The NYC rapid transit system can be recognized as a type of city owned railroad system, of course it’s never a typical or standard railroad, and it does not operate under the Federal Railroad Administration and it’s not diectly connected to the national railway system. The NYC rapid transit system were once called railroads i.e The Brooklyn Bath and Cony Island Railroad was actually an early elevated rapid transit system. We people call these city owned railroads or railways rapid transits in order to to distinguish them from typical regional railroads. A railroad is like a brandname for the US national rail system. In the UK they call them railways. I n fact the real overall name for this type of road sytem is railway or rail transport. The Railroad is only a brand name for the national US railway system.
Boston’s MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) involves all sorts of transit options. Probably best known for the “T” trains of “Charlie on the MTA,” before they added the B, they run subways, light-rail trolleys and bus systems. The’ve also taken over the commuter rail lines once run by the Boston and Maine Railroad.
The political map of metropolitan Boston involves many entities and overlapping municipal jurisdictions, including the archaic counties. So, the MBTA can’t be a city-owned business, since it serves so many different areas. Instead, it’s a quasi-independent government agency. I don’t pretend to understand the byzantine politics of this organization. However, when I park my car at the convenient Alewife parking lot for a few dollars, hop a Red Line subway into town, and surface to cross the river on the Longfellow Bridge with a beautiful picture-window view of the water and city, I’m somehow always in a good mood.
New York’s MTA is an umbrella that covers the old subway system (parts of which are elevated,) the former LIRR and NYC commuter services, a plethora of bus routes and even a couple of ferries. Those parts that run on rails are standard gauge, and some of them (though not the old rapid transit lines) share routes with freight traffic.
In and around Tokyo, there are a hodgepodge of routes, ranging from JR-East (ex-National Railway) to subways (of two different gauges) to privately-owned electric railways serving commuters, store customers and tourists. Some of the JR-East routes also carry JR Freight Rail trains, and some of the electric railways also support freight operations.
In years past, when JR-East and JR Freight Rail were simply components of the National Railway system, the suburban services ran on routes that were primarily built for freight service or were the metropolitan ends of through routes where the rapid transit design cars (four doors per side, rapid acceleration, minimal seating) shared the rails with freight, and with passenger trains carrying sleepers and extra-fare chair cars that DIDN’T stop every few kilometers. The construction standards, operating rules and operating practices were the same for everyone, from the commuter-run train crews to the crews of inter-city passenger trains and long-haul freights.
FWIW, Tetsudo, the Japanese word for ‘railway’ (its most usual translation) is written with Kanji characters meaning iron road. I wonder if a road of WWII Marston Mat, aka PSP (pierced steel plank) would qualify…
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with JNR rapid transit cars)
one reason for the separation is to prevent the “railroads” from operating freight on the system. Some streetcar lines were intentionally wide gauged or narrow gauged exactly for that reason.
Various rapid transits grew out from railroads and stuck with passenger operations only.
There were lots of independent streetcar lines that eventually merged into another making one large line then later worked into City control/ownership and the city furthered making rapid transit lines.
It’s back to the old question, what’s the difference between a railroad and a railway??? There is a big difference legally, It seems Americans refer to railroads(even though there are Railways in the U.S.) Canada seems to prefer railways as does Britain, There is always an exception as in the transit lines using railroad. Again I believe the legal terms must be used, but no one seems to worry about specific terms when using either term, and everyone seems to understand.
Railroad or Railway? It may be a reflection of when the railroad last went through bankruptcy and reorganization. Back before efficiency led to industry-leading profitability the Norfolk and Western flip-flopped several times. One more (or less) bankruptcy and the Norfolk and Western Railroad would have merged with the Southern…
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)