A Summary of Civil Transport

Transport around the world has never been quicker, easier or more economical than today. Progress made towards connecting the people of the world has been rapid since the dark days of the Weltkrieg, and many technologies from that time have successfully been applied to the civil sector.

Steamships

Still the primary form of transport between any two coastal nations, steamships come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from the smallest fishing trawlers to the huge SS Großer Kurfürst, the largest ocean liner in the world and the pride of the Norddeutscher Lloyd line. Transatlantic voyages still see a fierce rivalry between the German Empire, the Commune of France and the Union of Britain which has verged dangerously close to outright hostility at points. One famous example was the 1932 "Battle of Gravesend Bay", when the SS Sébastien Faure blocked the SS General von Steuben from entering New York Harbor for 20 hours. The French Compagnie Générale Transatlantique would later clame the Faure suffered from an engine failure which blocked the German liner, despite the fact that the French ship refused all offers from tugboats to offer her a tow.

The German Empire has seen great success in its increased production of ocean liners after the Weltkrieg, using these luxurious ships to connect its global empire. In particular, voyages to East Asia on the Norddeutscher Lloyd are popular for longer vacations in the Empire, as well as providing critical mail and cargo connections. Other countries have only begun to offer real competition for the German line through the 1930s as their economies recovered, and some still struggle to construct large liners; in Italy, the Kingdom of Two Sicilies fields a handful of large ships for service outside of the Mediterranean. The Socialist Republic of Italy only offers service within the sea, especially to its friendly neighbor, the Commune of France. The patchwork of political alliances and directly hostile states mean it can be difficult to travel from one point to another; the UoB refuses service to Canada, while Canadian lines refuse to serve the British Isles.

Railways

As vitally important as steamships are to the high seas, railways form the backbone of transportation on land. While many rail lines are the same used before the Weltkrieg and for nearly a hundred years, some expansion has taken place in states that can afford it, particularly Germany, which has done much to standardize its rolling stock instead of relying on the varied equipment it inherited from the pre-Weltkrieg era. Steam remains the primary form of locomotion, though some places in Europe and America have been completely electrified. The design and construction of new steam locomotives is still big business, however, with some exciting developments coming from the Commune of France and the work of Andre Chapelon of the nationalized rail company, SNCF.

Some developments in alternative locomotion have taken place since the Weltkrieg, particularly with diesel locomotives, developed from technology used for torpedo boats and submarines. However, these locomotives remain relatively primitive and temperemental, and the traditionally conservative rail industry is hesitant to convert to such an experimental technology without rigorous testing.

Air Travel

The airplane, non-existant only 40 years prior, is now an intriguing if expensive way to travel. Airplane technology advanced greatly in the Weltkrieg, but only a few states now have the ability to produce aircraft of any complexity, nevermind large airliners. This means airplane travel is restricted and only possible for a few types of journeys. The most successful airline is the German Deutsche Luft Hansa, which connects Europe with landplanes and the global German empire using large seaplanes. Luft Hansa uniquely connects South America to Africa and Europe, the only airplane route to do so. Airplanes are also used for transporting mail, in which capacity they see much use in America. Nevertheless, airplane travel is still expensive and unreliable compared to a steamship or railroad.

As a ferry is to an ocean liner, the airplane is to the magnificent zeppelin. The huge zeppelins that ply the trade routes of the sky can be even more expensive than airliners to travel on, but where an airliner is relatively cramped and uncomfortable, the zeppelin provides spacious, luxurious accommodation for its passengers. Zeppelin technology has advanced along with airplane technology since the end of the Weltkrieg. While zeppelins are used by other countries, some in great numbers, many see them as symbols of the German victory in the Weltkrieg. For that reason, their civil use is limited in countries with strong anti-German views. For example, the UoB fields only a handful of large zeppelins due to the psychological reminder of the bombing raids undertaken by these craft in years prior. It also forbids any civil service by the Lustschiffbau Zeppelin.

In the US, zeppelins coming from Germany are a common if somewhat unwelcome sight due to the frigid relationship between the two countries. Zeppelins also undertake journies to Germany's far flung colonies, meaning that anywhere in the world you might see a huge, majestic grey airship carrying passengers, mail and freight with the German red, white and black on the tailfins. Japan has also expressed interest in beginning its own zeppelin line to connect its Greater East Asian Co-Propserity Sphere project, while Australasia has recently begun journies between Australia, India and the United States using American zeppelins.

Road Travel

Finally, the automobile, autobus and autotruck are important means of intra-city transportation, but remain rather temperemental and unreliable. While the Weltkrieg did produce significant advancements in the reliability of the car, truck and bus, these forms of transportation still are too fragile to be relied on for long-distance journies. For nations with good rail systems, this relegeates the car to short-distance journies or use as taxis. In some countries, though, the automobile is simply the only motorized choice for journies where trains and planes cannot go. The other choice is animal transport or walking, both of which remain the primary modes of transportation in most undeveloped countries. Nevertheless, car ownership continues to increase in some countries, particularly the United States, where the car is beginning to symbolize personal freedom and choice.