national railways

national railways, rail transportation services owned and operated by national governments. U.S. railways are privately owned and operated, though the Consolidated Rail Corporation was established by the federal government and Amtrak uses public funds to subsidize privately owned intercity passenger trains. Canada has several small privately owned railways, but its major passenger railway, Canadian National, was government-funded until 1995. In many countries, the central government owns and operates a national rail system, though some countries...