Role Of Railways Research Articles

Method for calculating the supply of transport and logistics services depending on the demand for freight transportation

The article examines the problems that arise in railway freight transportation when determining the optimal size of rolling stock fleet under seasonal fluctuations in the volume of transportation and ensuring a certain reserve of vehicles. In order to optimize the number of vehicles in the fleet, it is necessary to find a balance between undesirable expenses for maintaining wagons in periods of falling demand for them (surplus supply of transport and logistics services) and unearned income from their lack (deficit) in periods of maximum growth of transportation volumes. The methodology and example of calculating the fleet of freight wagons, the efficiency of their use and determining the optimal number of rolling stock and the need for a certain reserve of vehicles are presented. It is noted that the railway transport of Ukraine was and continues to be one of the main types of transport in the transportation of goods and passengers. However, considering the long operating time of the rolling stock, more than 70% of semi-wagons and more than 80% of grain wagons require replacement or extension of their service life due to capital repairs. The role of railways is especially critical in the current period of russia's war against Ukraine, due to the lack of air transport, river and sea transport and the insufficient capacity of highways and border railway stations. Determining the required number and optimizing the number of vehicles in the fleet can be carried out according to the calculation methodology, which is based on the analytical determination of the minimum of the objective function of the total operating costs associated with both the deficit and the surplus of vehicles compared to the demand for transport and logistics services. It has been established that the application of this calculation method allows to optimize the inventory and working fleet of wagons taking into account the different cost per day of shortage and surplus of the fleet of wagons (supply of transport services compared to their demand). Compared to traditional methods of calculation, the proposed method saves operational costs for maintaining the fleet of wagons in the amount of 2-5%.

Environmental Impact Evaluation as a Key Element in Ensuring Sustainable Development of Rail Transport

The development of railways stands as a pivotal milestone in the history of transportation, transforming the world and revolutionising the movement of people and goods. From their humble beginnings as rudimentary track systems to the sophisticated and interconnected networks we witness today, railways have played a crucial role in fostering economic growth, promoting globalisation, and shaping modern societies. Moreover, as the world grapples with the urgent need to mitigate climate change and transition to sustainable modes of transportation, the role of railways has gained significant attention. Railways have long been recognised as one of the most environmentally friendly means of mass transit, offering lower carbon emissions, energy efficiency, and reduced congestion compared to other transportation modes. However, there are still many challenges to overcome to provide continuous sustainability in the context of environmental impacts, especially related to wildlife and habitat protection. This scientific paper aims to explore the concept of sustainability in the context of railways, providing a comprehensive analysis of their environmental influences. As a result, the authors present a complex analysis of the topic, combining different perspectives—ecological, engineering, and legislative. They present methods of reducing noise pollution—constructional and legal ways; emission pollution reduction associated with combustion engines; and innovative analysis of limiting the impact of transportation on natural habitats and forest animal populations, which is not yet sufficiently elaborated scientifically in the literature. By examining key strategies, technologies, and policy frameworks, this research sheds light on the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability within the railway industry around the world.

The Role of Railways in the Ottoman Empire During the First World War

ABSTRACT Some of the most important factors influencing the course and outcome of the First World War were the strength of national economies, mobilization of the army, and the supply of basic products and military supplies. The railway networks played a strategic role in the war. The Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in the First World War in November 1914. Due to the war conditions in each country and the destruction of the railway network in Serbia, the expected level of imports could not be reached in the first 2 years. The capital city dwellers particularly experienced serious shortages of staple products during the war. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the role of railways in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The article examines the role of the Edirne-Istanbul railways in the battle of Gallipoli and also the provision of goods to Istanbul during the war.

Path selection and mechanism innovation of improving railway energy efficiency – from foreign experience and Chinese practice

