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A rail transport system is often complicated. It should not be viewed as just " trains and rails", but includes several components each of which is as necessary as the next. These components can be classified into two main group, extrinsic factors and intrinsic factors. Extrinsic factors involve the geography and history of the geography of a system, whereas intrinsic factors tend to be of a more technical nature.

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1 Background

Each transport system represents a contribution to a country's infrastructure, and as such must make economic sense or eventually close. From this, each will have a particular role or roles to perform. These may change with time but they will affect the specifications of each particular system.

2 Extrinsic factors

Rail transport systems are built into the geography, including both the geography (hills, valleys, etc) and the human geography (location of settlements). The rail transport system may in turn feedback into the human geography.

2.1 Landscape geography

The permanent way of a system must pass through the geology of its region. This may be flat or mountainous, may include obstacles such as water. These will determine in part the intrinsic nature of the system.

2.2 Human geography

Rail transport systems affect the human geography. Large cities (such as Nairobi) may be founded by a system.

2.3 Historical factors

Rail transport systems are often used for purposes for which they were not designed, but have evolved into due to changes in the human geography.

3 Intrinsic factors

3.1 Permanent way

main article: permanent way

The permanent way is pushed through the physical geography.

3.2 Types of system

The most common type of rail system is heavy rail which has reasonably high speeds and high axle loadings.

Light rail systems are designed for lower speeds and loadings and often have simplified specifications. High-speed rail is a system with high speed. Monorails are sometimes used instead of light rail systems for commuter transport, etc. Maglev is a recent development with as yet only one real implementation.

3.3 Signalling

main article: railway signalling

3.4 Types of vehicle

main article: rail vehicle

rolling stock, multiple unit, locomotiveA locomotive is a vehicle that provides the motive power for a railway train. Traditionally, the locomotive or locomotives are positioned at the front of a train, pulling passenger carriages and/or freight vehicles. This requires the locomotive to be move.

3.5 Passenger operations

train stationA train station or railway station is a point of call for trains, allowing the loading or unloading of goods, or allowing passengers to board and alight. Early stations were usually built with both passenger and goods facilities. This dual-purpose is stil

3.6 Freight operations

marshalling yard, hump yardA hump yard (or: marshalling yard classification yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars via a track upon an artificially built hill hump onto different tracks for each direction using gravity. Cars are Rail transportThis is the top-level page of WikiProject trains A railroad or railway is a guided means of land transport, designed for trains to use for transporting both passengers and freight. It consists of two parallel rails, usually made of steel, and wooden or co

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Topics: Rail Transport Operations System Geography Factors Systems...

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