American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association|AREMA]] recommended practices for track work and [[Association of American Railroads|AAR]] standards for vehicles.<ref name="AREMA. 2003. Practical Guide to Railway Engineering"/>

===Financing===
The main source of income for railway companies is from [[train ticket|ticket]] revenue (for passenger transport) and shipment fees for cargo.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Guan |first1=Xueyi |last2=Qin |first2=Jin |last3=Mao |first3=Chenghui |last4=Zhou |first4=Wenliang |date=January 2023 |title=A Literature Review of Railway Pricing Based on Revenue Management |journal=Mathematics |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=857 |doi=10.3390/math11040857 |doi-access=free |issn=2227-7390}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shipping Tariffs |url=https://www.odfl.com/us/en/resources/tariffs.html |access-date=2024-04-07 |website=Old Dominion Freight Line}}</ref> Discounts and monthly passes are sometimes available for frequent travellers (e.g. [[season ticket]] and [[rail pass]]). 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.

Governments 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 increased production. If operations have been privatised, several options are available. Some countries have a system where the infrastructure is owned by a government agency or company&nbsp;– 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 held, and a time-limited contract awarded to the lowest bidder. [[Rail transport in Europe#Subsidies|Total EU rail subsidies]] amounted to €73&nbsp;billion in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/technical_report_2007_3/download |title=EU Technical Report 2007 |access-date=26 January 2016 |archive-date=23 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123142006/https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/technical_report_2007_3/download |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Via Rail Canada]] and US passenger rail service [[Amtrak]] are private railroad companies chartered by their respective national governments. As private passenger services declined because of competition from cars and airlines, they became [[shareholder]]s of Amtrak either with a cash entrance fee or relinquishing their locomotives and rolling stock. The government subsidises Amtrak by supplying start-up [[capital (economics)|capital]] and making up for losses at the end of the [[fiscal year]].<ref name="EuDaly, K, et al. 2009. Complete Book of North American Railroading">{{Complete Book of North American Railroading|display-authors=1}}</ref>{{page needed|date=July 2015}}

===Safety===
[[File:Road-way vs. railway safety.png|thumb|right|upright=1.5|According to [[Eurostat]] and the [[European Railway Agency]], the fatality risk for passengers and occupants on European railways is 28 times lower when compared with car usage (based on data by EU-27 member nations, 2008–2010).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/transport/data/database |type=statistical database |title=Statistics database for transports |date=20 April 2014 |website=epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu |publisher=Eurostat, European Commission |access-date=12 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603163108/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/transport/data/database |archive-date=3 June 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.era.europa.eu/Document-Register/Documents/SPR%202013%20Final%20for%20web.pdf| title=Intermediate report on the development of railway safety in the European Union 2013| editor=Vojtech Eksler| type=report| website=www.era.europa.eu| date=5 May 2013| page=1| publisher=Safety Unit, European Railway Agency & European Union| access-date=12 May 2014| archive-date=29 August 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829110858/http://www.era.europa.eu/Document-Register/Documents/SPR%202013%20Final%20for%20web.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Some trains travel faster than road vehicles. They are heavy and unable to deviate from the track, and have longer stopping distances. Possible accidents include [[derailment]] (jumping the track) and collisions with another train or a road vehicle, or with pedestrians at level crossings, which account for the majority of all rail accidents and casualties. To minimize the risk, the most important safety measures are strict operating rules, e.g. [[railway signalling]], and gates or [[grade separation]] at crossings. [[Train whistle]]s, bells, or [[train horn|horns]] warn of the presence of a train, while trackside signals maintain the distances between trains. Another method used to increase safety is the addition of [[platform screen doors]] to separate the platform from train tracks. These prevent unauthorised incursion on to the train tracks which can result in accidents that cause serious harm or death, as well as providing other benefits such as preventing litter build up on the tracks which can pose a fire risk.

On many high-speed inter-city networks, such as Japan's [[Shinkansen]], the trains run on dedicated railway lines without any level crossings. This is an important element in the safety of the system as it effectively eliminates the potential for collision with automobiles, other vehicles, or pedestrians, and greatly reduces the probability of collision with other trains. Another benefit is that services on the inter-city network remain punctual.

===Maintenance===
As in any [[infrastructure]] asset, railways must keep up with periodic inspection and maintenance to minimise the effect of infrastructure failures that can disrupt freight revenue operations and passenger services. Because passengers are considered the most ''crucial cargo'' and usually operate at higher speeds, steeper grades, and higher capacity/frequency, their lines are especially important. Inspection practices include [[track geometry car]]s or walking inspection. Curve maintenance especially for transit services includes gauging, fastener tightening, and rail replacement.

Rail corrugation is a common issue with transit systems due to the high number of light-axle, wheel passages which result in grinding of the wheel/rail interface. Since maintenance may overlap with operations, maintenance windows (nighttime hours, [[off-peak hours]], altering train schedules or routes) must be closely followed. In addition, passenger safety during maintenance work (inter-track fencing, proper storage of materials, track work notices, hazards of equipment near states) must be regarded at all times. At times, maintenance access problems can emerge due to tunnels, elevated structures, and congested cityscapes. Here, specialised equipment or smaller versions of conventional maintenance gear are used.<ref name="AREMA. 2003. Practical Guide to Railway Engineering"/>

Unlike [[highways]] or [[road network]]s where capacity is disaggregated into unlinked trips over individual route segments, railway capacity is fundamentally considered a network system. As a result, many components are causes and effects of system disruptions. Maintenance must acknowledge the vast array of a route's performance (type of train service, origination/destination, seasonal impacts), a line's capacity (length, terrain, number of tracks, types of train control), trains throughput (max speeds, acceleration/ deceleration rates), and service features with shared passenger-freight tracks (sidings, terminal capacities, switching routes, and design type).<ref name="AREMA. 2003. Practical Guide to Railway Engineering"/>