PurposeUnder the dual pressure of resources and environment, many countries have focused on the role of railways in promoting low-carbon development of integrated transportation and of even the whole society. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive study on methods to improve railway energy efficiency in other national railways and achievements made by China’s railways in the past practice, and then to propose ways in which in the future China’s railways could rationally select the path of improving energy efficiency regarding the needs of the nation's ever-shifting development and carry out the re-engineering for mechanism innovation in energy conservation and emission reduction process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper first studies other national railways that have tried to promote the improvement of railway energy efficiency by the ways of technology, management and structural reconstruction to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Among them, the effect of structural energy conservation and emission reduction has become more prominent. It has become the main energy conservation and emission reduction measure adopted by foreign railway sectors. The practice of energy conservation and emission reduction of railways in various countries has tended to shift from a technical level to a structural one.FindingsKey aspects in improving energy efficiency include re-optimization of energy structure, re-innovation of energy-saving technologies and optimization of transportation organization. Path selection includes continuing to promote electrified railway construction, increasing the use of new and renewable energy sources, and promoting the reform of railway transportation organizations.Originality/valueThis paper provides further challenges and research directions in the proposed area and has referential value for the methodologies, approaches for practice in a Chinese context. To achieve the expected goals, relevant supporting policies and measures need to be formulated, including actively guiding integrated transportation toward railway-oriented development, promoting innovation in energy-saving and emission reduction mechanisms and strengthening policy incentives, focusing on improving the energy efficiency of railways through market behavior. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to new phenomena in the railway industry for track and analysis.

GÜNEY KAFKASYA JEOPOLİTİĞİNDE DEMİRYOLLARININ ROLÜ

Önemli bir geçiş potansiyeline sahip olan ancak tam olarak yararlanılamayan Güney Kafkasya, uluslararası ilişkilerdeki kilit aktörlerin jeopolitik ve jeo-ekonomik çıkarların odak noktasında yer alır. Güney Kafkasya, Avrupa ile Asya'nın birleştiği noktada, Hazar ve Karadeniz arasında, hidrokarbon bakımından zengin Hazar devletleri ile bunların başlıca ithalatçıları olan AB ve Türkiye arasındaki konumundadır. Bölge, Doğu’dan Batı’ya (antik İpek Yolu) ve Güney’den kuzeye iletişim ve ticaret yollarının kesiştiği stratejik açıdan önemli bir ulaşım merkezidir. Güney Kafkasya jeopolitik konumu nedeniyle, uluslararası ulaşım koridorlarının taşıyıcısı olarak kabul edilmektedir. Güney Kafkasya’da demiryolları, bölgenin ekonomik kalkınmasında önemli role sahiptir. Bu çalışmada Güney Kafkasya’da demiryollarının uluslararası ulaşım koridoru boyunca rolü, gelişimi ve gelecekteki beklentileri değerlendirilmiştir. Çalışmanın birinci bölümünde Güney Kafkasya’da demiryollarının tarihsel gelişimi, ikinci bölümde demiryollarının jeopolitik önemi üzerinde durulurken, üçüncü bölümde Güney Kafkasya’da alternatif demiryolu hatlarının jeopolitik bir unsur olarak nasıl değerlendirilmesi gerektiği üzerine durulacaktır. Sonuç olarak Güney Kafkasya'da yeni demiryolları ve ticaret koridorları ortaya çıkarken, terk edilmiş hatların restore edilmesiyle Rusya ve Türkiye güçlü ittifaklar kurarak Güney Kafkasya'ya daha derin nüfuz etme çabası içine girdiği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Pakistan-Central Asia Connectivity: Role of Railways

Prosperity and progress require shared inter regional and intra-regional collaboration, utilizing resources at their maximum and exploring new avenues for transit and trade. Being part of a landlocked but resource-rich region, Central Asian states require improved access to regional markets including Pakistan, China, India and the countries of West Asia. And countries like Pakistan also need to boost trade with Central Asia. As a result of this possible mutual collaboration and economic benefits, railways can constitute a strategic opportunity for Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to transport their goods and market them more competitively on the regional and global market, while also benefiting other countries through CPEC. Uzbekistan s Deputy Prime Minister Elyor Ganiev paid a two day visit to Pakistan on 27th of May and met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and briefed him on the transport railway corridor Uzbekistan-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar. Uzbekistan shared with Pakistan its plan for an international railway route connecting the two countries via Afghanistan.

