Rail transport in Zhenia

Rail transport in Zhenia remains an important mode of passenger and rail transport across long distances in Zhenia. As of 2020, the nation is home to over 100,000 km of railways, making it home to one of the largest single rail networks in the world. Its network, the Zhenia National Express (ZNX) spans over almost 20,000 kilometres, well among the longest high-speed rail networks in the world, while its passenger rail network is well-known for its efficiency and high punctuality nationwide.

While most of the nation's railways were historically built by private companies, almost all have been nationalized under the state-owned Zhenia National Railway Company (ZhenRail) since 1964. With the exception of a few lines and select lines in major cities, ZhenRail, retains ownership of all rail lines in the nation today, as well as almost all passenger rail operation; freight rail operation is divided among a handful of companies, including subsidiaries of ZhenRail. Rail transport remains to account for a high percentage of both passenger and cargo transport within Zhenia.

19th century




While the first practical railroad in the modern sense was built in 1844 connecting the 23-kilometre distance between Gwangseong East Station with the Port of Gwangseong, several experimental railroads using both cast iron and rails were built across Shindan since the late 1820s, mostly as a part of the series of reforms under King Jeongjo. After scheduled freight train services and passenger service experiments proved to be successful, others ventured to realize scheduled passenger throughout Shindan, although the first successful case of such was not until the commencing of passenger rail services on the Daedo-Seongnam Railway in 1849, between modern-day Daedo South Station and the Port of Seongnam. It was also the first railroad in the nation's history using what would be known as, which rapidly proliferated throughout the nation as the premier gauge for most railroads.

After it was proven as an effective means of transporting cargo and passengers over longer distances and in large quantities, rail transport met a golden age throughout Zhenia, although most of the nation's railroad construction was focused on the Danguk Peninsula prior to Zhenian unification. Despite facing competition with inland water and coastal cargo transport, rail transport became one of the key catalysts of industrialization in the Danguk Peninsula, spurring faster transport of freight in relatively large qualities over land. The Zhenian Civil War saw a golden age of railroad construction throughout Shindan and its controlled territories, with lines such as the Daedo-Gwangseong Railway and the Daedo-Changan Railway being constructed. As railroads during the Zhenian Civil War served a dual purpose of commercial transportation and effectively transporting military assets to the front, rail construction during the period was mostly done either directly by the state or by state-chartered companies, most notably the Danguk Rail Company.

In 1863, during the later stages of the Zhenian Civil War, Emperor Seongjo signed the National Railways Act into motion, expanding plans for what was a railway network across the Danguk Peninsula into the entirety of what would become the unified Empire of Zhenia. While most of the construction effort in mainland Zhenia would commence after the end of the civil war, construction of a nationwide railway network commenced in 1863. Railway companies, having signed then-astronomical contracts with the state, constructed railroads throughout the nation and were also given development rights of land around railroads, resulting in the formation of railroad towns across northern and central Zhenia. The first trans-national railroad in Zhenia, the Golden Arc line, stretching from Gwangseong to Zhuhae, was completed in 1874, with the joining of two separate construction efforts near Shinhang, marking the beginning of a mechanized trans-national transport network. The construction of the network significantly accelerated the industrialization and development of mainland Zhenia as well as the prospering of new railroad towns, while existing farming towns without rail stations started to decline.



Numerous transnational lines followed suit after the completion of the Golden Arc line; most notably, the Geongwang line, a line traversing most of inland Zhenia spanning from Geonju to Gwangseong, was completed in 1878, while the Bukju line, the first railroad traversing the nation from east to west primarily through northern Zhenia, was completed the same year. Over 50,000 kilometres of additional track was laid out across modern-day Zhenia from 1868 to 1900. The construction of transnational lines in the mainland brought about the rise to a handful of big players in the railroad industry, despite concerns of and breaches against the nation's anti-trust laws. The rise of big players in the industry resulted in the prosperity of railroad cities hosting their headquarters, most notably Changan and Hanam.

The mass construction of trans-national railroads in the later half of the 19th century was the single largest impact on the nation's transportation network at the time. It also had significant economic implications, in bringing the previously regional and fragmented Zhenian economy into one national market and providing a business model for a national-scale corporation operating in Zhenia. Many economists have agreed that the railroad had stimulated national demand on coal, steel and other resources and thereby spurred economic growth in general, although this view has been challenged by numerous economists in the later half of the 20th century, with claims that railroads did not single-handedly spur economic growth in the nation but rather continuously interacted with overall industrialization in the nation as a whole.

20th century and beyond




Ever-increasing railroad coverage across the nation increased with continuous railroad construction well into the 20th century, this time accompanied by suburban services as well, at the form of and. While the first streetcars were introduced early on in the 19th century, most lines were built across the nation at the turn of the century, serving as an efficient means of connection between urban and suburban areas. Trunk lines with high demand were expanded to be double-tracked or quad-tracked in response to projected demand along select lines, while it was during the turn of the century that separation of passenger and freight lines by track began in full swing amid the spike in transnational passenger demand. By 1910, the total length of railroads, not including streetcars, had broken the 80,000-kilometre mark, while the same figure reached 100,000 kilometres by 1930.

