19. No Terminus in Sight: New Horizons for Heritage Railways

Railway and Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Volunteering is considered as a real "lifeblood" [47] that keeps the world of railway heritage alive [48]. Some studies have underlined the volunteers' socio-demographic profile: predominantly male, over 50 years of age and a good level of income and education, many of them being engineers.…”

“…Some studies have highlighted the importance of some railways being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, such as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Semmering Railway (Austria) and the Rhaetian Railway (Switzerland). Local communities must try to promote these sites from a tourist point of view [48,64,65].…”

“…The fulfilment of railway tourism destinations was a long and complicated process. It was necessary to carry out some market surveys on which to build in order for the tourist destination to be successful for a long time [48].…”

“…This should raise awareness among public bodies, which are often reluctant to invest in railway heritage, regardless of its cultural importance [80]. The planning of the recovery activities for railways, trains and railway buildings, in addition to the substantial financial resources necessary, should include an evaluation with the State, with the approval of specific rules relating to the safety of train traffic and to the environmental impact of historic trains and the construction provisions that allowed this heritage to be used for tourism purposes [45,48,67]. However, the results of some studies show that the lack of financial resources is the main concern in the restoration of railway heritage, as well as the use of it later [49,81].…”