With interest growing in rail travel, let's take a brief journey through the history of passenger rail travel and see how far we've come.

Wagonways

The earliest evidence of rail travel can be found in its predecessor, the wagonway. In ancient times, as far back as 500 BC, horses or men were used to pull wagons that were loaded with cargo and then wedged between two grooves which kept the wagon in alignment and going the desired direction. These horse drawn and man drawn wagons were prevalent in ancient Greek and Roman times. Later on, in the 16th century, wagonways were used in Germany to transport ore from mines. This was done on wooden rails. Later, the wood was replaced with iron.

Steam Engine

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the steam engine was invented and improved, with the first full scale working model being built by Richard Trevithick in 1804. Trevithick was born in Cornwall, England and his locomotive was first used in an area of Wales on the Merthyr Tydfil Tramroad.

Evolution of Passenger Rail

By the 19th and 20th century, different types of rail cars were common, these include cars for baggage, coach cars, dining cars, dome cars, lounges, observation cars, private cars, Pullman cars and sleepers. These cars are still the standard for passenger travel by rail today. Amtrak is the only major nationwide passenger rail carrier in the United States. In Europe, there are many high speed passenger rail lines including the TGV and Eurostar trains.

Pullman Car

The Pullman car, also called the sleeping car, is just that. A railcar that is made for passengers to be able to sleep in. The main purpose of a pullman car is to make overnight or lengthy rail travel much easier for passengers, allowing them more comfort, rest and privacy. The first pullman car operating in the US, was in 1839, called the Chambersburg.

Passenger Rail Travel

Today, passenger trains are more common than ever, especially outside of the United States. In China and Japan, in particular, bullet trains and other high speed trains get millions of people to their destinations each day. In Japan, the Shinkansen, runs almost the entire length of the country, connecting most major Japanese cities with more lines being planned. The Shinkansen technology has been a model for other Asian countries to follow for their own high speed passenger rail lines. Taiwan, China and Vietnam now have their own Shinkansen based rail lines with Brazil also recently getting into the act.

With the invention of high speed trains, trains have been used more for commuting and travel that for cargo transportation in many areas of the world.

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