Railway and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

From the second half of the 20th century, numerous railways, especially in industrial and mining areas, were abandoned for economic reasons. The activism of the “railfans”, who are fond of trains, has made it possible to set up voluntary associations that have been the lifeblood of the beginning of projects for the recovery of the historic railway heritage and the promotion of it in a touristic sense. This topic is worthy of attention, and during recent years it has been the focus of several research papers. A systematic literature review was performed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes) methodology. This tool is a minimal set of evidence-based elements aimed at helping authors to carry out a systematic literature review. This systematic literature review sought to consolidate knowledge on the subject. The research team formulated three research questions related to the dynamics of railway heritage recovery, the dynamics of railway tourism and the relationship between sustainability and railway tourism. The findings highlighted that the railway tourism process always originates from a project for the restoration of railway heritage, possibly maintaining authenticity. The voluntary associations, along with their “railfans”, are the main stakeholder, not only preserving the rail heritage but also developing railway tourism activities. The touristic railway could regenerate the local community, with positive benefits on the local economy. Many tourists could be attracted by railway tourism destinations in that they wish to live memorable experiences related to the nostalgia of the past.

Railway tourism in providing the sustainable and smart population mobility

“…From this point, we build up a segment parallel to the vertical axis, the value of which is equal to contingent and fixed costs, namely $2,263,499. Then we add a segment above, the value of which is equal to variable costs, namely $2,905,960 [35]. The total segment constructed in this way is equal to the total costs of transporting tourists by tourist train in a conditional calculation year -$5,169,459.…”

“…Through this point and the point of intersection of the line of constant costs with the vertical axis, we draw a line of total costs (bold dotted line). If we then draw a straight line from point 0 at the origin of the coordinates to a point equal to the value of revenues from transportation of the forecast number of tourists, then as a result we will get a line of conditional revenues from transportation (shown in bold in the figure) [35].…”

The end of the line: competitive exclusion and the extinction of historical entities

“…An additional proviso is that, in the biological sense, SLs are not strictly extinct. It remains possible to construct new SLs [34] and operational SLs currently exist [45]. They are, however, effectively extinct, no longer either a subsidiary component of the land transportation network nor an economically sound means of transportation [32].…”

Could the Southern-Kurtalan Express be as Popular as the Eastern Express? Comparative SWOT Analysis

“…In brief, train-rail tourism enhances travel experiences, including nostalgia, a sense of history, and authenticity. In addition, the design of a railway as a product, by adding concepts such as luxury, sustainability, and nostalgia, having features that reflect national identity or culture, to appeal to a large-scale tourist mass (Peira et al, 2022), is a vital and basic element in the formation of a popular railway image. Camargo et al ( 2014) took a broader view of the factors to consider when developing rail tourism, including heritage themes, wagon experiences, connectivity to historic attractions and sites, stakeholder support and collaboration, financial investment, pricing, accessibility, passenger safety, and future development (Lee and Cheng, 2017).…”