From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rail transport
is the movement of
passengers
and
goods
using wheeled
vehicles
called
trains
, made to run on
railway tracks
. In most countries, this transportation method helps trade and
economic
growth. Railways (British English) or railroads (American English) provide an
energy-efficient
[2]
way to
transport
material over land. The railway tracks are a large part of the system and provide smooth and hard surfaces on which the
wheels
of the
train
roll with a little
friction
. Also, the track spreads the weight of the train which means larger amounts can be carried than with
trucks
on
roads
.
Rail transport started to be important in the
Industrial Revolution
. In
France
the areas that adopted steam-power quicker in the mid-1800s got more jobs (122% more) and higher wages than other areas which were slower.
[3]
The first railroads were built in England.
Rolling stock on rails generally encounters lower frictional resistance than
rubber
-
tyre
d road vehicles, allowing rail cars to be coupled into longer trains. Power is usually provided by
diesel
or
electrical
locomotives
. While railway transport is capital-intensive and less flexible than road transport, it can carry heavy loads of
passengers
and
cargo
with greater
energy efficiency
and safety.
Modern rail transport began with the invention of the steam locomotive in Great Britain around 1800. The first passenger railway, the
Stockton and Darlington Railway
, opened in 1825. The quick spread of railways throughout Europe and North America, following the 1830 opening of the first
intercity
connection in England, between
Liverpool
and
Manchester
, was a key part of the Industrial Revolution. Rail transport lowered shipping costs compared to water transport, leading to "national markets" in which prices varied less from city to city.
In the 1880s, the spread of
buses
led to a railway electrification began with tramways and rapid transit systems. Starting in the 1940s,
steam locomotives
were replaced by diesel locomotives. The first
high-speed railway
system was introduced in Japan in 1964, and high-speed rail lines now connect many cities in Europe, East Asia, and the eastern United States. Following some decline due to competition from
cars
and
fixed-wing aircrafts
, rail transport has had a revival in recent decades due to road congestion and rising fuel prices, as well as governments investing in rail as a means of reducing
CO
2
emissions
. Attempts to reduce
airplane
travel by improving long distance railway in Europe have found problems, especially when crossing borders.
[4]