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Rail transport

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

   A railway yard in Portland, Oregon.
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   A railway yard in Portland, Oregon.

   Rail transport is the transport of passengers and goods along railways
   or railroads. A typical railway (or railroad) track consists of two
   parallel steel (or in older networks, iron) rails, generally anchored
   perpendicular to beams, termed sleepers ( Commonwealth) or railroad
   ties (U.S. and Canada), of timber, concrete, or steel to maintain a
   consistent distance apart, or gauge. The rails and perpendicular beams
   are usually then placed on a foundation made of concrete or compressed
   earth and gravel in a bed of ballast to prevent the track from buckling
   (bending out of its original configuration) as the ground settles over
   time beneath and under the weight of the vehicles passing above. The
   vehicles traveling on the rails are arranged in a train; a series of
   individual powered or unpowered vehicles linked together, displaying
   markers. These vehicles (referred to, in general, as cars, carriages or
   wagons) move with much less friction than do vehicles riding on rubber
   tires on a paved road, and the locomotive that pulls the train tends to
   use energy far more efficiently as a result.

General

   Boxcars transport bulk loads of freight.
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   Boxcars transport bulk loads of freight.

   Rail transport is an energy-efficient and capital-intensive means of
   mechanized land transport. Rails provide very smooth and hard surfaces
   on which the wheels of the train may roll with a minimum of friction.
   As an example, a typical wagon can hold up to 125 tons of freight on
   two four-wheel bogies (termed "trucks" in North America). Fully loaded,
   the contact between each wheel and the rail is the area of about one
   U.S. ten-cent piece. This can save energy compared with other forms of
   transportation, such as road transport which depends on rubber tires on
   pavement. 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, the rails and
   sleepers distribute the weight of the train evenly, allowing
   significantly greater loads per axle / wheel than in road transport,
   leading to less wear and tear on the permanent way.
   An intercity passenger train (left) and freight train (right) in Great
   Britain
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   An intercity passenger train (left) and freight train (right) in Great
   Britain

   Rail transport makes highly efficient use of space: a double-track rail
   line can carry more passengers or freight in a given amount of time
   than a four-lane road.

   As a result, rail transport is a 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. It is also widespread in
   European countries.

   Rail transport as a form of public transit in the United States is rare
   outside the Northeast Corridor. Few major US cities other than
   Cleveland, New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia
   can lay claim to any significant use of local rail-based passenger
   transport; Amtrak is the only nationwide passenger rail system in the
   country. In Canada, the government-owned VIA Rail system provides
   intercity service at prices that are usually higher than bus service
   but lower than air travel. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver operate
   rapid transit and/or light rail services that receive millions of
   riders a year, and Ottawa is currently in the process of expanding a
   light-rail pilot project.

   Commercially, world rail transport has had a mixed record. Most rail
   systems, including urban rapid transit (metro/subway) systems, are
   highly subsidized and have never or rarely been profitable; however,
   their indirect benefits are often great. Passenger rail in nearly all
   countries is 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. The four largest US
   railways ( Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern) all reported
   profits of over $1 billion in 2005 . Canada's major rail operators, CN
   and CP, have been extremely profitable since the 1960s, when they
   abandoned most lightly-used routes and concentrated solely on freight
   between major points. Investments in advanced switching technology
   helped lower cost of operations dramatically. In more recent years both
   railways have expanded, buying up a number of formerly US-based
   companies like the Soo Line Railroad. The East Japan Railway Company
   has taken an innovative and creative marketing stance and have achieved
   profitability as a result.

   It is difficult to make a complete and accurate comparison of the
   economics of various modes of transport as all modes benefit from
   substantial government, as well as private, spending. For example,
   public highways, aircraft manufacturers, airports and sea ports all
   typically receive very large capital subsidies.

Operations

   A railway can be broken down into two major components. Basically these
   are the items which "move", the locomotives, passenger carrying
   vehicles (coaches), freight carrying vehicles (goods wagons / freight
   cars) and those which are "fixed", usually referred to as its
   infrastructure. This category includes the permanent way (tracks) and
   buildings (stations, freight facilities, viaducts and tunnels).
   CSX Local B-730 at Salt City industrial facility in Westfield,
   Massachusetts, 2005-04-05 at 7:00 pm, powered by EMD GP40 locomotives,
   numbers 6245 and 6230
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   CSX Local B-730 at Salt City industrial facility in Westfield,
   Massachusetts, 2005- 04-05 at 7:00 pm, powered by EMD GP40 locomotives,
   numbers 6245 and 6230

