Rail transport in your nation

[Free Tristania]

How important is the role that your nation's railways plays within your national economy ? And who owns them ?

In the case of Free Tristania it can be said that the railways still play a major role in the maintenance of the economy but importance in passenger transport has been diminished over the past decade (due to increasing car ownership and the increasing importance of the aeroplane). As a consequence the importance of the railways when it comes to freight has now come to overshadow it's role in passenger transport.

The trunk lines and the regional network around the main conurbations are maintained by the publicly owned national railways (Nasionale Spoorweë/ National Railways NS/NR) while most local lines are in the hands of privately-owned companies (and are also maintained by them). The nation's freight transport is in the hands of privately-owned companies.

Last March, the Serping Report proposed that most (state-owned) smaller railway lines in remote areas which are not used for freight transport should be axed and replaced with bus lines and improvements in the road network (particularly since private car ownership in even the most remote areas has risen to 1-3).

Most trains either run on diesel or algal biodiesel and only the trunk routes are electrified (as a way of cutting costs).

The most important rolling stock in the NS/NR arsenal (used for passenger services):


Aurora - Type 2012 Maglev. (Only used on the Halifax-Handelshaven-Blankenes- Blauwbaai and Slagbaai Int.- Handelshaven routes). Top speed: 700 km/h.



The Mercury ICE (electric).



Intercity 125 (diesel/algal biodiesel). - Will be retired by the NS/NR by 2017 and replaced by the Intercity 225 after the electrification of it's designated routes).


Intercity 225 (electric) and it's modernised variants.

The Intercity 125 and 225 are also used by the numerous private companies (along with numerous other types).

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Should be in factbooks & information.

Anyways, here it is not that important.
However, the only non military and government way of travel in the underground capital of Hell Pit is by train and metro, so it's quite important there.

[Free Tristania]

Ah blast.. I made a mistake. I will ask for it to be moved.

[Aurora Confederacy]

from South Sands, in the south of the country, to the north, then down the far side of the nation, rail pays an important role of passenger and freight transportation,
the primary operator is Auroran Railways, now operating the Kestrel High Speed Train

These sets operate in 1500v and 10,000v DC rail lines, riding on standard gauge tracks.

[Kingdom of Phoenixia]

Rail transport is the number one transport method in Phoenixia, both for Cargo and People. Every city over 10 000 people population has access to inter regional transport routes, the whole rail system sums of 1 000 000 000 miles and doubles the highway system with this.
Tickets are ranging from 5 to 50 Phoenix Dollar (~ 10 to 100 NS Dollar) with special group tickets for families and travel groups.
All in all the rail system in Phoenixia is one of the main reasons why the transport system is nearly CO² neutral.

[Saintland]

The Kingdom of Saintland has high-speed rail throughout the Kingdom. The rail system is owned by Royal Railroad, which is a company run by the King's Government.

Royal Railroad is the primary means of transportation between cities, towns and villages. Every community in Saintland has a Royal Railroad station and trains travel across the Kingdom regularly. Roads between communities are in poor condition and cars are rare because Saintland does not have a car industry and the costs of importing a car to Saintland (a remote island somewhere in the arctic) are prohibitive. Use of railroads to travel around even St. Petrus or St. Paulus would not make sense, as the cities of Saintland are not very large compared to other nations.

[Geadland]

About 8% of all journies in Geadland are made by train, making it the third most popular method of transport after cars and bikes. The network is dense, with nearly every town with a population of over 10,000 has a railway connection and nearly all stations having at least one train an hour at peak time. The railway network is primarily operated by a state-owned company called Gaudlundste Sporbanens while metro and suburban rail networks are operated by public-private partnerships and a few minor routes are run by private companies. A company called RailSpor maintains the track and infrastructure.

[Towson]

How important is the role that your nation's railways plays within your national economy?
There the main form of Transport for Goods in and out of Towson.Along with a very strong Passenger Rail System.

And who owns them?
Regional Rail Companies.

[Jentoan]

Our railways are one of the main ways to get goods from one place to another in Jentoan. All of the trains are owned by the private sector, with the most popular train company being "Rail Train Jentoan." Also, many people in Jentoan use the trains to get from one place to another. Trains are the most popular way to get from one place to another in Jentoan. Here is a picture of a train going from Trevo to Jentoan City:

[Iuvaria]

The I.R.A (Iuvarian rail association) owns pretty much most of the rail services although Trayla Industries have set up high speed trains to all major industrial, technological and business oriented cities. So they get most of the rush hour business people. While the I.R.A get the holidaymakers, tourists and students.

