The Past, the Present and the Future Railways

Abstract

The railways have had a changing history from being at the forefront of technological innovation in the 19th century to its financial struggle throughout the 20th century, with increased competition from road and air transport. Despite the changing fortunes of the railways there has been a continued political commitment to the sector both from national governments and from the Commission. However, the commitment and vision for the railways have differed and have led to tensions with regard to the development of an EU railway policy. Indeed the past 20 years have seen large changes in many national railways and their governance structures. However, the extent of these changes and national rail reforms varies, from the 1994 rail reformation in the UK, which dismantled the state monopoly and introduced privatisation, to France, which only has made subtle changes, and Germany, which did not change governance structure, but instead created a strong integrated railway holding company, strengthening the existing governance structure.