Railway Tourism Research Articles

Технология создания тура по железной дороге

Nowadays the current situation in the world makes domestic tourism the most relevant type of tourism for our country, and therefore there is a tendency for the development of railway tours. The purpose of the study is creating tourist railway trips. The subject of the research is the technology of designing railway tours. The mentioned statistics demonstrate the insufficient eye of rail transport for tourist trips in comparison with automobile and air transport. The place of the Russian Federation in the ranking of countries in terms of tourist passenger traffic has been shown. A generalization of the problems hindering the development of railway tourism has been carried out. Thanks to the generated list of factors significant to customers we have chosen a travel route and identified 10 priority routes for locals under study. The technology of selecting promising touristic routes and directions for improving the organization of tourist trips along the same road has been presented. This technology is a result of an assessment of their competitiveness based on the survey of passengers of specific railway routes in the region. The obtained research results can be used to justify the choice of an option when developing travel railway routes. Using the passengers’ opinions on certain routes of a particular region allows us to offer railway tours that are in demand.

ПЛАНИРОВАНИЕ ТУРИСТСКИХ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНЫХ МАРШРУТОВ С УЧЕТОМ ТРАНСПОРТНОГО СПРОСА

The article discusses the problems of using railway transport as the basis for the development of the tourism potential of the regions. The presented economic and mathematical models of dis-crete optimal planning of railway tourism activities make it possible to take into account risk factors and determine sets of effective routes that are the most profitable, subject to compliance with established requirements

Traversing the Andes in the Most Beautiful Train in the World

Summary In this case study, I take the reader on a voyage through Ecuador’s railway system. It was inaugurated as a unifying component of the nation’s transportation infrastructure at the beginning of the 20th century, then reconstructed and transformed into a heritage tourism attraction in the early years of the 21st century. The reconstruction project, initiated in 2008 by controversial President Rafael Correa Delgado (2007–2017), restored a large portion of the original railway system for heritage and tourism purposes. Even though subsequent administrations have abandoned the project, the revitalization of the railroad system is considered to this day as one of the most emblematic successes of Correa’s tourism policy and a model for railway tourism. Based on ethnographic and bibliographic research conducted between 2014 and 2023, I discuss the successes and limitations of using railway heritage tourism to enforce political ideologies and nation-building. To Matt, my favorite eternal wanderer Information © The Author 2023

Railway tourism in providing the sustainable and smart population mobility

It is emphasized that the transport infrastructure significantly affects the choice of a tourist to travel to a specific destination. Within the mainland, it is recommended to use rail transport for travel as the most competitive in comparison with other modes of transport. The advantages and disadvantages of the organization of tourist railway trips are summarized. The main factors affecting tourists’ desire to travel by railway at different levels are highlighted. Examples of the organization of tourist trips by railways are given. Directions for providing services in the organization of railway tourism are proposed.A scheme for constructing a schedule is provided, which allows you to determine the break-even point of the organization of tourist railway trips along a specific route. It is recommended to divide all costs of the company, which will be engaged in the organization of railway tourist transportation. At the same time, contingent and fixed costs, in turn, were divided into: contingent and fixed costs that take into account tourist transportation in general and contingent and fixed costs that directly depend on the structure of the tourist train.

Improving the local development: the stakeholders’ point of view on Italian railway tourism

ABSTRACT Railway tourism has been developed in several European countries. Although Italy has an important national railway heritage, local railway tourism is still in an early development stage. In 2021, research was conducted by the Department of Management of the University of Turin, which involved the key stakeholders in railway tourism, in order to explore and define strategies for further development. A mixed-method approach was used in defining the process in three stages: a focus group of experts to design a dedicated questionnaire, the Delphi method to conduct individual stakeholder interviews, and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for the presentation of survey results, and identification of stakeholders’ priorities. The results identified the key elements of the market and established players in the Italian railway tourism supply chain to implement operational strategies to develop this form of tourism, and in line with the interest of the younger generation. Italian railway tourism has considerable potential due to the cultural, historical, and scenic heritage of the railway lines which can be enhanced by operational organisations. Moreover, this tourism activity is a useful tool for economies and operators in the local areas.

