This book has reviewed the sustainability of rail engineering and operations with respect to both existing assets and new build in terms of the three pillars of economic, social and environmental sustainability. It is argued that the composition of a sustainable railway is well understood, but...

This introductory chapter sets the context for the remainder of this book by setting out general concepts of sustainability and briefly discussing how they have impacted on railway system development over time. It considers the recent rise in prominence of environmental sustainability and how...

This chapter reviews railways with respect to their organisation, regulation and ownership, with particular reference to the reforms undertaken in Great Britain in the mid-1990s. First, with respect to organisation, railways constitute a complex industry that has tended to be dominated by...