S. Yu. Witte's ideas on the role of railways in the modernization of Russia

S. Yu. Witte's ideas on the role of railways in the modernization of Russia

British overseas railway investment and economic development: The Colombian National Railway Company and its impact on the Colombian interior

This study explores the financial performance and economic impact of British investment in the Colombian National Railway Company, the largest British direct investment in Colombia during the first period of globalisation. It aims to ascertain the railway’s impact on the regional economy and explain why it failed as a going concern. It explores three dimensions: the use of guaranteed railway bonds, the financial performance of the company, and the economic impact within different sectors of the local economy. The article implements existing methods such as financial analysis, internal rate of return, social savings, counterfactual analysis, and tailors these to a case study methodology for a micro business history of a single company. The article provides three main conclusions. Railway bond guarantees were critical to completion of the railway but detrimental to its long-term financial viability. The company was operationally profitable but stymied by construction delays. The railway contributed to growth of the export sector, internal agricultural trade, and government revenues. Contributions include tailoring the social savings method to a local rather than national focus, re-evaluation of the role of railways in Colombian economic growth, and exploring the influence of railways on internal trade within Latin American economies. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2020.1844665.This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

The role of railway in handling transport services of cities and agglomerations

Abstract The article discusses the changes in handling transport services of cities and agglomerations and the importance of railway in this aspect. Considerations on the transformation of the transport market, being the effect of changes on the market of goods and services and economic growth, the reasons for using railway transport in servicing urban and agglomeration traffic were identified. For many years the features characterizing rail transport have constituted a determinant of its use for the long-distance transport of homogeneous large cargo mass and long-distance transport of a significant number of passengers. The economic growth, and thus the increase in requirements on the transport market, caused a significant development of road transport in the short term. However, due to the negative external effects generated by this transport, as well as the change in the transport policy of individual countries and regions, steps have been taken towards the inter-branch diversification of transport services. Together with the dissemination of the concept of sustainable development, protection of the interests of future generations and limitation of emissions of harmful substances into the natural environment, innovative concepts, products and services to meet the tasks of a modern and responsible market appeared. The purpose of this article was to answer the following question: Is there a possibility for rail transport to be an important element of sustainable urban transport systems? Therefore, the article presents the concept of using an innovative system of self-propelled train compositions for handling transport services of cities and agglomerations. These train compositions, due to their limited length, their own propulsion system, and the control cabins located at both sides of the train, can be an alternative for handling feeder and transfer services in the agglomeration area, previously implemented mainly by means of road transport. The research area was Szczecin agglomeration with the city of Szczecin. Considerations and inferences were made on the basis of literature analysis, documentary method, external observation and methods of analysis and synthesis. This publication and/or research have been partially financed under the grant No 3/S/IZT/2018 financed from a subsidy of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for statutory activities.

Rola kolei w przemieszczeniach ludności w warunkach wojennych; casus polski i rumuński w czasie Wielkiej Wojny

Rola kolei w przemieszczeniach ludności w warunkach wojennych; casus polski i rumuński w czasie Wielkiej Wojny

The Influence of Railways on Military Operations in the Russo-German War 1941–1945

ABSTRACTIn common with much of the historiography of the Russo-German War of 1941–1945, there has been extensive study of the role of railways in the war, with either side concentrating on different aspects of the subject. But to date there has been little attempt to make a comparative study of the railways on both sides and to gauge the effect of differences in capacity on military operations and their outcomes. This lack has allowed one or both sides to obscure key failures and to deflect the influence on military operations away from railways. Yet the ubiquitous nature of railways for travel and transport in Russia, due to the large size of the country and the inability of motor vehicles to support operations beyond 300–400 km, meant that every military operation of the war was dependant on railways, and the way in which they were used was a key element in their success or failure. The current study aims to compare operating practices between Soviet and German military railways, to give estimates of the railway capacity available to both sides, and then to use this information to gauge the effect of this capacity on military operations.

The Role of Railways in Transporting Tourists within The Arab Republic of Egypt

The Role of Railways in Transporting Tourists within The Arab Republic of Egypt

Role of railways in empowering travelers: A case study from the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic opened up its monopolistically dominated railway market to private operators in 2003. Even after 10years, open-access competition in the passenger railway sector is in evidence only in the Prague–Ostrava route, where the three major operators include the national incumbent, České dráhy and two private players, RegioJet & LEO Express. In this paper, we study the effect of this emerging competition in Prague–Ostrava corridor by recording perceptions of 586 travelers about the services of the operators. We do an in-depth literature review and analyse our survey findings using five major ‘railway constructs’, viz. railway company image, service quality factor, travel convenience, relevant travel information, and traveler involvement, and their conceptual relationships in explaining the latent construct, traveler empowerment. Finally, the proposed theoretical construct relationships are statistically tested using structural equation modeling method based on Partial Least Squares (PLS). Also, by individually establishing traveler empowerment models for the three operators, a varying degree of empowerment is calculated with a variance of 91%, 90% and 94% for ČD, RJ and LE, respectively. Based on the findings, we conclude that ‘traveler empowerment’ is an enduring and distinct marketing strategy for all the three passenger railway operators in Czech Republic.