In 1901, the nation's first railroad, between Daedo North Station and Seongnam Station, opened, beginning a trend of railroad electrification throughout most of the nation's railroads amid the proliferation of electric locomotives across the country. With most of the electrification work concentrated on the more electricity-rich Danguk Peninsula, a vast majority of electric locomotives were introduced in passenger and freight lines primarily operating within and around the Danguk Peninsula. Many urban rail and rapid transit lines, starting from Daedo's MTX Line 1 in 1921, also began to take shape within the first half of the 20th century: while some initial versions used traincars pulled by electric locomotives, most had turned to (DMU) or  to allow for faster stopping and ease of organization.

The Railway Nationalization Act of 1934 saw the full of the nation's railways, with ownership of railways, previously under private rail companies that built them, now under the ownership of the Ministry of Railways, as well as the vesting of all passenger traincars and locomotives under the Ministry of Railways, despite opposition from private rail companies. All passenger services and assets of five of the largest private rail companies - Zhenia Northern Rail, Zhenia Southern Rail, Danguk Rail Company, Zhenia Central Rail and Seogwang Limited - were merged as assets of the Ministry. While all railways and passenger rail were, in principle, under the ownership of the state since then, regulations on projects were loosened by the end of the 1930s and were directly applied to most of the nation's rapid transit lines. Ownership of railways in general were later transitioned to the state-owned Zhenia National Railway Company (ZhenRail), while the maintenance of railways were transitioned to its subsidiary, the Zhenia National Railway Authority, in 1964.

The later half of the 20th century saw the position of rail transport challenged by the rise of alternative means of transport, particularly road and air, as well as the resurgence of rail transport for both passenger and cargo. Zhenia's economic resurgence after the Second Great War resulted in the revision of the pre-Great War Rapid Rail Corridor into an electrified (HSR) network that would become the Zhenia National Express (ZNX) network. After the proposal gained approval by Kim Shimin in 1959, the first route, between Daedo and Changan, would be completed in 1971, with first commercial service beginning on March 1, 1974, initially with a maximum speed of 220 km/h. The continuous expansion of the ZNX network significantly raised train speeds in the nation, raising the top speed of select express trains from 200 km/h to over 350 km/h by 2000, while it also resurrected passenger rail transport from the challenges it faced from road and air transport. The ZNX network expanded throughout much of the nation along the later half of the 20th century, eventually covering almost 90% of the Zhenian population within 30 kilometres from the nearest ZNX station by 2010.

The twenty-first century saw further leaps in the nation's rail infrastructure and service, while also building on from its accomplishments in the previous century. Rail service in the nation as a whole was further improved with the introduction of the T-Won to all domestic rail transport in 2003, allowing for seamless transfers in public transportation and simplified rail service use for passengers nationwide using and. Coverage of ZNX services increased to nearly 95% of the Zhenian population by 2015, including ZNX services using improved conventional lines, while the straightening and electrification of conventional lines continued to increase overall scheduled speed across the nation. As of 2020, Zhenia's rail network remains among one of the largest in the world, spanning over 130,000 kilometres of track.

Administration
With the exception of a few lines, almost all rail in Zhenia is owned and maintained by the Zhenia National Railway Company (ZhenRail) since 1964. While the nation's Ministry of Railways initially took control over the nation's rails and most passenger services following the of rail infrastructure in 1934, the task of maintaining rail services and infrastructure was handed over to the ZhenRail upon its establishment in 1964, while the Ministry of Railways, now integrated into the Ministry of Territories and Transport, provided oversight over the maintenance of the infrastructure, a task in practice carried out by the Zhenia National Railway Authority, a subsidiary of ZhenRail.

Despite being the operator of some of the nation's most profitable rail lines, including all ZNX lines, ZhenRail as a whole has operated at a loss as of 2019, mostly due to the operation of longer, less profitable passenger lines traversing the nation. As a result, ZhenRail receives subsidies from the Ministry of Territories and Transport in years of loss, using such subsidies to compensate for losses in lines with smaller ridership and revenue.

Track network
As of 2020, Zhenia is home to one of the largest railroad networks in the world, with its total length, not including those of urban rail, rapid transit or streetcar lines, at 135,144 kilometres. Of this total, 19,288 kilometres consist of double-line high-speed tracks with AC overhead wires, while a vast majority of the remainder are conventional standard-gauge track, and the remainder being narrow-gauge or dual-gauge track for international connections. Of the total network, 127,334 kilometres are at least double tracked, with less than 8,000 kilometres are single-track lines. As of mid-2020, 111,354 kilometres of rail, or around 82.3% of the entire network, is electrified, although the percentage is higher when measuring only standard-gauge routes across the nation, as a higher percentage of narrow-gauge tracks are in non-electrified routes. Overall, the rail network's rail density was 253.65 km per 10,000 km2, significantly above the global average.

