Rail transportation in Burgundie

Rail transport in Burgundie
Rail transport in Burgundie
System length
Total	165,990km Burgoignesc Metropole; 3,631,610km Equatorial Ostiecia; 168,930km BORA;
Track gauge
Main	Standard gauge

Rail transportation in Burgundie consists primarily of freight shipments, with a well integrated network of standard gauge private freight railroads extending throughout the Levantine Union. Passenger service is mainly mass transit and commuter rail in major cities. Intercity passenger service, once a large and vital part of the nation's passenger transportation network, plays a limited role but is making a comeback after the passage of the Passenger Rail Corridor Identification and Development Program in 2030. Burgundie has a large rail transport network and the vast majority of its internal freight is conveyed directly by rail.

Since 2000, significant efforts have been made to electrify Burgundie's rail transportation system, taking advantage of the cheap and plentiful nuclear power available throughout the country while also attempting to reduce carbon emissions. Rail continues to play a major role in the Burgoignesc economy in the 21st century.

Governance

Ownership

In Burgundie, all railways are owned by the Army Corps of the Rails (15%) and , particularly the national government. This includes the physical track, infrastructure supporting the right of ways, signal switches, and all other directly related physical infrastructure. The government also operates the signal switches and is responsible for overseeing traffic along the rails, coordinating and prioritizing trains throughout the country and ensuring efficient travel. The vehicles themselves and any railyards responsible for their maintenance and storage are owned by private firms who operate the railways. Accordingly, the Burgoignesc rail network operates on a public-private partnership, with the government owning and paying for the maintenance of the physical infrastructure while private companies operate and compete on the public rails.

Regulation

The publicly owned rail system is operated by the National Railroad Administration, and the system - as well as all private operators on it - is overseen by the National Railroad Administration, which fulfills both operator and regulatory functions.

History

To 1865

1866-1897

Rear view of a rail battery during the First Fratricide
Front view of a rail battery during the First Fratricide
Brugo-Faramountesc rail cruiser during the First Fratricide
Depiction of a Burgoignesc armored train during the First Great War
Photograph of a Burgoignesc armored train during the First Great War
Depiction of a Burgoignesc armored train during the First Great War

1897-1934

1934-1980

190mm railway gun during the Second Great War
Railway gun battery during the Second Great War
320mm railway railway gun during the Second Great War
400mm railway gun during the Second Great War
Burgoignesc armored train in Battganuur of the Second Great War
Burgoignesc armored train in Battganuur during the Second Great War

1980-present

Freight railroads

Freight rail is the major method of logistical transport within the Burgundie, and presents the primary way most goods move around the country, ranging from military applications to the conveyance of retail goods. A combination of historic urban planning after the First and Second Great Wars and more recent legal requirements have meant most major warehouses in Burgundie are built directly adjoining the nation's freight lines, allowing for easy loading and offloading of goods.

Strategic Auxiliary Fleet of the Continuation

The Strategic Auxiliary Fleet of the Continuation is a reserve fleet of steam locomotives train engines, steam ships, and clipper ships maintained by the Ministry of Emergency Management. This fleet is widely distributed across the Burgoignesc Metropole in the event of a nuclear strike. Due to the mechanical nature of these modes of transportation they would not be impacted by an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) of a nuclear detonation and would be the primary mode of transportation for key royal and national government officials reconstituting or for troop movements.

The rail fleet is maintained by the Army of Burgundie's Army of the Rails and the ship fleet is maintained by Merchant Marine of Burgundie. To maintain operational readiness all of the Strategic Auxiliary Fleet of the Continuation vehicles are used on an at least quarterly basis. The Merchant Marine of Burgundie in particular has found an market with climate conscious consumers and corporate partners and have developed dedicated shipping routes for their Strategic Auxiliary Fleet of the Continuation clipper fleet. In 2032, they even petitioned the Ministry of Emergency Management to build 5 more extreme clippers to maintain a reserve while being able to meet increasing demand.

Environmental concerns have plagued the steam engine and steamer ship programs and there have been a number of scholarships given to universities and think-tanks to come up with a better, equally as accessible, and equally replenishable fuel, instead of coal.