The features of organizing tourist routes as one of the methods to increase the efficiency of rolling stock usage

The article deals with the main advantages of railway transport in the field of tourist transportation and the capabilities of effective rolling stock use for organizing high-quality transport service and attracting new customers. Currently, the attention of a great number of transport industry scientists is focused on passenger transportation. The foundations of interaction between railway transport and the tourism industry are being formed. The importance of the railway tourism sector cannot be underestimated in terms of economic, social and environmental aspects of the society. There are advantages of railway transport compared with other modes of transport: the longest railway network in Europe, ability to transport a large number of passengers, use of railway cars as a hotel on wheels, high degree of reliability and safety, lack of dependence on weather conditions, high level of comfort and amenities on board, providing a choice of travel conditions depending on the carriage types and train categories, regularity. The development of the route network contributes to the increase in the competitive abilities of regional tourist destinations. At the same time, the key factors in choosing the method of organizing a tourist route are as follows: the volume of passenger demand for an assigned route, size of expenses, tour duration, etc. The field of tourist transportation is not limited to the use of rail transport only. Its collaboration with other types of transportation allows for maximum effect from tourist service while maintaining a high level of service. This interaction is one of the components of the tourism product aimed at addressing all the key aspects and stages of tour organization.

Формирование навыков менеджмента потребностей и производства турпродукта у специалистов в области туризма: современные вызовы и ответы

On specific examples from the field of railway tourism, the issues of the formation of competencies among students in the field of Tourism training in the process of studying the special course “Man and his needs” on the basis of the Ural State University of Railway Transport are considered. Three key skills are identified that contribute to the professional identification of the needs of a modern tourist as an experienced, demanding client of Russian tourism enterprises, the urgent task of which (including within the framework of the import substitution policy) is the production of competitive products in the domestic consumer market. The allocation of these skills as basic for the formation of a professional culture of a specialist in the field of modern tourism is justified — a specialist capable of producing a successful (including financially) tourist product that is in demand among the consumer. Examples of specific tasks aimed at consolidating the necessary skills in the production of tourism products that meet high quality standards (primarily) domestic tourism are given.

Совершенствование железнодорожного туризма в Российской Федерации

The article discusses the concept, problems and prospects of railway tourism development in Russia. The main problems are highlighted: untimely departure and arrival of trains, inconsistency of service of the proposed train category, untimely and poor-quality repair of locomotives and railway cars, shortage of rolling stock fleet, low qualification of service personnel, etc. The solution to these problems will increase domestic and inbound tourist flows, rationally use the tourism potential of the country.

Assessing the Value of Railway Heritage for Sustainable Development: The Case Study of the Oraviţa–Anina Railway, Romania

The value of historical railways and their important role in social, economic, technical, political, and cultural terms has led to their inclusion as industrial heritage attractions. This study aims to evaluate the heritage value of the Oraviţa–Anina linear railway, the first mountain railway in Romania. The assessment of the value of the railway involved both quantitative and qualitative methods. The value was assessed on the basis of a rigorous quantitative evaluation of key attributes of heritage railway, using a system of criteria and indicators. On the other hand, the selected qualitative methodology facilitated the critical interpretation of the perception of the local community as a beneficiary of the railway heritage and as an active stakeholder involved in its reuse. The qualitative evaluation of the heritage railway was also highlighted based on a critical analysis of tourists’ perceptions. The results indicate the usefulness of a mixed methodology for the complex evaluation of the value of a heritage railway and its sustainable capitalization. Railway tourism is a sustainable solution meant to stimulate interest in learning about local history and culture, and can at the same time contribute to the fulfillment of knowledge of the motivations that drive tourist demand.

Current trends in the sustainable development of an "accessible environment" in railway transport

The number of people with disabilities is steadily growing all over the world and currently there are up to 15% of the total population. About 35 million people with limited mobility live in Russia, including 11.6 million people with disabilities, the most numerous group of disabled people aged over 60 years (57.2 % of the total number). Insufficient adaptation of the tourist infrastructure to the opportunities and needs of people with disabilities is one of the barriers to the formation of an "accessible environment". A study of the barrier-free environment in the country showed a low level of adaptation of tourist infrastructure for different types of tourism (from cultural, educational, therapeutic, to mountain skiing, etc.): Moscow and St. Petersburg - up to 30% of tourist infrastructure is adapted for travel of people with disabilities, in Sochi currently plans to bring up to 60%, in general, in all regions – up to 5%. The most popular transport for organizing tours is rail transport, so the infrastructure on rail transport must meet the requirements of an "accessible environment" for all categories of users. The issues of transport accessibility for the Russian population as a whole and the objectives of achieving sustainable development, considered within the context of providing an "accessible environment" for people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility on rail transport, constitute the development pattern for barrier-free and inclusive rail tourism in the country. Considering the needs of different categories of passengers, Russian Railways carries out complex modernization of rolling stock and renovation of passenger infrastructure (more than 900 passenger cars are equipped with a specialized compartment for passengers with disabilities), designs and promotes new projects in the development of railway tourism together with enterprises involved in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, insufficient tourism infrastructure adjustment to the needs of people with disabilities is one of the barriers to providing an accessible environment. Moreover, special features of mentality and health abilities of people with disabilities, their low purchasing power, and lack of awareness should be taken into account. Consistent implementation of state policy in creating a single barrier-free space for people with disabilities will contribute to their socialization in society and mobility when traveling and when traveling in the tourist and recreational environment

