The Ghan of Australia. "The Ghan" service was notorious for delays caused by washouts of the track. A flatcar immediately behind the locomotive carried spare sleepers and railway tools, so passengers and crew could repair the line. The very uncertain service via this route was tolerated because steam locomotives needed large quantities of water, and Stuart's route to Alice Springs was the only one that had sufficient available water. During World War II the service had to be greatly expanded, putting great pressure on the limited water supplies. As a result, de-mineralisation towers, some of which survive to this day, were built
Train overcrowding in the United Kingdom Waterloo stations, three were services to or from Manchester Airport, and the other was part of the Thameslink Brighton to Bedford service. passing through London Blackfriars station which, , has been described as the most overcrowded in the country. The growth in train overcrowding is largely attributed to increased passenger demand, and the 'walk-up' nature of British railways, in which seat reservations are not required, combined with the inability to run extra trains due to the limitations of the current railway signalling system. To resolve the latter problem, a transition to the European Train Control System (ETCS) is planned, which