Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails. Throughout many eras, this mode of transportation has evolved in an attempt to adapt to the changing social demands of people. Initially, the principal mainline railroads concentrated their efforts on moving freight and passengers over long distances. However, to date, in modern society, globalization has increased the demand for goods and for services to be accommodated by rail transportation both over far and near distances. Rail has therefore become a critical part of the supply chain in countries because it is uniquely able to move a large volume of goods efficiently, with little impact to the people and communities served. Hence there exist several social impacts on a society where rail transportation is in use.
The quick transportation of a large number of people is one such impact. Rail transportation by way of passenger trains is able to accommodate and transport hundreds of persons moving from one state or town to another. In more developed countries such as China underground subways facilitate the movement of the large Chinese population. A similar process applies in the United States, Canada and several other countries internationally. These subways often times spans thousands of kilometers and acts as a medium to ones destination.
The speedy transportation of large quantity of goods is also another social impact facilitated by rail transportation. Like