Scenic Railway Mapping: An Analysis of Spatial Patterns in France Based on Historical GIS

Scenic railway refers to the trains that operate for tourism purposes, which are mainly maintained for facilitating leisure activities, scenic tours, and heritage experiences. As both an extension of railway heritage and an important redevelopment method, this concept is meaningful for the touristic development of historical railways but has received less attention in academia. To understand the tourism and landscape values of scenic railways from a geo-historical perspective and discuss the recent techniques and methods for railway tourism, this article first introduces the relationship between railway and landscape and the concept of scenic railway in French literature. Secondly, it analyzes the current distribution of French scenic railways based on geographic information system (GIS) tools. Through georeferencing, mapping, data relating and joining, calculating, and classifying, different groups of scenic railways are systemized and published online. Following statistical treatment, the pattern of distribution of scenic railways in comparison with the standard-gauge railway system in France is revealed. Based on the discussions on scenic railways, further study should focus more on the landscape evaluation of scenic railways and its integration with other spatial technologies for deeper geo-analysis. Moreover, the research results can serve as a reference for the development of relative railway heritage and tourist activities.

Railway and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

From the second half of the 20th century, numerous railways, especially in industrial and mining areas, were abandoned for economic reasons. The activism of the “railfans”, who are fond of trains, has made it possible to set up voluntary associations that have been the lifeblood of the beginning of projects for the recovery of the historic railway heritage and the promotion of it in a touristic sense. This topic is worthy of attention, and during recent years it has been the focus of several research papers. A systematic literature review was performed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes) methodology. This tool is a minimal set of evidence-based elements aimed at helping authors to carry out a systematic literature review. This systematic literature review sought to consolidate knowledge on the subject. The research team formulated three research questions related to the dynamics of railway heritage recovery, the dynamics of railway tourism and the relationship between sustainability and railway tourism. The findings highlighted that the railway tourism process always originates from a project for the restoration of railway heritage, possibly maintaining authenticity. The voluntary associations, along with their “railfans”, are the main stakeholder, not only preserving the rail heritage but also developing railway tourism activities. The touristic railway could regenerate the local community, with positive benefits on the local economy. Many tourists could be attracted by railway tourism destinations in that they wish to live memorable experiences related to the nostalgia of the past.

Formation of tourist trains on international and domestic routes

This article examines the issue of the development of organized tourism by rail in Russia. The industry is showing clear signs of a renaissance, as evidenced by a significant increase in service offerings. We studied the materials from the websites of railway and travel companies. For the purposes of this study, we relied on comparative analysis of tourist offers. As the study showed, the development of railway tourism at present, for the most part, is associated with the preparation of rolling stock and the development of new routes that are interesting for a wide audience. Such work requires a comprehensive study and appropriate preparation of transport infrastructure, specialized management decisions to attract structures of the tourism business at various levels. Railway trips and routes are in demand among different target groups of consumers, such as school and corporate groups, tourists who are interested in unusual places. No attention is paid to the so-called social tourism, which refers to the organization of tourism services for economically weak or people in difficult life circumstances. This direction of tourism, both in our country and abroad, is noted as a very promising. Social tourism can and should be a sought-after part of railway tourism.

Routes Planning Models for Railway Transport Systems in Relation to Passengers’ Demand

Nowadays, transport systems efficiency plays a key role for communities’ liveability and economy, being in addition an important factor in the economic integration of countries. The purpose of the article is to develop multi-stage models of tourist activities for optimizing the development of operating companies. For the implementation of models, the authors evolved the relevant system of organizational-functional support for the development of railway tourism. The research will enable us to take into consideration risks when planning tourist routes by railway, determine the order of construction or start of routes, and assess their profitability. This will provide to earn the expected incomes of all interested parties in tourist activities for the specified period. The authors created economic-mathematical models of the discrete optimal planning of the railway tourism operations. This takes into account conditions of risks and cooperation, and allows to determine which sets of effective routes are the most profitable ones. The results of the realization of the developed models include the task of the succession of the tourist route introduction according to the present and future infrastructure, availability of the rolling stock, etc. In this, consideration is given to obtaining maximum profit from tourism businesses for every participant during an established period.

