Rail transport is one of the most energy efficient means of mechanised land transport known. The rails provide very smooth and hard surfaces on which the wheels of the train may roll with a minimum of friction. This is more comfortable than most other forms of land transport and saves energy. Trains also have a small frontal area in relation to the load they are carrying, which cuts down on air resistance and thus energy usage. In all, under the right circumstances, a train needs 50-70% less energy to transport a given tonnage of freight (or given number of passengers), than does road transport. Furthermore, together with the sleepers, the rails distribute the weight of the train evenly, allowing significantly greater loads per axle/wheel than in road transport.
Rail transport is also one of the safest modes of transport, and also makes a highly efficient use of space: a double tracked rail line can carry more passengers or freight in a given amount of time than a four-laned road.
As a result, rail transport is often the major form of public transport in many countries. In Asia, for example, many millions use trains as regular transport in India, South Korea, Japan, China, and elsewhere.
Commercially, rail transport has had a mixed record. Most rail systems, including urban metro/subway systems, are highly subsidised and have never or rarely been profitable; however, their indirect benefits are often great. For example, despite a well-developed network consisting of 4 grades of trains and a widespread urban rail network in Seoul and Pusan, Korean National Rail is a nationalized organization that has never come close to having receipts equal costs. Similarly, passenger rail in the US and many other countries is still dependent on government subsidies. As a result levels of rail transport have in some times and places been reduced in order to save money. Conversely, US freight railways have consolidated and become more efficient in their progress toward profitability. Japan East Railways has taken an innovative and creative marketing stance and have achieved profitability as a result.
Like other forms of public transport, many railways have to make considerable investment in order to meet new requirements for security in the face of recent terrorism incidents. Securing railways is often more difficult than other modes of transport because stations are designed with easy access and high capacity as their primary goals rather than security, because most trains make many stops, rendering any sort of passenger screening difficult, and because securing the tracks as they run through cities and the countryside is impractical.
Like other forms of public transport, many railways have to make considerable investment in order to meet new requirements for security in the face of recent terrorism incidents. Securing railways is often more difficult than other modes of transport because stations are designed with easy access and high capacity as their primary goals rather than security, because most trains make many stops, rendering any sort of passenger screening difficult, and because securing the tracks as they run through cities and the countryside is impractical.
A rail transport system consists of several necessary elements, and should be viewed from a system-wide perspective. Some locomotives may be wonderfully aesthetic constructions, but they won't work unless they are given an appropriate system on which to run.
Firstly there is the geography onto which the permanent way is built. Next is the requirements of the system - what was it built for? For carrying freight, commuters, medium or long-distance travellers? Has that requirement changed over time and left the system to adapt?
As a result of this, what is the type of system. Is it light or heavy rail, high-speed? To what gauge is it built? In a broader sense, rail transport includes monorail, rubber-tyred metros and maglev, since the cars also run in a guided path. The term "guideway" describes the non-traditional modes.
Trains require a propulsion mechanism: horses, or steam, diesel or electric locomotives. (The last of these options, the most energy efficient, requires electrification of the system).
To be electrified, a means of supplying electricity to the train is needed. This can be done with overhead wires or with a third rail system. The former is the more common method.
Depending on how much traffic they carry, railways can be built with a varying number of tracks. Rail lines that carry little traffic are often built with a single track which is used by trains travelling in both directions; on rail lines like these, "crossovers", "passing loops" or "passing sidings", which consist of short stretches of double track, are provided at certain points along the line to allow trains to pass each other, and travel in different directions. Alternatively, there may be larger sections of the line that are double track - effective timetabling can allow train travel up and down the partially double track line equivalent to travel on fully double tracks. Conversely, double tram track is sometimes intertwined at narrow passages. Single-track lines are cheaper to build, but can only handle a limited amount of traffic.
On busier lines, two or more tracks are provided, one or more for each direction of travel. On very busy lines as many as eight tracks (four tracks in each direction) are used to handle large amounts of traffic.
With the advent of containerized freight in the 1960s, rail and ship transportation have become an integrated network that move bulk goods very efficiently with a very low labour cost. An example is that goods from east Asia that are bound for Europe will often be shipped across the Pacific and transferred to trains to cross North America and be transferred back to a ship for the Atlantic crossing.
Major cities often have metro and/or light rail/tram systems. For a tram on the road the terms streetcar track or tram track are used, rather than railway or railroad. A tram with its own right-of-way is called a tramway.
Safety Reliable transportation of goods is the primary and determining precondition for its quality. Comparing rail traffic with other traffic modes, we find out the rail traffic is undoubtedly the most reliable traffic mode. This reliability does not result from a lower number of traffic accidents, but also lesser losses incurred from these accidents. Making use of the rail traffic we prevent dozens of casualties, hundreds of injuries and tens of millions of losses each year.