Stations
Railway stations in Zhenia, excluding urban rail and rapid transit stations, are divided into three categories according to size and function: special, regular and way stations. Special stations, with the task of handling larger amounts of transport as well as functioning as regional rail hubs, have at least six dedicated tracks directly entering the station with accompanying platforms, while way stations have less than three dedicated tracks with accompanying platforms entering the station, while regular stations are all stations in between. Special and way stations are further divided into additional subcategories depending on the level and number of employees serving the station, as well as their general function in the network, under ZhenRail's hierarchy system.

Passenger rail transport
Despite competition from road and air transport, rail remains an important mode of passenger transport within Zhenia. In 2018, it delivered over 3.5 billion passenger trips across the nation, or an average of around 5.9 rides per Zhenian citizen, a figure not including and  in the nation's major cities. Of the 3.5 billion passenger trips, around 1.15 billion, or around a third of all passenger trips, were made by the Zhenia National Express, the nation's sole (HSR) service. With an average ride distance of 348.9 kilometres, a considerably high percentage of passenger rail transport in Zhenia is focused on medium-to-long-range passenger transport.

Almost all passenger rail transport in the nation is operated by ZhenRail and its subsidiaries with a few exceptions in select lines across the nation, in which private rail companies operate such lines. Private rail companies normally operate passenger rail lines under a scheme, in which ZhenRail and the Zhenia National Railway Authority retain ownership of the railroad itself but the rights to operate rail services on the railroad is leased, often indefinitely or highly renewable, to the private company building the railroad. While this has been common practice in recent light rail and rapid transit projects across the nation's major cities, some and regular passenger rail lines have also been operated under this principle. Examples of such include the Northern Balhae Line from Jinhae South Station to Suripo and the Jinhae Airport Rail services, although ZhenRail has acquired a major stake in the latter in 2019 amid high deficits.

Freight rail transport


A major component of the Zhenian economy, freight trains in Zhenia are primarily used to ship bulk cargo throughout the nation: in 2018, around 32% of all tonnage within Zhenia was transported by rail, according to a report by ZhenRail. Most of the shipped cargo tonnage consists of coal and metal ore, together accounting for around 76% of total rail freight tonnage. Other major categories of bulk goods include steel, grain and refined minerals; container cargo, in particular, accounts for around 365 million tonnes, or around 11% of total freight rail tonnage. The percentage of tonnage transported by freight rail is expected to increase significantly amid increased environmental regulations and further industrialization of western and central Zhenia, altogether increasing demand for freight rail transport.

Unlike passenger rail, the Zhenian freight rail industry is a competitive market shared by numerous freight rail companies, including ZhenRail Cargo, a direct subsidiary of ZhenRail, and several private rail companies. To survive in the market, many freight rail companies offer high-quality service at competitive rates, well-reflected by the stall in total freight revenue despite ever-increasing freight tonnage since the early 2000s. The freight fares in the nation, widely regarded as some of the lowest in the world, have resulted in the overall increase in competitiveness of associated industries, while it has also brought concerns regarding the stalling profitability of many freight routes across the nation. The market in general has been led by ZhenRail Cargo, which has provided near-nationwide coverage since its founding, while private companies mostly cover select regions and lines of the nation's rail network.

While a majority of the nation's freight trains use dedicated freight tracks, electrified or non-electrified, some freight trains share tracks with passenger services; however, traffic priority is generally given to passenger trains in such shared tracks, while freight rail companies in most cases would pay ZhenRail to operate their trains on their tracks rather than the other way around. Many of the longer, slower freight trains, as well as those using double-stack container cars and other oversize cargo, almost exclusively run on non-electrified freight-dedicated tracks, although some overhead wires have been heightened to accommodate electric locomotives pulling longer lines of railcars and double-stack container cars. Select high-speed freight lines for high-priority cargo and mail have begun service in 2001, sharing lines and trains with ZNX services.

While much of rail freight in Zhenia is used for domestic cargo, around 11.4% of all freight rail tonnage is international as of 2018. The twice-a-week freight train service from Gwangseong North Port Station in Gwangseong to Edurre, Educandi is the single longest continuous freight rail route in the world, spanning over 14,000 kilometres through Tarsis and Aurora.

Regulation
The Ministry of Territories and Transport provides national-level regulation and oversight on the nation's rail infrastructure and services. Its subdivisions execute further regulations on rail - the National Rail Bureau regulates rail safety, while the National Land Transport Administration, in cooperation with ZhenRail, provides oversight over fares, service and acquisition of rail lines. As the owner of almost all of the nation's railways, ZhenRail is responsible for the construction and maintenance of rail in general; most of the work, however, is handled by the Zhenia National Railway Authority, a direct subsidiary of ZhenRail.