The I.R.A fleet include two diesel and three electric trains. The two Diesel models are called the Potentia AS2O1 and the C92 Firmitudo. The three electric models are basically the same with slight adjustments visually inside the train they are the Offensio 17G, A076 and TN5.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/LIRR_EMD_DM30AC_515_pushing_Train_8054.jpg

Trayla industries have two types of trains In their fleet. The Magnetem 115 is a maglev train soley powered by the magnets and the C80 solaris runs off solar energy which power gets stored in roof mounted generators, which then power turbines which power the train. They also get power during the night through large solar chargers at the train depot which store electricity which then gets transferred into backup generators at the back of the train incase the power from the day generators (at the front) run out.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N3ZoW4cUyWk/TwW-CFfAsAI/AAAAAAAAeCY/DzS6F5pB6cg/s1600/japan_JR_maglev_train+%25285%2529.jpg

[Radiatia]

Trains have traditionally been very important in the Radiatian Federation, with them having originally been the only way to traverse Radiatia's vast wilderness.

The rise of the interstate highway system has seen trains become less popular than the private car in recent years, however they are still used frequently by passengers, commuters as well as to transport cargo from place to place.

The actual railway lines are usually owned by the federal government and occasionally by municipal or state governments; the trains themselves (such as the Overland, Underground and Radiatian Railways) are owned and run by private companies.

[Vettrera]

Monorail Bitches!

Most public transportation is by monorail.

[The Kaiju Free State]

Because of the ban on cars, public and commercial transportation has long been reliant on trains. There is an extensive network of 1.5-m gauge track throughout our nation, all of it state-owned, with much of it electrified with catenary lines. The national high-speed rail system was completed in 1998, but more and more lines are being built regularly. An average citizen can get anywhere in the country within 24 hours without stepping foot in a plane.
Inner-city rail transport is generally on ALWEG-type monorail, rubber tyred metro, or conventional metro. Streetcars are fairly rare, but have made a comeback in some places.

[Reichsland]

Reichsland has extensive rail networks all across the naion. Many of the lines that move goods to and from locations are privately owned by coporations. There are also some commuter railways that are owned and maintained by private companies.

Then on the other hand, the military has some railways that only it can use. These are financed by the military budget. These railways allow for the quick mobilization and transfer of units and equipments to various parts of the country. The Federal and state goverments also own and control a few different commuter lines in large cities. These trains are not as fast or luxurious as privatized railways however they are cheaper.

[Sibirsky]

The railroad system in Sibirsky is entirely private. High speed rail is widely used. There are 366,222 km (227,566 miles) of track throughout the nation. Maglev trains are widely used, although some lesser traveled routes still use conventional trains. Most trains top out at around 240 mph (386 km/h), although the line between New Washington and Sergeville hit a top of speed of 314 mph (505 km/h).

[New Lyrane]

The role of railways is absolutely vital in the Lyranian economy. They are the major mode of surface transportation. There are several competing railway companies; every major city is served by at least two. Electric high speed trains connect all major cities, mostly on dedicated high speed lines. Some commuter lines are owned by municipalities or provinces.

Railways also carry almost all freight. A lot of freight that requires transshipment is carried in utetimipi, intermodal containers that can be loaded on a lorry... or a starship.

Highways are maintained by the provinces and they are perennially underfunded. Their condition ranges from serviceable to abominable, so highways are not really a viable competitor to railways.

[The Orson Empire]

All monorails and ground railways in the Empire are connected into a system called the Orson Monorail Network (OMN), which is directly controlled by the Orson government. The railroad stretches from the surface to long underground tunnels that criss-cross the entire planet, because we have territories all over the planet. The longest and most used stretch is the Australia-Egyptian-Argentinian line, which stretches for an estimated 10,000 miles, crossing the entire planet.

Trains use magnetic levitation and have plasma-ion engines, allowing them to reach a maximum speed of 45,000 MPH. This is effective because it allows the train to cross the planet in minutes. They have enough fuel to circle the planet 20 times at maximum speed.

Picture:

[Urmanian]

The Herd has a very extensive railroad network, rail being probably the most popular way of travel overall (given how automobiles are rare and motorways are generally in rather poor state or are expensive private toll roads), with hundreds of millions using railroads to travel and commute daily, and a vital part of the economy and transportation industry. Train is used to travel and transport goods on short and long distances; all large cities are connected by rail and usually have commuter electric rail networks that connect them, their suburbs and close neighboring cities. Large cities are generally connected by modern, state-of-art high-speed and maglev railroad, but more distant areas still operate older trains, some areas even still running old-fashioned steam models for sentimental value. Railroads are fully privatized and are a lucrative, competitive market.