Accident rate of rail traffic participants is almost zero, which is not true for automobile, neither air transport. The road transport carries along a direct danger for participants' safety in every accident. Thereunto, the most serious accidents on rail tracks are caused by motor vehicles drivers at railway crossings. High level of safety makes the rail traffic one of the most favourable traffic modes.
At the same time, rail traffic disburdens overburdened network of highways and primary roads, which contributes to a smooth and safe road transport, which ensures better prevention from damages and losses on transported goods.
Responsibility for ecology Human activities do not recognize borders of countries and continents; we are continuously observing a growth of production as well as consumption. The growth accompanies us on each step, including transport. Number and volume of transportations are growing and requirements on speed, punctuality, reliability and flexibility of transportations are increasing day by day. Millions of tons of goods transported each day by various traffic modes have an impact on quality of environment. Responsibility for its maintenance is a duty of all men and organizations regardless of the more and more perceptible appeal to environment protection. Ability of meeting customer's requirements in an environment-friendly manner has therefore become one of the basic criteria for quality of transport services, as well as a significant competitive advantage of railway carriers.
Railway traffic is an efficient and environment-friendly transport system in many cases, whereas large volumes of goods can be transported on long distances quickly and with a minor impact on environment. Compared with automobile or air transport, railway transport produces the lowest amount of emissions and requires much lower costs on regeneration of damaged environment. From the total amount of costs on reduction of negative impacts of transport industry on environment, only 8% comes from railway transport, while up to 90% comes from road transport, even though its traffic performance is by 50% lower than the traffic performance of railway transport. Another important argument placing the railway transport above the road transport is a lower occupation of agricultural land. While road transport occupies almost 74% of such land, railway transport occupies 27% only, even though its traffic performance is almost twice as big as the one of the road traffic It can also be proved by the fact, that almost 7 hectares of agricultural land is needed in the road transport to execute 1 million of tonkilometers, while in railway transport it is 1 hectare only.
Also noise strain produced by the railway transport on environment is lower than by the road transport. Intensity of rail traffic results from time tables and railway network is mostly built up out of urban zones, while several strong road traffic streams are also directed to urban zones.
Transportation capacity and price conditions In national economy, the railway traffic has its specific and irreplaceable position. It enables and facilitates transportations of goods, transportation of which by a different traffic mode would be too expensive and therefore inefficient. It enables transportation of bigger quantity of goods on long or medium distances at relatively low costs.
Lower transport restrictions In comparison with road carriers, the important advantage of railway transport can also be lower transport restrictions. The road carriers must respect several regulations, such as limitations in utilizing highways and primary roads, limitations in traffic peaks, or obligations to keep safety breaks. Advantage of railway transport out of the EU countries is also shorter waiting times on border crossings.
Optimalization of transport processes Considering all transport claims a new trend of a combined transport is coming to the sphere of transportations. This transportation system lays stress on utilizing of railway transport supplemented by advantages of other traffic modes. It combines flexibility and fast transposition of goods with a reasonable consumption of energy and positive ecological aspect, minimizes impacts on environment and that way charges the society with rational ecological costs.
An unquestionable advantage of the combined transport is a possibility of connection to integrated logistic chain using combined transport units and "door-to-door" delivery of goods. As transportation in combined transport units is executed without goods handling, there is a lower risk of losses or damages on goods and therefore the whole transportation process is accelerated.
Firstly there is the geography onto which the permanent way is built. Next is the requirements of the system - what was it built for? For carrying freight, commuters, medium or long-distance travellers? Has that requirement changed over time and left the system to adapt?
As a result of this, what is the type of system. Is it light or heavy rail, high-speed? To what gauge is it built? In a broader sense, rail transport includes monorail, rubber-tyred metros and maglev, since the cars also run in a guided path. The term "guideway" describes the non-traditional modes.
Trains require a propulsion mechanism: horses, or steam, diesel or electric locomotives. (The last of these options, the most energy efficient, requires electrification of the system).
To be electrified, a means of supplying electricity to the train is needed. This can be done with overhead wires or with a third rail system. The former is the more common method.
Depending on how much traffic they carry, railways can be built with a varying number of tracks. Rail lines that carry little traffic are often built with a single track which is used by trains travelling in both directions; on rail lines like these, "crossovers", "passing loops" or "passing sidings", which consist of short stretches of double track, are provided at certain points along the line to allow trains to pass each other, and travel in different directions. Alternatively, there may be larger sections of the line that are double track - effective timetabling can allow train travel up and down the partially double track line equivalent to travel on fully double tracks. Conversely, double tram track is sometimes intertwined at narrow passages. Single-track lines are cheaper to build, but can only handle a limited amount of traffic.
