Rail Transport in Brumen

Rail transport has been an integral component of Brumen's freight & passenger mobility. There are both high speed (HSR) referred to as H-Bahn trains and conventional (non-HSR) rail services known as R-Bahn trains. The largest railway operator is the Realm Railway Group of Brumen (RGB), a for-profit state owned company with a market share of up to 80% of both passenger & freight rail traffic in the Kingdom.

Classification of Rail Transport

H-Bahn

The H-Bahn (abbreviation of Hochgeschwindigkeitszug Bahn) is the name of all Highspeed Rail services in Brumen. The H-Bahn is found in all RGB's subsidiaries and is generally its most profitable business units. The first H-Bahn network commenced operations in 1970 along the Dinsmark-Flusstadt rail corridor, which at the time was the busiest and most congested rail corridor in Brumen, was an immediate success. Ridership during its maiden trip was high and the service was able to maintain relatively consistent daily ridership levels. Highspeed Rail became a topic of national discussion, its popularity surged exponentially prompting the RGB to propose multiple expansion plans which were approved by the federal government. Both federal & private loans made by the RGB were approved and each of its subsidiaries soon began construction of their own H-Bahn lines. By 1974 all subsidiaries of RGB had at least one H-Bahn corridor in active service. During its infancy however the H-Bahn proposal was met with fierce resistance, mostly from automobile lobby groups who feared that the implementation of a rapid transit system would lead to a decline in automobile ownership. Politicians who were endorsed by these lobby groups became the most vocal opponents of the H-Bahn network, calling for an end of federal funding for the RGB's H-Bahn expansion programs. Opponents of the H-Bahn argued that the H-Bahn is not entitled to receive both federal & state funding and its continued funding should be derived from the RGBs' own revenues. Eventually in 1975 lawmakers in both Congress and Conclave of the Bundeskammern held public hearings for adoption of the H-Bahn network with all H-Bahn expansions put on hold. In spite of these roadblocks however public support for the H-Bahn and RGB skyrocketed, mostly drive due to the efficiency and convenience delivered by H-Bahn services. Eventually proponents of the H-Bahn in Congress & Conclave prevailed which cemented the H-Bahn as a strategic component of the country's public transportation network, guaranteeing its continued access to government funding on the federal & state levels.

R-Bahn

The R-Bahnm (abbreviation of Regionalbahn) is the umbrella term for all conventional (non-HSR) services operated by RGB. Because of this it is often considered as a hybrid train service that combines the characteristics of inter-city, local and commuter train services. It is also the only type of train service whose fare is partially subsidized by the government. When combined together, R-Bahn services represents the largest ridership and source of revenue of RGB and its subsidiaries. While H-Bahns enjoy a higher popularity amongst commuters due to its rapid service time it is more expensive and not everyone uses the H-Bahn on a daily basis. Most daily commuters would utilize various R-Bahn services to commute from their houses to work. H-Bahn networks are primarily used for commuters who live and work in two different cities, a smaller demographic compared to the rest of the workforce who typically live either within the same city or its suburbs and then commutes to the center of the city using an R-Bahn service. R-Bahns have been a pivotal part of RGB since the establishment of the modern railway era, and continues remains so in the present day. Modern R-Bahn trains are much faster and accommodate more passengers compared to those made in the early 2000s. The demographics of commuters have also shifted, previously before 2000 the largest user of hte R-Bahn service were the lower class of society due to its subsidized fares. However in modern times more people from the middle class have begun to utilize the R-Bahns, citing its increased reliability, quality of service & its cheap fares. The middle and lower class have become the two largest users of R-Bahn services, with a small bug significant number of upper class of society also utilizing it. There are however calls from within the government and the general public to end government subsidies for R-Bahn fares. Proponents for ending subsidy argues that subsidized fares were implemented during times of economic downturn of Brumen, whereas in the modern era most people including the lower class can afford to pay for non-subsidized R-Bahn fares. Opponents on the other hand argue that the government is bound by the country's constitution to provide subsidies, quoting article 15 of the constitution that states the government is obligated to provide a means for the country's population access to affordable public transportation. The debate continues to date.