The Role Of Railways In Export-led Growth: The Case Of Uruguay, 1870–1913

ABSTRACT The social saving literature has highlighted the indispensable role that railways played before 1914 in several Latin American export-oriented economies, such as Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. The article analyses the case of Uruguay, a country that, by 1914, had built one of the densest railway networks in Latin America. The article shows that, in contrast to what happened in other economies of the region, the resource saving effects of the Uruguayan railways during the first globalisation were tiny due to the small share that railway output accounted for within the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Three complementary reasons are suggested to explain that result, namely: the geographical structure of the country; its sectoral specialisation; and the small scale of the Uruguayan economy. Due to these three characteristics, Uruguay was unable to benefit from railways in the way that other export-oriented Latin American economies did during the first period of globalisation. This conclusion draws attention to the geographic-specific character of railway technology.

Incorporation into the World Economy: From Railways to Highways (1850–1950)

The impact of globalization on the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey was first observed broadly in the railways of the transportation sector in the 1850s, and eventually shifted towards highways by the 1950s. This change profoundly affected the structure of the economy, ultimately leading to its integration into the global system. In this article, we look at three questions: what was the role of railways in the Ottoman Empire from the 1850s to 1914? What were the characteristics of modern Turkey's railway policies following the War of Independence? And, finally, how did transport policies shift from railways to highways following the Second World War? The Ottoman railway network held special importance for the Empire's economic integration into world markets. Foreign capital was invested in railways to provide crucial links between production areas and harbours with the goal of facilitating the export of raw materials and agricultural goods with the government's financial support. Until the proclamation of the Republic in 1923, the rail network was unbalanced and lines were unconnected, damaging both the economic unity and integration of the Ottoman economy. Forming a nation state on the basis of a national economy was the primary goal of Republican government. As such, all of the early Republican governments continued building and funding the rail network despite problems allocating sufficient financial resources and pressing needs for social (i.e. a lack of health and education services) and economic development. After the Second World War, following liberalization in economic and political life and an infusion of foreign aid (heavily invested in agriculture and road transportation networks), Turkey saw its economy grow. With this economic expansion, modern Turkey began to shift the focus of its transportation policies from railways to highways. As demand increased and highway investments skyrocketed, a highly developed road transport network began to take shape in Turkey, ultimately at the expense of the railway system.

Reforming the Tsar's Army: Military Innovation in Imperial Russia from Peter the Great to the Revolution by David Schimmelpenninck s> van der Oye Bruce W. Menning (review)

