Top 5 Countries with Best Rail Networks in the World

Top 5 Countries with Best Rail Networks in the World

1. United States
U.S. railroads still play a major role in the nation’s freight shipping. They carried about 700 billion tonnes of goods in the 70′s and 80′s which doubled to 1.5 trillion ton-miles in 2005. The total ton-kilometer of freight that the United States accounted for is about 3000 billion as per recent data. The entire European Union moved only 238 billion ton-kilometers of freight. The railways are classified in three distinct categories judged on their annual revenues. Contrary to the 1900’s, today; as the result of mergers, bankruptcies, and major changes in the regulatory definition of the CLASS 1. There are only seven railroads operating in the United States that meet the criteria for Class I. As of 2006, U.S. freight railroads operated 100,000 route miles of standard gauge in the United States. There were only 33 regional railroads in 2006. Now there are more than 100. Most have between 75 and 500 employees.
2. Russia
Rail transport in Russia has been called an economic wonder owing to the splendid advancements that took place in the 20th and 21st century. In length of track Russian railroads are second globally to the railways of the United States. Russian Railways accounts for 2.5% of Russia’s GDP. The year 2007 itself accounted for about a billion passengers commuting and a lot of goods supplied via the Russian railways. A further 270,000 freight cars in Russia are privately owned. In 2009 Russia had 128,000 kilometers of common-carrier railroad line, of which about half is electrified and carries most of the traffic, over 40% was double track or better.
3. China
Like India, railways is the commonest commuting medium of the Chinese. By the end of 2010, the operating rail network traverses the length and breadth of the country, covering a total length of about 90,000 km making only the rail networks in the United States and Russia larger in size. However, China’s 961.23 billion passenger-km and 2,947 billion tonne-kilometers of freight (both as of 2011) exceeds respective volumes of the US and Russia and are the highest in the world. If we say on a global basis, China has the largest volume of rail transport having six percent of the world’s operating railways, but carrying 25 percent of the world’s total railway workload. Because of the increased investment in Chinese railways, the country’s railway network has grown from 78,000 km at the end of 2007 to 91,000 km at the end of 2010, and is expected to grow to 110,000 km by year end. Rail is one of the principal means of transport in China, with over a billion railway trips taken over the last few years and more than a 5 billion expected in the upcoming years.
4. India
India probably has the most intricate rail system connecting even the remotest villages and towns. Rail transport is a commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in India. Rail operations are handled by the state. The total railway network here accounts for about 65,000 kilometres spanned all over the country. Rail transport is responsible for transporting about 700 million passengers and over 900 million tonnes of freight annually, as of 2011. Its operations cover twenty eight states and three union territories and also provide limited service to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Both passenger and freight traffic has seen steady growth, and as per the 2009 budget presented by the Railway Minister, the Indian Railways carried over 7 billion passengers in 2009. The Indian railways is also pursuing to build the highest railway track in the world overtaking current record of Beijing-Lhasa Railway line. Manipur to Vietnam rail is being considered was reported by Shashi Tharoor. Indian Railways and rail authorities in China are interested in starting a high-speed rail link that would link New Delhi with Kunming, China via Myanmar.
5. Canada
Canada has a very strong railway network which comprises the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railway. Nation-wide passenger services are provided by the federal crown corporation Via Rail. Canada has about 50,000 kilometer of total track coverage, of which only 129 kilometer is electrified. The first Canadian railway, the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad, was opened in 1836 outside of Montreal. The Guarantee Act of 1849 guaranteed bond returns on all railways over 121 km was instrumental for the advancement of railways in Canada.