   The operation of the railway is through a system of control, originally
   by mechanical means, nowadays, in most places, electronic and
   computerised. The volume of traffic on the line dictates the number of
   tracks required for its operation. Lightly used lines may be a single
   track, to be used by trains in both directions with "passing loops"
   ("passing sidings" in USA) spaced at regular intervals, regularly,
   although not always, at passenger stations. These consist of short
   stretches of double track which allow trains to pass each another.
   Alternatively, and particularly on freight lines, there may be longer
   sections of the line that are double track. These sections must be able
   to accommodate the longest train which normally works on that line.
   Effective traffic control is carried out by a "token" system. where
   only one token is available for each single line section. Originally
   this token was physically exchanged between signalman and driver, later
   by mechanical means using a device on the locomotive cab side whilst
   nowadays this system has largely been replaced by an electronic system
   of CTC (Centralised Traffic Control) or RETB in the uk (Radio Electric
   token block). The handing over of the "token" should ensure that only
   one train is in each single section at any one time and should prevent
   head - on accidents. At places where there is a limited width available
   for construction the double track is sometimes interlaced (see Gantlet
   track). Single-track lines are cheaper to build than double, but can
   handle only a limited amount of traffic, this being dependant on the
   distance between, and the length of "passing loops". They are used
   mainly on branch lines, except in Canada, where the four
   transcontinental lines are still predominantly single-track.

   On busier lines, two or more main tracks are provided, for each
   direction of travel. On very busy lines as many as eight tracks (four
   in each direction) are used to handle large amounts of traffic.

   With the advent of containerized freight in the 1960s, rail, road and
   sea transportation have become an integrated network moving bulk goods
   efficiently, and at relatively low 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. These goods will
   be unloaded at the port of arrival for transfer to their eventual
   destination either directly by road or, by rail to a railhead for
   onward movement by road.

Level

   Railways are always built to stand above surrounding terrain to prevent
   track flooding, erosion of the bed and decay of the sleepers (ties in
   North America). In hilly and mountainous terrain, to avoid large
   slopes, the railway is at some places elevated, on an embankment or
   bridge/ viaduct, and at some places in a cutting ( ditch/ trench) or
   tunnel. The same are also used for non-level crossings. In the case of
   many crossings, such as in a city, a longer stretch may be elevated or
   underground.

Safety and railway disasters

   Train wreck, 1907, in Canaan, New Hampshire
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   Train wreck, 1907, in Canaan, New Hampshire

   Trains can travel at very high speed, are heavy, are unable to deviate
   from the track and require a great distance to stop. Although rail
   transport is considered one of the safest forms of travel there are
   many possibilities for accidents to take place. These can vary from the
   minor derailment (jumping the track), a head-on collision with another
   train coming the opposite way and collision with a car (automobile) at
   a level crossing (Grade crossing in US/Canada)). Level crossing
   collisions are relatively common in the United States where there are
   several thousand each year killing about 500 people - although the
   comparable figures in the United Kingdom are 30 and 12 (collisions and
   casualties, respectively). For information regarding major accidents,
   see List of rail accidents.

   The most important safety measures are railway signalling and gates at
   level crossings. Train whistles warn others of the presence of a train,
   while trackside signals maintain the distances between trains. In the
   United Kingdom, vandalism or [negligence] is thought responsible for
   about half of rail accidents.

   Railroad lines are zoned or divided into blocks guarded by combinations
   of block signals, operating rules, and automatic-control devices so
   that at most one train may be in a block at any time. Such traffic
   control is done in a similar way to air traffic control.

   Compared to road travel, railways remain relatively safe. Annual death
   rates on roads are over 40,000 in the United States and about 3000 in
   the United Kingdom, compared with 1,000 rail-related fatalities in the
   United States and under 20 in the UK. (Sources: U.S. Department of
   Transportation and U.K. Health & Safety Executive). However, a true
   comparison needs to take account of the number of people using each
   mode.

History

   The Diolkos was a 6-km long railway that transported boats across the
   Corinth isthmus in Greece in the 6th century BC. Trucks pushed by
   slaves ran in grooves in a limestone track. The Diolkos ran for over
   1300 years, until 900 AD.

   The first horse-drawn wagonways appeared in Greece, Malta, and parts of
   the Roman Empire at least 2000 years ago, using cut-stone track.

   They began reappearing in Europe from around 1550, usually operating
   with wooden track. The first railways in Great Britain (also known as
   wagonways) were built in the early 17th century, mainly for
   transporting coal from the mine to the water side where it could be
   loaded on to a boat. Early examples of this can be found in Broseley in
   Shropshire. These had wooden rails and flanged wheels, as on a modern
   railway. However, the rails were liable to wear out and have to be
   replaced. In 1768, the Coalbrookdale Company laid cast iron plates on
   such wooden rails to provide a more durable bearing surface.