344 SEER, 83, 2, 2005 even mention that '[t]he history of Russian photography began in Odessa' (P. II 2).Nonetheless, thiswork'svisualvirtuosity,which will make it usefulto historiansand teachersof late imperialRussian historyalike,is sadlylet down by the accompanying texts' disparatenatureand failureto provide answersto many basic questions. Merton College, Oxford TIMOTHY S. J. PHILLIPS Schimmelpenninck van der Oye, David and Menning, Bruce W. (eds). Reforming theTsar'sArmy: MilitagyInnovation inImperial Russia fromPeterthe Great totheRevolution. Woodrow Wilson Center Series. Woodrow Wilson Center Press and Cambridge University Press, Washington D.C. and Cambridge, 2004. xi + 36I pp. Illustrations. Notes. Index. ?45.00: $65.00. RUSSIANmilitary history, for long a neglected field, has boomed of late, notablyin the United States.This volume containsfifteenessaysby specialists, allbutthreeofthemNorthAmerican,who focuson problemsof administrative reform.Three other contributorsseek to situatethis somewhat dry, recondite topic in a generalhistoricalcontext. Severalof these scholarsalsohave articles in 7The Militay Histogy of Tsarist Russia,ed. F. W. Kagan and R. Higham (New York and London, 2002), to which this forms a worthy pendant. Oddly, though, there are no maps. It is 'grosslyexaggerated', saysGudrunPersson(p. 151), to see the imperial Russian armyas a 'bastionof conservatism';neverthelessmuch herebearsout the conventional view. Time and again reform efforts were frustrated by courtiers or bureaucratswho clung to unrealistic, outdated notions. We are not offered an adequate picture of this opposition in these pages, although impersonal obstacles to reform, such as the empire's vast size and ethnic diversity,do receive attention. Paul Bushkovitchreminds us that Peter I had to take many senior commanders from the old boyar aristocracy, likely to resenthisinnovations,ratherthanfromsocialupstartsorforeignprofessionals. Although he refrainsfrom saying so, this does not seem to have had adverse effectsin the field. Marching smartlyforwardto the end of the century, Bruce W. Menning shows how GrigoriiPotemkin,as virtualtsarof southernRussia, skilfully adapted strategy to frontier conditions and took a common-sense approach to his troops' welfare. Unhappily most of these advances did not outlive him. Alexander I's martial shortcomings emerge clearly. The elaborate statute of January I812 on administration of the Active Army, studied here by Frederick W. Kagan, seems to have had little practical import in the subsequent campaign; indeed, Menning attributesRussia'svictory largely to good fortune [and] improvisation'(p. 284) aided, of course,by Napoleonas follies. Supplies were woefully inadequate, but just how far the newly establishedMain Staffwas to blame remains unclear. Nicholas I's obsession with militaryaffairsyielded mountainsofpaper, but againwith limitedresults. Dmitrii I. Oleinikov (Moscow) rescues the Caucasian wars from undeserved oblivion, pointing out that Chechen tribesmen had (some!) better weapons REVIEWS 345 than the Russians (p. 2IO),which obliged the latter to make improvements. But he does not ask himself whether well-attested Russian atrocities against civilians stimulated resistance: here M. Gammer's study of I994, not cited, would have added balance. The reforms associated with Alexander II's long-serving War minister, Dmitrii A. Miliutin, naturallywin pride of place. Robert F. Baumann deals expertlywith the way the I874 universalmilitaryservicelawwas implemented in practice. Forall its inequitiesthe measurewas 'fundamentallysound [. . .] a catalyst for civic improvement'; notably, it promoted social mobility and by 191 I 49 per cent of officers were non-nobles (pp. 32, 23). In a pioneering study Mark von Hagen examines conscription's ethnic impact. Certain minoritieswere exempted and othersdiscriminatedagainst,but by 19I7 these 'privileges'had been radically curtailed and there were several non-Russian units. The role of railways in mobilizing such masses of men was crucial (Jacob W. Kipp, pp. 82-103). Though much was achieved, it was never enough, and already the war with Turkey (I877-78) exposed Russia's weaknessin thisrespect.Nor was the high command up to the mark,since the reformers,who rightly pushed for a bold offensive strategy,were worsted by the grand-ducallobby. David A. Rich shows that the conservativessuffereda major (hitherto disregarded)setback in i887, when the Main Staff devised 'Russia's first truly viable war plan' based on specialized knowledge rather than 'the prerogatives [. . .] of the dynastic regime' (p. I84). Once again, however, the reformers' success was temporary, as the Russo-Japanesewar would amply demonstrate. After I905, rescued from ignominious defeat by the diplomats, Russia's militaryleadersvigorouslydebated organizationalchanges to boost efficiency, but the result was an uneasy compromise. Menning commends the...

Castration and the Heavenly Kingdom: A Russian Folktale by Laura s> Engelstein (review)

