Advantages and Disadvantages of railway transport services

Posted by Viona on December 8th, 2022

Advantages and disadvantages of railway transport services

Due to the development of trade, railway transportation services occupy an important position in a country's transportation system, and a country's industry and commerce largely depend on the development of railways.

Advantages of railway transport services:

  • Railway transport services facilitate long-distance travel and transport of bulky goods that cannot easily be transported by motor vehicles.
  • It is a fast and more regular mode of shipping as it helps to move the goods quickly and surely.
  • It facilitates the transportation of coal and raw materials at a cheaper price, which helps in the process of industrialization of a country.
  • It helps to move goods quickly from one place to another in case of emergencies such as famine and shortage of supplies.
  • railway transport services encourage labor mobility, thereby providing a broad employment space.
  • Railway is the safest mode of transportation. Accidents and breakdowns are the least likely to occur on railways compared to other modes of transportation. In addition, traffic can be protected from sunlight, rain and snow, etc.
  • The carrying capacity of the railway is very large. Also, its capacity is elastic and can be easily increased by adding more wagons.
  • It is the largest public utility in the country. Railroads provide many utility services. Their charging standard is based on how much the traffic can bear, which is in favor of the poor. In fact, it is a national necessity.

Disadvantages of railway transport services:

  • Railways need a lot of capital investment. The cost of construction, maintenance and management fees is very high compared to other modes of transportation. Also, investments are specific and fixed. If the traffic is not enough, the investment may mean a huge waste of resources.
  • Another disadvantage of railway transport services is the lack of flexibility. Its route and time cannot be adjusted according to individual requirements.
  • railway transport service cannot provide door to door service as it depends on specific track. Intermediate loading or unloading involves greater cost, more wear and wasted time. The time cost of terminal operations is a major disadvantage of rail transport.
  • Since railways require large capital expenditures, they may create monopolies and harm the interests of the general public. Even when controlled and regulated by the government, the lack of competition can lead to inefficiencies and high costs.
  • Railway transportation is not suitable and economical for short distance and small amount of goods transportation.
  • Compared to car transportation, it takes a lot of time and manpower to book and pick up goods by rail.
  • Railways cannot operate economically in rural areas due to huge capital requirements and traffic volumes. Therefore, even today, there are no railways in vast rural areas. This brings a lot of inconvenience to people living in rural areas.

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Viona

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Viona
Joined: August 29th, 2022
Articles Posted: 4

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