Inter-Rail Company

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Inter-Rail Company, sometimes shortened to IRC, is a government funded, privately owned company that is focused with rail transport. The IRC is in charge for all passenger and freight rail transport on the mainland of the Culldrome Isles. It is also in charge of operating, maintaining and managing the railway and rolling stock that it owns. Operating hundreds of rolling stock, the company transports nearly a million passengers each year and thousands of tons of freight on its network and is a highly punctual public transport system.

Background
In 1982, the Culldrom government proposed a railway system to link major settlements together. It was proposed due to the recent rise in oil prices, prompting many to use public transport. It was thought that a rail system would aid heavily in passenger transport and would bring the Culldrome Isles into modern technology. However, due to budget constraints, the proposal never went through. Another system was proposed in 1989, which aimed at construction a rail network by 1995. The outbreak of the Porcyal War a few years later forced the project to be canceled.

It was not until 1997 that a serious proposal was put forward, the Culldrome Inter-City and Intra-City Railway Network, which was later remaned the Culldrome Inter-Rail Network. The proposal, aimed to link various places in Culldrome City, acting as a form of mass transit to the half-million people who live there. The railway would also extend to intercity and regional destinations such as Mt. Charlamander and Seacast. In addition to carrying passengers, there would also be freight trains operating on the network. The government secured funding and created the Inter-Rail Company to manage the network. Construction on the mass transit part started that year and ended in 2003. The company also imported trains and carriages from the USA, to run on the network. The IRC Rail Network opened in July 2003. Eventually, the lines were expanded to intercity destinations in 2005.

In 2006, the Inter-Rail Company expanded to the Treshurr Isles, Menap Island, Snelten Island and the Skulldrome Isles. The networks on these islands were isolated from each other and operated independently. However, due to dwindling service and rising costs, many of the rail lines on these islands were sold off to private contractors.

At first the IRC was entirely government owned and funded. During this time, the IRC's rapid expansion to other parts of Culldrome, record economic losses and an IRC train crash (blamed on poor maintenance and staff) resulted in the government being heavily criticized. As a result, in 2007, the company was placed into private control, but was still government funded.

Today, the Inter-Rail Company owns and operates all of the railway network on Cullrome Island. The entire network encompasses about 2,300 kilometers of rails.

Rolling Stock
The Inter-Rail Company operates a large amount of trains and carriages, all of them being electrically powered. The types are called sets, but are commonly referred to by simpler names.


 * F Set (Flowers): There are 65 F Set carriages and trains. These are highly modern, double-decker trains that operate in highly dense routes, such as in the city. F Sets were just recently introduced (in 2009) and not a lot have been produced.


 * P Set (Porcyals): The P Sets have been in use since 2001, when the first rail lines opened with 234 of them built. These trains operate on the busy city, urban and suburban lines. P Sets, like F Sets, are double-deckers but are not so modern compared to them.


 * L Set (Lightning): The L Sets are the fastest type of train that the IRC operates, capable of running up to 140 km/h. In use since 2007, there are 124 L Sets, which are double-deckers that resemble the new F Set (developed 2 years later). L Sets operate exclusively on ShuttleRail services.


 * CARL Set (CARRiage Link): The CARL Sets, more commonly referred to as CARLs, operate on the empty and less busy outer-suburban train lines. There are 312 CARLs in operation. Unlike the F and P Sets, CARLs only have a single passenger deck.


 * HACS Set(HeAvy Cargo System): The HACS Sets are electric trains which are used to transport assorted cargo. Introduced in 2005, there are 52 HACS Sets. HACS trains are notorious for its bad reliability and are being phased out in favor of the newer CATS Set.


 * CATS Set(CArgo Transportation System): The CATS Sets are highly modern electric trains which are used to transport freight and cargo. Unlike the other train sets, CATS trains sacrifice speed for power. It carries no passengers, but can transport several hundred tons of cargo. There are 257 CATS Sets, which aim to replace the aging

In addition to this, IRC operates a small fleet of trains used for maintenance of the track and other company duties.


 * DME GE60: The IRC has a total of 8 diesel powered DME GE60s. These are used to haul maintenance equipment to parts of the track.


