Great Aininian Railroad
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| File:GCFA.png | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Main region(s) | Vaudale Island |
| Other region(s) | Iberville, Huimont, Nautarya–Alouatan |
| Technical | |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm standard gauge |
The Great Aininian Railroad (French: Grand Chemin de Fer Aininien), commonly known by its French acronym GCFA and the nickname le Grand C, is a railroad in Ainin and the sole provider of inter-city passenger rail service to Huimont and the central Vaudale Island. It operates on track owned by the Aininian Ministry of Transportation, which it shares with the freight National Society of Mines.
Founded in 1891 by a group of Beaurepaire business interests, it quickly expanded to become the largest railroad in Southern Ainin, carrying both passengers and cargo. It gained a national network in 1922 when it merged with the Linaque and Ponant Railroad and acquired access to its trunk line in Northern Ainin. Locked for many years in tight competition with its chief rival, the Bounèsque National Railroad, it gained an advantage by leasing its network to major freight operators. In 1944, its main rival declared bankruptcy and was taken over by the state, which gradually began to undercut the GCFA's rates for freight operators. Faced with loss of revenue after the loss of several profitable leases, the company struggled throughout the next decade, but the death blow came in 1958, when all private freight operators were nationalised by the Rail and Mine Act. Faced with loss of freight traffic to the state and passenger traffic to automobiles and buses, it declared bankruptcy in 1961 despite Prime Minister Denis Montclair's attempt to save it.
In the subsequent bankruptcy proceedings, the state bought out its assets and retained the physical tracks in its ownership while merging the operations with the BNR to form a single national passenger railroad, which retained the GCFA's iconic name. Since then, it has transferred its commuter rail division to local governments and incorporated new technologies into its network, including high-speed rail and positive train control. Today, it is one of the largest railroads in the world.
The GCFA does not operate commuter rail (except for the Tourres Airport Shuttle) or services in the outlying islands of the Aininian archipelago, which are instead handled by the East Notasia Company in Mercier and Urbas Rail in Risagne. Through a joint venture with Nautaryan Railways, it operates services in Iberville and Nautarya–Alouatan.