   In the late 18th century iron rails began to appear: British civil
   engineer William Jessop designed edge rails (which have the flange on
   the rail, used with plain wheels) for use on a scheme from
   Loughborough, Leicestershire in 1789 and in 1790 was one of the
   partners who established an iron-works at Butterley, Derbyshire to
   produce rails (and other goods). In 1802, Jessop opened the Surrey Iron
   Railway in south London - arguably the world's first public railway,
   albeit horse-drawn.

   The first steam locomotive to operate on rails was built by Richard
   Trevithick, and was tried out in 1804 at Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. This
   was not a success, partly because the engine was so heavy that the
   rails broke under it. In 1806 a horse-drawn railway was built between
   Swansea and Mumbles. In 1807 this railway started carrying fare-paying
   passengers - the first in the world to do so.

   In 1811 John Blenkinsop designed the first successful and practical
   railway locomotive . He patented (No 3431), a system of moving coals by
   a rack railway worked by a steam locomotive, and a line was built
   connecting the Middleton Colliery to Leeds. The locomotive was built by
   Matthew Murray of Fenton, Murray and Wood. The Middleton Railway was
   the first railway to successfully use steam locomotives on a commercial
   basis. It was also the first railway in Great Britain to be built under
   the terms laid out in an Act of Parliament.

   Blenkinsop's engine had double-acting cylinders and, unlike the
   Trevithick pattern, no flywheel. The cylinders drove a geared wheel
   which engaged under the engine with the rack. This design was quickly
   superseded following the discovery of railroad traction properties by
   George Stephenson during construction of the Stockton and Darlington
   Railway.

   The Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in northern England in 1825
   to be followed five years later by the Liverpool and Manchester
   Railway, considered to be the world's first "Inter City" line, which
   proved the viability of rail transport, with Stephenson's famous Rocket
   steam locomotive. Railways soon spread throughout the United Kingdom
   and through the world, and became the dominant means of land transport
   for nearly a century, until the invention of aircraft and automobiles,
   which prompted a gradual decline in railways.

   The rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) used
   for the Stockton and Darlington railway became known as " standard
   gauge" and is used by about sixty per cent of the world's railways.
   Two SD70 diesel locomotives of the Union Pacific refueling at Dunsmuir,
   California.
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   Two SD70 diesel locomotives of the Union Pacific refueling at Dunsmuir,
   California.

   The first railroad in the United States may have been a gravity
   railroad in Lewiston, New York in 1764. The 1810 Leiper Railroad in
   Pennsylvania was intended as the first permanent railroad, and the 1826
   Granite Railway in Massachusetts was the first commercial railroad to
   evolve through continuous operations into a common carrier. The
   Baltimore and Ohio, opened in 1830, was the first to evolve into a
   major system. In 1867 the first elevated railroad was built in New
   York. In 1869, the symbolically important transcontinental railroad was
   completed in the United States with the driving of a golden spike at
   Promontory, Utah.

   The use of overhead wires conducting electricity, invented by Granville
   T. Woods in 1888, amongst several other improvements, led to the
   development of electrified railways, the first of which in the United
   States was operated at Coney Island from 1892.

   Richmond, VA had the first successful electrically-powered trolley
   system in the United States. Designed by electric power pioneer Frank
   J. Sprague, the trolley system opened its first line in January, 1888.
   Richmond's hills, long a transportation obstacle, were considered an
   ideal proving ground. The new technology soon replaced horse-powered
   streetcars.

   Diesel and electric trains and locomotives replaced steam in many
   countries in the decades after World War II.

   In the USSR the phenomenon of children's railways was developed since
   the 1930s (the world's first one was opened on July 24, 1935). Fully
   operated by children, they were extracurricular educational
   institutions, where teenagers learnt railway professions. A lot of them
   are functioning in post-Soviet states and Eastern European countries.

   Many countries since the 1960s have adopted high-speed railways.

   On 24 August 2005 the Qingzang railway became the highest railway line
   in the world, when track was laid through the Tanggula Mountain Pass at
   5072 meters above sea level.

Terminology

   Rail tracks
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   Rail tracks

   In the United Kingdom and most other Commonwealth of Nations countries,
   the term railway is used in preference to railroad, while in the United
   States the reverse is true. In Canadian speech, railway and railroad
   are interchangeable, although in law railway is the usual term.
   Railroad was used in the United Kingdom concurrently with railway until
   the 1850s when railway became the established term. A number of
   American companies have railway in their names instead of railroad, the
   BNSF Railway being the pre-eminent modern example.

   In the United Kingdom, the term railway often refers to the whole
   organisation of tracks, trains, stations, signalling, timetables and
   the operating companies that collectively make up a coordinated railway
   system, while permanent way or p/way refers to the tracks alone;
   however this terminology is generally not commonplace outside of the
   railway industry or those who take a keen interest in it.

   Subways, metros, elevated lines, trolley lines, and undergrounds are
   all specialised railways.

Rail transport by country

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

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