 * Railway Maintenance Equipment (RME): Simply put, RMEs repair and built rail tracks. There are many different types of RME, but they are collectively grouped and referred to.


 * Railway Measurement Carriages (RMC): There are 5 of these modified CARL carriages in service. Inside them, they don't contact seats, but instead contain a vast amount of special equipment. The equipment is used to detect faults in the rail as well as to measure things about it.


 * IRC Personnel Carriages: These, like the RMC, are modified CARL carriages. These carriages, which are usually attached to maintenance trains, to transport a large amount of company staff and personnel. The company has 7 IRC Personnel Carriages.

CityMetro


CityMetro is the operating brand name of IRC's mass transit service. CityMetro operates exclusively in Culldrome City and acts as the rapid transit system for the whole city. Studies have revealed that CityMetro transports as many as 550,000 riders everyday, making it the most highly used form of public transport in the city. The CityMetro service is also highly renowned for the fact that 97% of its services being on-time. Even though it runs on time, the trains can also get very congested, especially during rush hours.

There are six CityMetro lines and many stations:

RegionLink


RegionLink is the operating name for the regional rail services of the IRC. RegionLink operates in Culldrome Island, providing access to other cities and regional destinations. The CARL trains operate on RegionLink lines, which are typically not very busy. However, on the busy areas, especially around Culldrome Bay and the cities of Seacast and Clarkson, L Set trains are used in conjunction (which are run under the ShuttleRail service). There are a few stations on the lines, but otherwise the journey is long, uninterrupted and uneventful. There are five RegionLink lines:

ShuttleRail
ShuttleRail is the name of the frequent shuttle service that the IRC offers. The ShuttleRail service was established in 2007, when the L Set debuted. The service was hoped to speed up travel times during highly traveled portions of the IRC's network. Unlike CityMetro or RegionLink, ShuttleRail doesn't have its own dedicated rail network. Due to this, ShuttleRail services operate on rail lines of other networks. Nearly all of the services operate in Culldrome City, on the CityMetro lines. Some of the ShuttleRail services run in the busy area around Culldrome Bay, Seacast and Clarkson, on the RegionLink lines.

ShuttleRail trains exclusively use L Set trains, which operate at very fast speeds. The ShuttleRail service is basically the CityMetro service, but the train only stops at certain stations, as opposed to all stations. The stations that are stopped at are usually busy, frequently used stations. This makes it a very useful option for those commuting to work in the morning or for generally getting around quickly.

CargoRail
CargoRail is the operating name of the IRC's freight transportation service. Established in 2005, CargoRail operated mainly on the RegionLink network. CargoRail trains sometimes use the CityMetro network for duties inside Culldrome City. HACS Sets and CATS Sets are used on CargoRail services. Trains stop at special freight stations, but can also take in cargo from regular passenger stations. CargoRail services transport all sorts of freight, ranging from shipping containers and coal to weapons. Every year, CargoRail transports thousands of tons of freight, using an extensive inventory rolling stock.

CityMetro
Due to the large amount of stations on the CityMetro network, only the large and important ones are listed.


 * Culldrome City Central - The largest station on the entire IRC network. All trains stop here and the station acts as a terminus.
 * Downtown - As the name suggests, Downtown is located in the city's downtown district. There are 4 platforms, which usually get full.
 * Oak Village - Located on the Moss Loop, the Oak Village station caters for a large amount of the city's urban population.
 * Airport - This Culldrome line station is located underneath the city's only airport, Culldrome International Airport. Passengers to travel here usually arrive or depart the country via the airport.
 * East Wharf - Located in the downtown district, East Wharf is located near several large office blocks. Businessmen and women usually travel here to work.

RegionLink
Bluetower Line

Northern and Southern Bay Lines

Northern Bay Line from Seacast

Southern Bay Line from Seacast

Charlamander and Collwall Lines

Charlamander Line from East Canyon

Collwall Line from East Canyon

Trivia

 * The trains are parodies of real life electric trains:
 * The F Set Flower is based on the A Set Waratah.
 * The P Set Porcyal is based on the S Set.
 * The L Set Lightning is based on the M Set.
 * The CARL is based on the H Set OSCAR.
 * As of recent, IRC trains have begun to haul mail cars on their RegionLink trains.