In the early years of the 19th century the European citizens were still using basic forms of transportation provided by past civilizations. Large areas of Europe's countries remained unexplored. The major modes of transportation consisted of river and canal navigation, coastal shipping, horse-drawn transport and primitive forms of locomotion (Altcroft, 1991, p. 1).

The developments in the upcoming nineteenth century then transformed European travel behaviors completely. Railway’s Ages of Steam began and lasted from 1812 to 1890 (Reinhardt, 2003, pp. 9-11). The era was followed by the major period number two in railway development, the Ages of Electrification and Dieselization lasting roughly from 1880 to 1970 (Altcroft, 1991, p. 1). Within the subsequent Decades of Dispensability lasting from 1970 to 1990 railways played a less important role in the economic development with decreasing modal shares (European Commission, 2010e, pp. 6-8). In recent years initiatives for the creation of a common European railway market were the starting point for railways’ Era of Recovery and Liberalization allowing companies to make up their heads about railway strategies.