Private railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A private railroad is a railroad run by a private corporation.

In Japan, although Japan Railway is a private corporation it is not considered a private railroad for historical reasons.

Among the major private railways in Japan are Odakyu, Keikyu, Meitetsu, Tokyu, and are often profitable and less expensive (to ride) than publicly run railways. Private railways also run a variety of other businesses, such as hotels and department stores.

In the United States, a private railroad is a railroad owned by a company and serves only that company, and does not hold itself out as a "common carrier" (i.e., it does not provide rail transport services for the general public).