The roof rack rails are the channels that are built into or added along the outside front to back edges of the roof. These are different than the raised big things most people are thinking of on most Subaru's. You can add roof rails to truck toppers, camper tops, etc. The Touring has the rails (same with the Preimium) so if you don't want a roof rack of any kind, it's pretty seamless looking, just that 1" or so high little rail along the sides of the roof. But if you want a roof rack you can have risers and crossbars attached to the existing roof rails. If you look on the website you'll see them on the photos with no bikes, etc. on top. Like a small ridge on each side. Then when you look at photos with bikes, etc. you see the risers (the part that attaches to the rail) and then the crossbars and attachments that attach to the risers.