What was one reason railroads became a major means of transportation?

Railroads were effective, reliable, and faster modes of transportation, edging out competitors such as the steamship. They traveled faster and farther, and carried almost fifty times more freight than steamships could. They were more dependable than any previous mode of transportation, and not impacted by the weather.



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Railroads took off in the United States because cars and airplanes hadn't been invented yet! Trains served as the most important mode of transportation during a period of time called “The Golden Age” of railroads, which lasted from the 1880s until the 1920s.

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Railroads are the most efficient transportation mode for moving goods on the earth's surface. Railroads are of particular importance for the movement of commodities that heavy and moved in bulk over long distances where the transportation spend represents a large portion of the total delivered cost.

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With an average speed of 10 miles an hour, railroads were faster than stagecoaches, canalboats, and steamboats, and, unlike water-going vessels, could travel in any season. The transportation revolution sharply reduced the cost of shipping goods to market and stimulated agriculture and industry.

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The locomotive revolutionized commercial transportation with a durable, faster, cheaper way to move goods. The Governor Stanford was the first train on the Central Pacific, the first transcontinental line in 1869 when joined with the Union Pacific.

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Not only did the railroads transport raw materials used in industrial production, such as coal and iron ore, the railroads were also one of the largest consumers of raw materials in their own right. The growth of railroads thus led to growth in other industries, such as timber and coal.

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They unified countries, created great fortunes, enabled the growth of new industries, and thoroughly revolutionized life in every place they ran. Yet the human tolls for some projects were ghastly, with deaths of native laborers running into the tens of thousands.

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Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.

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The railway allowed people to flock to cities and allowed people to travel newer places as well. Business boomed due to the railway with the mass increase of people and goods. All in all, the railway was a major success in all aspects of the Industrial Revolution especially in time and distance.

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The developing railroads rapidly became huge businesses, imperative to the success of American enterprise. The material needs of the railroads helped create several other big industries, such as iron, steel, copper, glass, machine tools, and oil.

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Connecting the Supply Chain By expanding network capacity, growing the workforce and fostering strong partnerships throughout the supply chain, railroads enable the efficient movement of goods across the country and worldwide.

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The main reasons for the increase in railroad construction was The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad companies both received financial aid from the government. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, allowing for increased trade with Asia and opening up the West for expansion.

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RAIL SHIPPING PROS:
  • Cost-effective shipping.
  • Comparable speed to truck shipping.
  • Ability to transport large volumes of freight at one time.
  • Reliable transit times and schedules.
  • Environmentally responsible and fuel efficient.


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Railways allowed people to travel further, more quickly. This allowed leisure travel, and contributed to the growth of seaside resorts. It also allowed people to live further from their places of work, as the phenomenon of commuting took hold.

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The major railroad companies as a result began to operate on a coordinated system of four time zones starting in 1883. Standard time was transportation-driven and, as a result, the government coordination of time zones was handled by transportation agencies.

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