Private railway

As a private railway railway undertakings are referred to, are not usually the property of the respective central government; the term private railway is mainly used to distinguish it from the state railways. In the private railways are mostly to corporations owned by private investors, but also the public sector (countries, counties, cities, etc.). Even tracks which exist as municipal enterprises in public law form are referred to as private railway.

Private Companies can be both railway infrastructure companies and railway companies.

With private railway company, a single railway line can be intended. Do not ever make private railways represent contiguous networks often are the various operating parts of a private railway linked together only by the state railways.

Germany

In the Federal Republic of Germany private railways are officially referred to as non-federally owned railways ( NE railways ) since 1949.

Switzerland

Austria

In Austria, private railways, all trajectories whose operator is not regulated by the Federal Railways Act (valid for Austrian Federal Railways). Here, no distinction is made according to who is the owner of the web. It may therefore also a path which is owned by the federal government, such as the Graz- Köflacher train GKB, a private railway to be.