Railways.

Pricing and new stock.

Every country has set up a different way to run their railways networks or systems. Some remain National, while others are made up of different companies and their own liveries. But what they all share is the cost of keeping their respective systems functioning safely.

There is much more to a railway than tracks and trains, maintenance and personnel have to be paid for. People retire and new recruits need to be both trained and replaced, engines and buildings also need to be repaired and cared for and this all costs a lot of money.

Some nations operate on shoe string of basics, while the richer ones with their privatisation would seem to be progressing. Yet one has to stand back and take notice that many withdrawn and older types are being brought back into service with new fresh coats of paint.

The reasons for this is nothing to do with preservation, but rather thy are cheaper to run in the long term than building new ones.

So next time you face a 'hike in the fare, try to remember all the work that has to be done to get you from A to B or A to Z?