As a European very interested in rail transport I found that to be an excellent round-up, thank you for the comment.
I'd add France to the list of countries which railway system went decisively downwards starting with the mid 20th century. Everyone focuses on the success of the TGV but the country's regional rail network was almost entirely dismantled. Just by comparing this map [1] of the network as it looked in the interwar period to the present one [2] one can see that decline very easily.
I'd add France to the list of countries which railway system went decisively downwards starting with the mid 20th century. Everyone focuses on the success of the TGV but the country's regional rail network was almost entirely dismantled. Just by comparing this map [1] of the network as it looked in the interwar period to the present one [2] one can see that decline very easily.
[1] http://p1.storage.canalblog.com/16/88/152398/30965632.jpg
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_railway_lines_in_Franc...