Liotainian State Railways

The Liotainian State Railways Company is the largest railway company in Liotain.

### History

After an initial hectic burst of railway construction in the 1840s and 50s, progress on new lines stalled through the 1860s. A great deal of internal dissent occurred over construction of right-of-ways, selection of a unified rail gauge, and implementation of national standards. Several railways were even owned by foreign (Firoccan or Celtican) interests, which occasionally refused to follow Liotainian legal requirements.

After the 1869 Sventoji Railway Disaster, where two trains collided with heavy casualties, the Liotainian government took the highly unusual step of nationalizing all railway companies in Liotain, noting that the lack of safety, rejection of standards, and violation of employee rights was a violation issue of national laws. (This sparked a dozen court cases which were slowly settled through the 1870s.)

Beginning in 1870, Liotainian State Railways merged the various predecessor companies into a single organization. The government ordered adoption of Celtican standard gauge, with metre gauge being allowed as an alternative for mountainous terrain. (60cm narrow gauge was approved for industrial and light use in the 1880s.)

The government managed all national railways between 1869 and 1875. The government always intended to return the railways to the private sector, and this process slowly began over the course of the late 1870s. Several new privately-owned railway lines (such as the Svyturys-Montagne Railway were approved in 1875, although the government mandated these new rail lines met the State standard for employee relations, safety requirements, and operating gauges.

In 1883, the Liotainian State Railways were divested by the Liotainian government. Although returned to the private market, the railway system retains its prior name of *State Railway*.

#### Electrification

The Liotainian State Railways was the first in the world to experiment with an electrified mainline, converting one side of the double-tracked Sventoji to Eletrinai route to overhead catenary. The experiment was highly successful, and the remainder of the LSR mainline was converted between 1898 and 1904. All branch lines, however, remain under steam (due to the cost of electrification).

#### Employee Relations

During the transition away from direct government ownership, managing director A.D. Valeska proposed an Employee Ownership model, following a program of his own design.

Under the Valeska Model, eighty percent of the LSR's stock was divested to the employees of the railway itself, who serve as voting shareholders. The employees have to work for the railway for a year before receiving their stock. Employees cannot sell or trade their stock, but are paid for it upon their retirement or leaving the company. Employees can opt to use earnings from their stock options either for cash disbursements or further investment.

Although employees cannot sell or trade their stock options, they receive extensive rights to voice their approval or disapproval of the company's management. As shareholders, employees elect the Members of the Board, approve new employees joining the company, and vote on policies at the end of every year.

The LSR offers medical and life insurance to both its employees and their extended families for the duration of employment, as well as pensions for employees serving thirty years or more.

As a result of this ownership model, employees of the Liotainian State Railways usually earn 20-30% more annually than employees at other railways (and arguably are the best-paid railway workers in the world, when their insurance and pensions are included). This does not take into account the value of an employee's stock holdings, which may increase over time to be the equivalent to a decade or more of wages.

Since employment with LSR is so lucrative in comparison to jobs elsewhere, competition for job openings is competitive, with even janitorial positions receiving outrageous numbers of applicants.

Due to the success of the LSR's employee ownership model, a number of other businesses have followed the railway's example.

### Routes

The Liotainian State Railways looks like a backwards 'J' flipped on its side. The lines run from the border with Celtica (in the southwest) along the Gulf of Argent, passing through Sventoji before curving up to follow the northern coast to the capital of Neris. The line then turns southeast, heading for Rokantiskes. Past Rokantiskes, the line splits to run up the Alizava Peninsula (to Rietavas, Meteliai, and Alizava) and go further down the coast to Svyturys and Pasvalys.

In 1884, the LSR double-tracked the mainline between Sventoji and Neris.

### Services

The Liotainian State Railways operates the nation's most prestigious passenger train, the *Gulf Coast Daylight Express*, on a daily route, connecting some of the largest cities in northwestern Liotain. The "GC Daylight" has a reputation for speed and comfort.

Another named train noted for its speed is the *Royal Mail*. In 1901, the *Royal Mail*, pulled by a Class 18 4-4-0 steam locomotive, allegedly achieved a speed of 161 km/hr (100 mph), a contender for the possible world speed record between 1901 and 1905.

In April, the Liotainian State Railways runs a special train to Svyturys for the duration of the city's famous carnival.

### Trivia

* In 1901, the Liotainian State Railways claimed a speed record for railways of over 100 miles per hour under steam. The claim was disputed by Celtica and more recently by Pictfearr. Given the electrification of the LSR's mainline, it seems unlikely that Liotain will challenge the steam speed record again.
* The LSR operates about 55% of the railway lines in Liotain, and about 75% of the nation's standard gauge.