Incidence

Due to these benefits, rail transport is a major form of passenger and freight transport in many countries. In Asia, many millions use trains as regular transport in India, China, South Korea and Japan. It is widespread in European countries. Freight rail transport is widespread and heavily used in North America, but intercity passenger rail transport on that continent is relatively scarce outside the Northeast Corridor, although a number of major U.S. and Canadian cities have heavily-used local rail-based passenger transport systems or light rail or commuter rail operations.[4]

Africa and South-America have some extensive networks such as in South Africa, Morocco-Algeria-Tunisia, Egypt, Brazil and Argentina; but some railroads on these continents are isolated lines connecting two places. Australia has a generally sparse network befitting its population density, but has some areas with significant networks, especially in the southeast. In addition to the previously existing east-west transcontinental line in Australia, a line from north to south was recently constructed. The highest railroad in the world is the line to Lhasa, Tibet, partly running over permafrost territory. In Western-Europe, the region with the highest railroad density in the world, most possible connections seem to have been made, but major projects continue to be realized, such as the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France, new dedicated high-speed lines, the Betuweroute for freight from the port of Rotterdam in Holland to Germany and the tunnel under Brussels. Western Europe nevertheless remains a technically and organisationally fragmented region with the Trans-Europe Express being one of the few exceptions.