They survive as carriers of tourists. On this line, single-carriage traffic is in the winter season, in the summer, trains have three cars and are more frequent. (Then again, trains are about half as frequent even in summer than in my childhood, and the line lost its freight transports.)

Regarding buses as cheaper alternatzive, don't make me cry... just two weeks ago, 14 lines were switched to bus traffic in the course of the government's austerity measures, and like during line closures during the preceding three decades, the buses-are-cheaper 'argument' has been used. But the truth is, traffic is low not because demand would be low, but because the offer is degraded -- how should a line with four-five decades of lack of investment compete in time or comfort with private cars? --, and consciously so. Properly upgraded branchlines can 'miraculously' increase passenger numbers tenfold. Meanwhile, a bus (at least a typical one running on a typical country road here) is still a lower comfort class and less convenient for the last passengers of decrepit branchlines (mostly retired old people) than that 40-km/h-max railbus.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

By the way, welcome to ET!

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}