[1] Railways

The railroad is a form of land transportation that is found in almost every country in the world. Railroads serve many thousands of communities, from big cities in highly developed nations to tiny villages in remote areas. Railroads carry travelers to and from neighboring communities or on trips across whole continents. They carry raw materials and farm products to manufacturing and processing plants, and they carry the finished products from those plants to warehouses and stores. Railroads were designed to move large numbers of passengers or large amounts of freight over long distances. The railroad is the most efficient method of land transportation because it requires the least amount of fuel and human labor and is the least damaging to the environment. Railroads carry about 40 percent of the total volume of freight transportation in the United States. The world has a total of more than 738,000 miles (1,187,000 kilometers) of railroad line. Almost all the railroad systems carry both freight and passengers. A railroad is much like a manufacturing business whose sole product is transportation service. To produce that product it requires tracks, cars, locomotives, repair shops, communication systems, and skilled workers.