On busier lines, two or more tracks are provided, one or more for each direction of travel. On very busy lines as many as eight tracks (four tracks in each direction) are used to handle large amounts of traffic.
With the advent of containerized freight in the 1960s, rail and ship transportation have become an integrated network that move bulk goods very efficiently with a very low labour cost. An example is that goods from east Asia that are bound for Europe will often be shipped across the Pacific and transferred to trains to cross North America and be transferred back to a ship for the Atlantic crossing.
Major cities often have metro and/or light rail/tram systems. For a tram on the road the terms streetcar track or tram track are used, rather than railway or railroad. A tram with its own right-of-way is called a tramway.
Safety Reliable transportation of goods is the primary and determining precondition for its quality. Comparing rail traffic with other traffic modes, we find out the rail traffic is undoubtedly the most reliable traffic mode. This reliability does not result from a lower number of traffic accidents, but also lesser losses incurred from these accidents. Making use of the rail traffic we prevent dozens of casualties, hundreds of injuries and tens of millions of losses each year.
Accident rate of rail traffic participants is almost zero, which is not true for automobile, neither air transport. The road transport carries along a direct danger for participants' safety in every accident. Thereunto, the most serious accidents on rail tracks are caused by motor vehicles drivers at railway crossings. High level of safety makes the rail traffic one of the most favourable traffic modes.
At the same time, rail traffic disburdens overburdened network of highways and primary roads, which contributes to a smooth and safe road transport, which ensures better prevention from damages and losses on transported goods.
Responsibility for ecology Human activities do not recognize borders of countries and continents; we are continuously observing a growth of production as well as consumption. The growth accompanies us on each step, including transport. Number and volume of transportations are growing and requirements on speed, punctuality, reliability and flexibility of transportations are increasing day by day. Millions of tons of goods transported each day by various traffic modes have an impact on quality of environment. Responsibility for its maintenance is a duty of all men and organizations regardless of the more and more perceptible appeal to environment protection. Ability of meeting customer's requirements in an environment-friendly manner has therefore become one of the basic criteria for quality of transport services, as well as a significant competitive advantage of railway carriers.
Railway traffic is an efficient and environment-friendly transport system in many cases, whereas large volumes of goods can be transported on long distances quickly and with a minor impact on environment. Compared with automobile or air transport, railway transport produces the lowest amount of emissions and requires much lower costs on regeneration of damaged environment. From the total amount of costs on reduction of negative impacts of transport industry on environment, only 8% comes from railway transport, while up to 90% comes from road transport, even though its traffic performance is by 50% lower than the traffic performance of railway transport. Another important argument placing the railway transport above the road transport is a lower occupation of agricultural land. While road transport occupies almost 74% of such land, railway transport occupies 27% only, even though its traffic performance is almost twice as big as the one of the road traffic It can also be proved by the fact, that almost 7 hectares of agricultural land is needed in the road transport to execute 1 million of tonkilometers, while in railway transport it is 1 hectare only.
Also noise strain produced by the railway transport on environment is lower than by the road transport. Intensity of rail traffic results from time tables and railway network is mostly built up out of urban zones, while several strong road traffic streams are also directed to urban zones.
Transportation capacity and price conditions In national economy, the railway traffic has its specific and irreplaceable position. It enables and facilitates transportations of goods, transportation of which by a different traffic mode would be too expensive and therefore inefficient. It enables transportation of bigger quantity of goods on long or medium distances at relatively low costs.
Lower transport restrictions In comparison with road carriers, the important advantage of railway transport can also be lower transport restrictions. The road carriers must respect several regulations, such as limitations in utilizing highways and primary roads, limitations in traffic peaks, or obligations to keep safety breaks. Advantage of railway transport out of the EU countries is also shorter waiting times on border crossings.
Optimalization of transport processes Considering all transport claims a new trend of a combined transport is coming to the sphere of transportations. This transportation system lays stress on utilizing of railway transport supplemented by advantages of other traffic modes. It combines flexibility and fast transposition of goods with a reasonable consumption of energy and positive ecological aspect, minimizes impacts on environment and that way charges the society with rational ecological costs.
An unquestionable advantage of the combined transport is a possibility of connection to integrated logistic chain using combined transport units and "door-to-door" delivery of goods. As transportation in combined transport units is executed without goods handling, there is a lower risk of losses or damages on goods and therefore the whole transportation process is accelerated.
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