User talk:Frank.p873/sandbox

Railways were one of the most significant factors in India's economic development. The system made Trade within India and trade on the international market possible and dramatically increased from 1850 to 1947. Before the railway's introduction, transportation across India was a challenge. Road conditions were poor, and water transportation was limited to the coasts. Railways moved people and cargo across India, unifying the local markets. Passenger travel by the early 20thc surpassed 256 million annually. Frank.p873 (talk) 09:30, 28 November 2020 (UTC)(Prasad p.1255) Economic policy determined the train system. (Chaudhary)

The colonial government's stated goal was to make the trade and travel inexpensively. In London, the project was lauded as a way to gain access to cotton markets within India's interior. Passenger travel was not a stated goal but, five years into the project, the first passenger rail line was opened connecting Bombay to Thana. By the early 20th century, passenger travel was a primary revenue stream. India's rail system was the world's fourth-largest; though compared to India's population, capacity was inadequate. (Chaudhary). Train lines in imperial India were a public-private partnership. The Colonial government planned routes, and private companies constructed them.

The passenger rail network was widespread by the 1910s, leaving a great social impact on India. (Chaudhary p.17) The railroads were the easiest way for the movement of people in India during the nineteenth century. Roads were not a priority for the government of India and were dangerous and difficult to traverse. For the transport of people, the fast travel time made it the best means of travel. For the transportation of goods, trains were much more fuel-efficient.(Chaudhary p.6)

The transportation of people integrated all of India. For the communities privileged with rail access, the price of goods came down, and the average wages increased compared to parts of India that did not have railways. Moreover, prices stayed consistent in comminates on the rail network. (Chaudhary p.34) In addition to speed and fuel efficiency, the rail was a safe means of travel. Safety rates were high even compared to Western countries, and the statistics improved continuously. (Chaudhary p.10)

The rail network necessitated standardized time. In 1905, the British implemented standard time across the empire. London insisted that standardized time proved the entire imperial project's merits as time is standard time is modern and retinal. (Prasad p.12541255) The imperial government-imposed standard time across the whole of India based on the twelve-hour clock. (Prasad p.1271-1272) Standard time-integrated India into the global economy.

Bibliography

Arnold, D. (1980). Industrial Violence in Colonial India. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 22(2), 234-255. doi:10.1017/s0010417500009324

Bogart, D., & Chaudhary, L. (2012). Railways in Colonial India: An Economic Achievement? SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2073256

Bogart, D., & Chaudhary, L. (2013). Engines of Growth: The Productivity Advance of Indian Railways, 1874–1912. The Journal of Economic History, 73(2), 339-370. doi:10.1017/s0022050713000296

Kerr, I. J. (2014). Colonial India, its Railways, and the Cliometricians. The Journal of Transport History, 35(1), 114-120. doi:10.7227/tjth.35.1.8

Prasad, R. (2012). 'Time-Sense': Railways and Temporality in Colonial India. Modern Asian Studies, 47(4), 1252-1282. doi:10.1017/s0026749x11000527