REVIEWS 345 than the Russians (p. 2IO),which obliged the latter to make improvements. But he does not ask himself whether well-attested Russian atrocities against civilians stimulated resistance: here M. Gammer's study of I994, not cited, would have added balance. The reforms associated with Alexander II's long-serving War minister, Dmitrii A. Miliutin, naturallywin pride of place. Robert F. Baumann deals expertlywith the way the I874 universalmilitaryservicelawwas implemented in practice. Forall its inequitiesthe measurewas 'fundamentallysound [. . .] a catalyst for civic improvement'; notably, it promoted social mobility and by 191 I 49 per cent of officers were non-nobles (pp. 32, 23). In a pioneering study Mark von Hagen examines conscription's ethnic impact. Certain minoritieswere exempted and othersdiscriminatedagainst,but by 19I7 these 'privileges'had been radically curtailed and there were several non-Russian units. The role of railways in mobilizing such masses of men was crucial (Jacob W. Kipp, pp. 82-103). Though much was achieved, it was never enough, and already the war with Turkey (I877-78) exposed Russia's weaknessin thisrespect.Nor was the high command up to the mark,since the reformers,who rightly pushed for a bold offensive strategy,were worsted by the grand-ducallobby. David A. Rich shows that the conservativessuffereda major (hitherto disregarded)setback in i887, when the Main Staff devised 'Russia's first truly viable war plan' based on specialized knowledge rather than 'the prerogatives [. . .] of the dynastic regime' (p. I84). Once again, however, the reformers' success was temporary, as the Russo-Japanesewar would amply demonstrate. After I905, rescued from ignominious defeat by the diplomats, Russia's militaryleadersvigorouslydebated organizationalchanges to boost efficiency, but the result was an uneasy compromise. Menning commends the muchmaligned V. A. Sukhomlinov and his offensive strategy, whereas John W. Steinbergmore plausiblybacksV. P. Mikhnevich, the prudent commandant of the general staff academy, who in I907 was forced to resign his post. David M. McDonald puts his fingeron the cardinalproblem:'how could one create an army and general staff on the Prussian model when the supreme warlord would let that process go only partway?' (p. 321). Many officers realized the autocratic system'sbasic weaknessbut could do precious little to correctit. The resultwas Tannenberg and 19I7. Two off-beatcontributionsdeserveto be noted. Persson(Sweden)writeson Russian military attaches' role in intelligence gathering in mid-century, and David R. Jones on the boy scout movement, which offered an alternative 'non-coercive' service model (p. 63). By I9I7 this organization had some 50,000 members (includingeven somegerl-gaidy). Bern,Switzerland JOHNKEEP Engelstein,Laura. Castration andtheHeavenly Kingdom: ARussian Folktale. Cornell University Press,Ithaca, NY and London, 2004. xviii + 283 pp. Illustrations . Notes. Index. $22.95: LI 3.95 (paperback). A wide variety of sects broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church from the seventeenth century onwards. The Old Believerswere the largestof these 346 SEER, 83, 2, 2005 groups, but there was a wide range of sects with roots in Orthodoxy, but whose religious practices had strayed very far from traditional Orthodox ritual. Laura Engelstein's book examines aspects of the most extreme and notorious of these groups:the Skoptsy.The Skoptsytook physical asceticism to an extreme by practising genital mutilation as an essential part of their religiousbeliefs, along with abstinence from meat, tobacco and alcohol. This is not a book for the squeamish, since Engelstein does not shy away from explicit and vivid descriptionsof the physical mutilationsthemselves,but this does help to bring home the strength of the devotion of the Skoptsyto their beliefs. The state persecuted the Skoptsyconsistently. The authoritiesfound their beliefs disturbingand were concerned lest the Skoptsy should challenge the Orthodox Church with their own particular brand of millenarianism. Members of the sect were exiled to remote regions of the empire, where the government hoped they would exert little influence. The Skoptsy, however, remained a highly secretive group, and their members were extremely reluctantto give evidence againsteach other, or even to admit that they were members of the sect, often providing medical explanations for their physical mutilation. It was thus extremely difficult for the Russian government to stampout the sect, the more so since in otherrespects,the Skoptsybehaved as model citizens, valuing work and eschewing the traditional Russian vice of vodka. Engelsteinnotes...

