1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks in contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface. Rail coaches are also directionally guided by the tracks on which they run (Wolmar, 2009). A track usually consists of steel rails installed on sleepers, on which the rolling stock, usually fitted with metal wheels, moves. However, other variations are also possible, such as slab track where the rails are fastened to a concrete foundation resting on a prepared subsurface (Skempton, 2002).
According to American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA) (2003) a train is a connected series of rail vehicles that move along a purposely constructed track. Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate locomotive or from individual motors in self-propelled multiple units. Most trains carry a revenue load, although non-revenue cars exist for the railway's own use, such as for maintenance-of-way purposes. The engine driver controls the locomotive or other power cars.
The earliest evidence of a railway was a 6-kilometre (3.7 m) Diolkos wagon way, which transported boats across the Corinthisthmus in Greece during the 6th century BC. Trucks pushed by slaves ran in grooves in limestone, which provided the track element. The Diolkos ran for over 600 years (Lewis, 2009). Railways began reappearing in Europe after the Dark Ages. The earliest known record of a railway in Europe from this period is a stained-glass window in the Minster of Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany, dating from around 1350 (Hylton, 2007).
Clearly, a virile railway system plays a significant role in the sectoral development and overall growth of any economy. It opens up regions, hinterlands and rural areas by facilitating agricultural development as well as facilitates the growth of cottage/large scale industries. It also attracts residential, commercial, educational and recreational settlements and developments around its corridor. It is in this context that rail transport mode is seen as the mainframe or pivot around which an integrated national transport system should be built with other modes complementing.
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