[Themiclesia]

Railway is the principal means of transport between Themiclesia's 17 provinces and to the colonies. All main railways are owned and operated by the Railway Division of the Transport Office of both Departments.

Railways by law must provide a four-class system, with 4th Class not exceeding 6 Shillings between Lyttonwic and Parcerwic, 720 miles apart. 6 Shillings is about $190 USD. 4th Class accommodation includes a padded seat lined with leather with decent recline in carriages with open-style seating plan.

The journey takes about 1.5 day. Train stops over on multiple locations. 3rd Class is 2x the 4th Class fare, and 2nd Class 8x the 4th Class fare. 1st Class is not offered on most trains, but it is 32x the 4th Class fare. 3rd Class seats can be converted into a bed during night, and has very good privacy. 2nd Class includes a personal enclosure as well as a T.V. with a separate bed. 1st Class includes a seating place as well as a separate sleeping room, with the seat in the Parlour Carriage.

The fastest trains are called Limited Expresses, and the sample journey is that of a limited express.

Railway trains obey a maximum of 45 MPH throughout the land. On certain routes, steam locomotives are still used, as the Transport Office is usually out of money for newer locomotives. The longest route in Themiclesia with a continuous service is Lyttonwic-Atlanta, covering over 3000 miles in 8 days.

On a train that has a 1st Class carriage (Train 1/2 Lyttonwic=Parcerwic offers the only regular 1st Class service; Train 31/32 Lyttonwic=Jackson MI offers it on Mondays & Fridays), the consist usually looked somewhat like this:
---Front---
Locomotive, Pacific Class, 4-6-2.
Tender to Locomotive
4th Class
4th Class
Dining Carriage
4th Class
4th Class
4th Class
4th Class
Dining Carriage
4th Class
4th Class
3rd Class
3rd Class
Dining Carraige
2nd Class
1st Class - Sleeper
1st Class - Observation Carriage
---Rear---

[Costa Alegria]

How important is the role that your nation's railways plays within your national economy?
Quite important, as rail is the primary mode of transporting Costa Fiero's resources from the interior to the cities to be refined or exported.

And who owns them?
Costa Fiero has two principal rail gauges: Standard gauge (1435mm) and Cape gauge (1060mm). All of the Standard gauge and some of the Cape gauge rail lines are owned by a government-owned company which maintains them and builds new ones. FNCF, the national railway company (also state owned) only owns the locomotives and the passenger rolling stock. Additionally, there are lines in the country owned by private companies such as the 1060mm lines in the Andes which are owned and maintained by FASA as well as lines owned by mining companies and heritage rail associations.

[Saurisisia]

Somewhat important, railways are a quick and cheap way to get from one part of a single continent or state to another. The railroad system is operated by a number of different companies, both big and small, which operate both passenger and freight lines. Trains are considered a speedier way to traverse the massive continents and large islands that constitute the majority of the nation's landmass than cars and are cheaper than flying. Diesel trains are commonly used, with a few lines that use electric trains. Steam engines are often seen only on scenic railways or railways intent on maintaining a nostalgia effect.

[Nyte]

Inner City Bullet Trains are the only means of high speed travel through Nytes mega-cities. At least for the average citizen. They have a maximum speed of 1,000MPH.


Rail transport is also used on Fenris, which is an ice world. Large mega-trains are used to transport both people and goods while offering protection from the sub-zero temperatures.


Similar mega-trains are also used on Baal which is a desert world prone to violent, long lasting sand storms.

[Eahland]

Trains use magnetic levitation and have plasma-ion engines, allowing them to reach a maximum speed of 45,000 MPH. This is effective because it allows the train to cross the planet in minutes. They have enough fuel to circle the planet 20 times at maximum speed.

So, uh, you realize that 45,000 miles per hour is about 20,000 MPH faster than Earth escape velocity? In other words, your "trains" aren't circling the planet. They're shooting off into space and never coming back.

[SquareDisc City]

So, uh, you realize that 45,000 miles per hour is about 20,000 MPH faster than Earth escape velocity? In other words, your "trains" aren't circling the planet. They're shooting off into space and never coming back.

It would be less a case of magnetic levitation, and more one of magnetic downforce to stop that happening!

As for the United Pokemon Types, rail transport's historically been quite significant, if one wanted to make an intercity journey without running or flying it oneself, the trains were the best way. Now we have upgraded the main routes to incorporate multi-lane motorways to invigorate the car. We're also planning on running new train lines on said routes, but at the moment the planning is deadlocked on whether to go with maglevs or wheeled trains. Some fear trains will lose crucial market share with the delays, others expect that much greater speeds will ensure they remain the choice for long intercity transport.

[Australian rePublic]

We're a massive nation in area, and we have many railways