Editing Rail transport (section)

===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"/>