In the past, the railroads in Ostronia were run as regional monopolies and operated with little regard for what customers wanted  In recent years, with improvements to the Ostronian national highway network, the railroad companies have faced heavy competition from long-distance trucking companies
But because of government subsidies that have permitted Ostronain railroad companies to operate even while incurring substantial losses, the companies continue to disregard customers' needs and desires
In recent years, some companies in Ostronia that have had little regard for the desires of their customers have nonetheless survived.