What were the effects of the railways?

The construction and running of the railways had far-reaching effects on the British economy, the country's society and life in general. Some of the effects were that railways were a great physical achievement and were a result of progress in the iron industry and coal output, brought about by greater use of steam. They caused great expansion of the metal industries and increased the demand for coal, influenced the development of most other industries, and reduced transport costs and therefore prices. They helped to increase domestic and foreign markets, created the 'labour aristocracy' and New Model Trade Unions, and after 1843, the export of railway technology brought wealth to Britain. They helped agriculture, equalised agricultural prices and increased markets, and led to the development of the deep-sea fishing industry. Railways reduced travelling time and thus released resources, made London become even more important, and meant capital was shifted into railway investment from other areas. They provided new forms of investment outside government securities, and were one of the first instances of large-scale separation of ownership from control in industry. Railways did much to break down social isolation, allowed country children to travel to towns to school, and increased travel prospects for all. They unified the country, were efficient, reliable and punctual, and allowed the development of large-scale industry by minimising transport problems. Railways encouraged the rapid growth of towns because there was easy access to food, raw materials and building materials, and made national markets available to more manufacturers. They began to use steel, and in 1856 Bessemer's converter reduced steel prices by 75%. Railways increased the mobility of labour, and virtually destroyed canal transport, but stimulated some road building as feeders for railways. They allowed for the faster dissemination of ideas and for the growth of national newspapers, stimulated political life, reduced the cost of living, marked the decline of regionalism, and allowed the growth of a 'rentier' class. Railways allowed a more efficient maintenance of law and order.

The railways brought major changes to industry, politics and society. People could travel more, and MPs and political movements, like the Chartists, could move from constituencies more easily. And of course, the railways became a major employer. Today, railways play a pivotal role in our transport system. They are a fast, safe and effective way of moving passengers and freight from one part of the country to the other as well as internationally. Last year, in spite of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, 703 million rail journeys were made. The railways have played a vital role in the economic prosperity of the nation and are in fact the greenest form of public transport. They produce 80% less gas emissions than cars and in 2019, they produced less than 2% of the country’s domestic emissions whilst accounting for 9% of passenger miles travelled across the nation.