Were railroads cheaper than canals?

By 1840, railroad mileage equaled that of canals but the railroad was faster, more flexible, and more reliable, and soon surpassed canals as America's favorite form of transportation, able to move four times as much freight as a canal barge for the same cost.



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Long Distance Costs One thing that makes railroad transport so good is the lower costs it has on longer trips. Although road transport is better for short trips in terms of cost, railroads cost significantly less the further they carry a load. This is due to their higher upfront cost but lower per-mile costs.

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The North, however, consisted mostly of large urban cities and did not have a great need for slave labor. They also wanted their tax dollars spent on things like new roads, canals and railroads. However, the South was more rural, so they did not have the need for such infrastructure.

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Due to its ability to move major quantities of freight at one time, rail shipping has a lower cost-per-ton-mile (the cost of moving one ton of freight one mile) than truck shipping. In fact, a train requires less energy to move from Point A to Point B and can carry the freight equivalent of 300 trucks.

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