“Only now did I recognize the reciprocal relationship which exits between manufacturing power and the national system of transportation, and that the one can never develop to its fullest without the other.”

Friedrich List (1789 – 1846)

Friedrich List, one of Germany's most important economic theorists of the 19th century, realized in the early years of railway development the importance of efficient transportation systems as a supporting mechanism for economic developments (Weightman, 2007, pp. 120-121). In 2012, almost 200 years after first trains started operations in the UK, railway transportation is experiencing a renaissance after several years of struggling. Since 1960 continuous economic growth led to a high level of welfare in Western Europe. Individual transportation by car as well as the fast technological developments in the airline industry let railways fall behind in the ranking of transport devices.

Nowadays, governments have realized the importance of a smart integration of transportation modes, when aiming to achieve environmental goals and to develop a more sustainable way of living. Within this process railway transportation plays a crucial role because of its high degree of energy efficiency compared to cars and airplanes. The key political mean, to achieve desired governmental goals with regard to passenger rail transportation, is the liberalization of the European railway market aiming at fostering competition and initiating industry transformation (European Commission, 2011, p. 3). The presented industry introduction contains required knowledge to design generic railway strategies.