The Spread of the Railways

by yekaterina (student)

The transportation industry also underwent significant transformation during the Industrial Revolution. In 1830, England’s Liverpool and Manchester Railway became the first to offer regular, timetabled passenger services. By 1850, Britain had more than 6,000 miles of railroad track.

Not only did people need better transportation, but manufacturered goods, raw materials and food also needed a quick, inexpensive mode of transportation. The availability of manufactured goods and food increased because the railroad provided quick transportation. Costs of products also decreased because of railroads. Population increased because food was available in a large variety at a low cost.

The entire Industrial Revolution was altered because of these accomplishments. Factories flourished because the demand for railroad parts and railroad tracks was very high. Thousands of people were employed in these factories and the lives of those people improved drastically.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Railroad became the dominant mode of land transportation in the last half of the 19th century. Railroads flourished in England, from 1,000 miles in 1836 to more than 7,000 miles built by 1852. Railroads provided a fast, inexpensive, convenient, and efficient mode of transportation for many passengers. By the 1850s, railways connected the Atlantic seaboard and the Midwest in the United States. In 1869, the first transcontinental route was completed to the Pacific coast. This provided the first transportation for passengers across North America.

So, the railway expansion was very important in driving the Industrial revolution forward.These advances in developing the railroad helped to increase safety and efficiency in coal mines. Before railroads were developed, coal mining was extremely dangerous. For example, the job of a Fireman was to hold a long stick with a candle at the end. The candle was supposed to explode any flammable gases that might be ahead. Also all the transportation of coal was done by hand. Coal was moved along horizontal tunnels by the basketful and hauled up a vertical shaft to the surface. Later, the underground movement of coal was speeded up by the utilization of ponies and carts on railroad. The production of coal increased steadily, from 2 1/2 million to more than 15 million tons by 1829.

Railroads not only provides transportation, they also started the Transportation Revolution. Other forms of transportation were developed such as cars, airplanes, and subways. Railroad increased population and improved the lives of many people by transporting food and other goods. Just imagine if railroads were never invented:

- Houses would not have been built because there would not be enough transportation for the wood.

- People would have to walk or ride horses everywhere because railroads sparked the ideas of other people to invent other forms of transportation.