What is Rail transport?
[[File:Tren a las nubes cruzando Viaducto la Polvorilla.jpg|thumb|Rail transport.]] [[File:Churchgate railway station, Mumbai (2006).jpg|thumb|Train station in the city of [[Mumbai]]. Railways in [[India]] carry about 17 million passengers every year<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6287152.stm|title=BBC NEWS - South Asia - Indian railways chug into the future|date=30 July 2007 |publisher=}}</ref> and are one of the busiest in the world]] '''Rail transport''' is the movement of [[passenger]]s and [[good (economics)|goods]] using wheeled [[vehicle]]s called [[train]]s, 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 efficiency|energy-efficient]] <ref>[http://www.aar.org/Index.asp?NCID=4223 Railroad Fuel Efficiency Sets New Record] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604110618/http://www.aar.org/Index.asp?NCID=4223 |date=2008-06-04 }}- American Association of Railroads</ref> 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 [[wheel]]s 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 [[truck]]s on [[road]]s. 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. <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ridolfi|first=Leonardo|last2=Salvo|first2=Carla|last3=Weisdorf|first3=Jacob|date=October 2023|title=The Effect of Mechanisation on Labour: Evidence from the Diffusion of Steam|url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/manage/publications/wp689.2023.pdf|journal=Warwick University}}</ref> The first railroads were built in England. Rolling stock on rails generally e