As far as I've seen, Japan is the only country that can make a complex rail system work with private actors. There are many factors for this, including: 1. Jap

As far as I've seen, Japan is the only country that can make a complex rail system work with private actors. There are many factors for this, including: 1. Japanese rail operators are in most cases multi-industry conglomerates that own land, surrounding infrastructure, hotels, retail, and more. 2. The national investment in rail in Japan is much greater than that in the UK. 3. Modern post-war Japan was literally built around the rail network, and this was not accidental nor a matter of happenstance. Rail access is ubiquitous across urban and suburban areas (not just in Tokyo,) and even rural rail services are in a different category than those in the UK.