Despite the continuous developments and increased modernity in the 21^st century, railways are still important just like any other technical design or social institution. The history of rail transport can be dated back in the 19^th century with the invention of the steam engine (North, 1993). Since then railways have been used as preferable means of transport despite the development of other means of transport. Railway transport is very popular among people to an extent of scholars arguing that it led to development of timetables in human lives due to its schedules. With the daily significant innovations the world is experiencing, there have been huge transformations in the railway sector in terms of structural development. Among the developments include the electric train which has received much credit in the public domain.

One of the main reasons why railways are still important in the 21^st century is the ability of trains to carry large numbers of passengers (North, 1993). In major cities such as New York which has a very large population, the authorities emphasize on the use of railway transport in a move to curb the large traffic jams experienced. Trains have the ability to ferry approximately more than 200 people in a single trip. This has a great impact in improving the economy of a country since its citizens are able to arrive in their work places on time as well as do business effectively. The ability of trains to transport heavy and bulky goods over long distances is also a significant and important quality in this mode of transport (North, 1993). It is very beneficial especially to manufacturers and distributors who have to supply retailers in different parts of the country with their goods.

With the development of electric trains, railway transport has been largely supported especially by NGOs concerned with environmental conservation and preservation. Railway transport is more environmental friendly and less polluting than other means of transport (Kroon, 1991). Electric trains do not produce any smoke, which is an air pollutant, unlike in road and air transport. These two modes of transport have been largely credited for the negative environmental changes experienced lately as well as the destruction of the ozone layer. Talking of electric trains, there marvelous speed cannot be ignored. Today most of the electric trains travel at an average speed of approximately above 200 kilometers per hour which is very appealing. This is not possible with road transport especially due to the traffic jams experienced.

The rising costs of oil prices have also made road and air transport, which are the main competitors of railway transport, expensive (Cowie, 2010). This has in turn made rail a cheaper means in most market segment since electric trains do not use any fuel. Despite the high prices of the oil, there has also been a shortage of the commodity in some countries. This has definitely made many people shift to railway transport as the most convenient and affordable means. Another factor that promotes use of rail is the increase in land use constraints and the need for planning (Cowie, 2010). The little available space in most cities needs to be used effectively and not just for expansion of roads. Instead of expanding the roads, people have been advised to use railway transport and allow the land to be used for other purposes.

Considering the above advantages of railways, it is evident that any move to ignore or abolish this means of transport would result in adverse effects. The economy of a country is one of the many beneficiaries of railway transport especially due to its convenience and job creation(Cowie, 2010). To keep the graph of the economy on an upward trend, the advantages of railway have to be taken into account. If need be, railway transport should be improved and made more efficient as a way of showing its importance.

Work Cited

B.H North 1993 ModernRailwayTransportation Thomas Telfard

Jonathan Cowie, Stephen Ison 2010 TheEconomicsofTransport; ATheoriticalandAppliedPerspective Routledge

M Kroon, R Smit, J Van Ham 1991 FreightTransportandEnvironment Elsevier