Muhammad inshaullah and the Hijaz railway

'We have woven the motherland from four corners with nets of iron.' This line, from the March commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 1933, is testimony to the role of railways in knitting together the emerging fabric of modern states.' The Trans-Siberian railway and the North American railroads may be cited as earlier examples.2 Railways which, even today, continue to provide environmentally friendly transportation on the ground for travellers and goods in times of peace were, until the Second World War, also vital for carrying soldiers and guns speedily to the battlefront. In the nineteenth century it may be observed that railways belonged only to the Great Powers3 indeed, it might be claimed with some justification that the steam engine was considered for the time the embodiment of progress and development.4 As pointed out by Conker,5 the Ottomans, though ruling over a still vast empire, lacked the technological and financial infrastructure required to build their own railways when they allotted the British the concession in 1856 for the 130 kilometre long Smyrna-Aydin line. The French who, along with the British, had been allies of Turkey during the Crimean War, followed shortly afterwards with their own concession for the Smyrna-Kasaba line which was constructed in 1862. Other European entrepreneurs also stepped in, after securing guarantees of large revenues for every kilometre of railway line constructed. The sultan Abdiilhamid recognized the link between foreign investment and political alliance and, as such, the award of further contracts for railway construction devolved into a rather convoluted business, in which the Germans from 1888 onwards finally gained the upper hand with the acceptance of their proposals for the extension of the Anatolian railways in the direction of Baghdad and the Persian Gulf.6 During this period, far away from the centre of such events, in the heart of the Punjab, a Muslim teacher7 named Muhammad Inshaullah,8 observing the impact on the country of the massive railway system the British were building in the areas under their control to transport raw material to factories beyond the seas, began a tireless campaign for the construction of a system of railways in the Ottoman empire the only part of the Muslim world that

Railways in London

This paper examines the current role of railways in London and identifies some of the problems. Many of the problems arise from the historical development of the two systems: the Underground, a metro, and Network SouthEast, a suburban rail service. Both systems were in decline until about 1980. During the 1980s patronage grew, but this caused problems of overcrowding. The performances of both systems, plus the smaller Docklands Light Railway, are considered in detail. The paper examines the problems in terms of those that arise from the nature of railways and those that are peculiar to London. The paper is concluded by a summary of planned developments: the CrossRail scheme, the Jubilee Line extension to Docklands, airport links, the Channel Tunnel Link and the prospects for privatization.

The Formation Process of Tokachi Region, Eastern Hokkaido

It seems to the present writer that the regional concept in the field of geography has remarkably developed in the recent 20 years. In Japan, however, there are not so many studies made on the formation and development process of nodal regions. The purpose of this study consists in reconstructing the process through which Tokachi (called Kasai until 1932) Sub-pref ectural Area has become “Tokachi Region.” For this purpose, special attention has been given to the relationship between the nodal region and the uniform one.The results of this research are summarized as follows.(1) The agriculture in Tokachi had already been restricted on bean production since around 1900, that is to say, since the beginning of land reclamation in Tokachi. In the circumstances of the bean boom caused by the World War I, Tokachi became a main area of bean production in Hokkaido, and such a status of Tokachi lasted until recently.(2) This characteristic of agriculture has been almost homogeneous throughout Tokachi, except its coastal area. Therefore it may be concluded that Tokachi Region has assumed a uniform character since the end of the Meiji era (around 1910).(3) Owing to the fact that the Sub-prefectural Office was established in Obihiro in 1897 and that in 1907 this town was connected by railway to Otaru and Sapporo, both of which were more developed, Obihiro became a dominant center in Tokachi Region. But on the other hand, Moyori (called Hiroo at present) and Ohtsu, historical port settlements, were left behind Obihiro, because they had no railway connections.(4) With the rapid growth of bean production, Obihiro became a center of the bean circulation, where many wholesalers dealing in fertilizers, agricultural implements and daily necessaries had long lived. Thus, so-called bean brokers emerged in Obihiro, who were in some cases wholesalers of other goods or landowners as well and whose influence was expanded throughout Tokachi. It was through this process that Tokachi Region as a uniform one acquired the nodal character.(5) The differentiation of central-place hierarchy took place approximately between 1920 and 1935, as a result of the following facts: (a) construction of the railway and establishment of the stations, (b) fixation of the location of town or village offices, (c) differentiation of hierarchy in the agricultural circulation system. This central-place hierarchy has continued to the present time on the whole.(6) As understood from these facts, Tokachi Region has been not only a uniform region but also a nodal one with its center, Obihiro, and is suitable to the name of “substantial region.”(7) In this paper, it proved obvious that the role of railway was of great importance to the formation of the. region. At least in such a newly developed district as Hokkaido, where in many cases railway was constructed before colonization, railway stations, together with village offices, often became a historical core of the central place. It is suggested that in such a district the function of the railway was not limited to passenger or goods transportation.Because of several restrictions, this report is confined to a sample study taking Tokachi Region as its field. Therefore, a general theory concerning with the relations between region formation and central places will only be formulated after studies having been made in other fields and after careful comparisons between those studies and the present one. The writer wishes to make it his prospective subject to form such a theory.