National Railways

National Railways ( 国鉄道, Kokutetsudō; often shortened to 国鉄, Kokutetsu) is a, government operated which owns, operates, and maintains the majority of passenger, freight, and highspeed railways in Fusen. It was established under the Mass Transit Rehabilitation bill in 1959, which transferred ownership of most existing railway services from mixed private and public ownership to the newly established National Railways. The jurisdiction of National Railways was expanded in 1961 and 1965. A portion of Shioya Prefecture is the only region of the country not serviced by National Railways, as the Shioya Transportation Group has maintained the majority of transportation services in the region since 1924.

The group owns and operates about 19,940 km of railway track, most of which is. National Railways also operates several hundred urban transportation lines which vary from to. About 3,000 km of is operated under the joint jurisdiction of National Railways Central and National Railways West. The expansion of high-speed rail to the north-east has been an ongoing project since the 1990s. Bus routes are operated as well, primarily as shuttles from remote stations to larger urban centers. National Railways works jointly with various metropolitan planning organizations to ensure compliance to local, metropolitan, and prefectural transportation standards.

Organizationally the group is headed by the Secretary of the Bureau of Transportation who is nominated by the Prime Minister of Fusen and conferred by the Emperor. The Secretary is responsible for setting internal standards, goals, and external messaging. Day-to-day governance is overseen by the Chairman of Internal Operations, who serves as the head of the National Railways Board of Transportation. Each regional subsidiary maintains its own regional board which may make decisions relating to their area of purview.