Research on the Integrated Development Strategy of Railway Tourism in Sichuan Province Considering the Accessibility of High-speed Rail and Tourist Attraction

In response to targeted poverty alleviation, traffic + tourism and other national strategies, exploring the integration development direction of High-speed Railway and tourism in Sichuan Province, this article combed the railway tourism basic conditions of Sichuan Province, used mathematical statistics and kernel density estimation to study the spatial distribution of tourist resources and High-speed Railway. Based on urban nodes, the minimum travel time between nodes, the urban power, tourism resources and other elements, constructed travel accessibility time measurement model and attractive model, and used ArcGIS to compute the accessibility value of High-speed Railway and the coefficient of tourist attraction. Finally, for the regions with different tourism resource quality and the accessibility of High-speed Rail in Sichuan, based on the calculation results, the problem of rail tourism and the national policy, the High-speed Railway tourism plans and development strategies are proposed respectively.

МЕТОДИЧНІ АСПЕКТИ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ПРОЄКТІВ РОЗВИТКУ ЗАЛІЗНИЧНОГО ТУРИЗМУ В УКРАЇНІ

In the context of the deepening systemic crisis in the functioning of the passenger railway transport complex in Ukraine, there is an urgent need to optimize its activities and diversify its service portfolio. Taking into account the world experience in the development of railway companies and taking into account the development of the railway network and the significant tourist potential of the country, the introduction of railway tourism services is proposed as a promising direction for the development of the passenger complex of railway transport in Ukraine. The article considers the successful practice of developing railway tourism in the world and the domestic experience of implementing projects to activate tourist railway transportation. Taking into account the limited measures implemented by the passenger complex of railway transport for the development of railway tourism in the country, the expediency of identifying promising tools for activating the growth processes of tourist railway transportation in terms of providing a comprehensive service, including both the main (transport service) and the range of related (additional) services, the introduction of which will contribute to increasing the volume of sales of railway tourism services and, accordingly, generating additional financial flows from their provision. Based on this, the author proposed the introduction of new types of services to generate additional income for the passenger complex of railway transport from tourist transportation: hot food services, which will be provided in the classes of trains “luxury”, “standard”, “economy”, and the organization of hotel business at key stations of JSC “Ukrzaliznytsya”. To assess the effectiveness of railway tourism development projects, in particular from the point of view of profitability of their implementation, it is proposed to use an improved formula for calculating additional income from Tourist Railway Passenger Transportation, which includes profitability coefficients for hot food services and hotel accommodation. This methodology is the basis of a methodological approach to evaluating the effectiveness of railway tourism development projects in Ukraine, which, unlike existing ones, provides for the calculation of a system of indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of implementing a set of tools aimed at expanding the range of railway transport services and forming personalized service offers for key segments of users of railway tourism services.

Ecological Tourism Development in the Mountainous Regions and Historical Railway Network Capacities. Case Study: Tehran-Mazandaran Old Railway by Crossing the Alborz Mountain Range

Ecological tourism or ecotourism (In abbreviation) is a form of tourism intended as a low impact on the environment and is based on the principles of sustainability in natural and historical areas with conservation characteristics. Railway tourism can be a form of ecological tourism that occurs in areas with presence of the railroad network. due to its novelty and proximity with natural and cultural heritage in the humid and rainy climate, This form of tourism can attract many tourists all around the world. The methodology of this study is descriptive and analytical, and initially, characteristics and requirements have been explained with resources and library studies The required infrastructures are the main bass of tourism, one of the most significant of which, is the current situation of the transportation system (railway network). The main aim of this study is the introduction of railway tourism as a strategy for development of railroad settlements in north of Iran with ecological and sustainable tourism. As the second aim, the most significant criteria of the railway-tourism were extracted from theoretical the foundation, in addition, their priority were specified by experts’ in AHP (Analytic hierarchy process) method. Moreover, in order to understand the restrictions and main problems of the local people, interviews have been conducted. In the following, Tehran – Mazandaran impassable mountainous railway has been introduced, that passes through the Alborz Mountains. This route has majority of unrivalled natural and cultural attractions, traditional habitation, and rural settlements. Despite recent spatial changes in Iran, these regions remained original and traditional. Interestingly, the railway is the only accessible transport to some of these settlements, without destructive effect on the environment. As the result, the substantial criteria were specified, and the basic issues and limitations of the locals’ life have been explained from survey and interviews. Consequently, a direct relationship has been detected between railway tourism and railroad habitation development in Tehran – Mazandaran railway that contains social, economic, physical and demographic studies. Eventually, it could be easily realized, which railway-tourism has the lowest ecological impacts despite other types of tourism in natural and rural areas. Therefore, every kind of effort from researchers to authorities in this field could be helpful in order to protect our environment.

Tourist assets of the cross-border railway line Brest–Włodawa–Chełm

The article is to show tourist assets of the cross-border railway line Brest–Chełm, which is disrupted by a state border and the lack of a bridge on the Bug River barring access to Brest–Włodawa line section on the Belarus side and to Włodawa–Chełm section on the Polish side. The locally operating sections, built in the eighties of the twentieth century, of the strategic railway linking the Warsaw–Terespol line with the Vistula River Railroad (Nadwiślańska) have a great potential for the development of railway tourism. The line runs along prized nature areas of the macro-regions West Polesie and Wołyńskie Polesie. Sundry landscapes of the border countryside and their biological diversity are decisive in enjoying the highly valued scenery along the line on the Polish side. The attractiveness of the Belarus side – in practice accessible to foreigners following the introduction of the tourist and recreation zone ‘Brest’ in 2018 – is usually associated with the uncommon rules of travelling by train in the Belarus cross-border region. Both fragments of the line Brest–Chełm lead to and run through interesting tourist localities and cross-border culture sites. The article also touches on the present restrictions for railway tourism along this route, and the chances of reviving regular traffic in the Polish section in view of the governmental programme Kolej+.

Anti-crisis management of passenger transport as a factor of increasing railway competitiveness

Methods. To conduct research, the following methods were used: competition, SWOT analysis, mathematical analysis, marketing models, the PEST analysis method, the decision-making method, the Kaizen approach to achieve a high degree of quality of a product or service, as well as systems approach. Results. The article proves the expediency of applying anti-crisis management of passenger transportation as a factor of increasing the competitiveness of the railway. The analysis of the development of the transport services market has shown that rail transport is gradually losing its passengers, in favor of air and road transport. The management of «Ukrzaliznytsia» has recently made many steps to improve the competitiveness of railway passenger transportation in the domestic market of transport services, but these measures are not sufficient today to restore the lost positions that the railway had before. In order to increase the level of competitiveness of railway passenger transportation, as well as to develop a larger segment in the transport services market, the following tasks are identified: to conduct research and analysis of factors affecting the current situation in the service market, to analyze the advantages of existing potential competitors in the transport services market, to analyze the experience of passenger transportation in the European Union, to develop measures that can be proposed to «Ukrzaliznytsia» to improve the efficiency of passenger services and generate additional profit. Novelty. Areas of crisis management to improve the efficiency of passenger transport are proposed, namely: the development of railway tourism, the introduction of a system of discounts «bonus ticket», the creation of a railway hub, implementation of Kaizen approach to achieve a high level of quality services, the organization of multimodal passenger transport by «travel card». Practical value. The implementation of the proposed measures and strategies will allow «Ukrzaliznytsia» to identify promising mechanisms for managing the passenger complex in the context of an escalating crisis. All these measures will help «Ukrzaliznytsia» to get out of the crisis and get additional profit for the passenger industry.

Resiliency in tourism transportation: Case studies of Japanese railway companies preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Since 2011, Japan's inbound tourism continues to grow at an exponential pace. The increasing number of foreign visitors into the country will expose more people to the risk of natural hazards. As a result, in 2018 the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) started urging rail operators to consider planning for tourism safety in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. Despite this, reports indicate that rail operators continue to experience difficulties in developing and adopting disaster counter-measures for tourists. In the present research the authors explored the obstacles that rail companies face, by interviewing ten rail companies throughout Japan. By utilizing a framework that examined key variables that can contribute to improved railway tourism resiliency, the authors were able to identify areas where rail operators appear to be reasonably well prepared for a disaster event, and others were their current state of preparedness appears limited. Finally, from the shared experiences of the companies the authors identified eight areas that can help to strengthen resiliency based, and make some other recommendations of their own.