GIPE-PUNE-OIIOI2 - DSpace@GIPE

THE RAILWAY INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE OF INDIA 215
The year just preceding the formal opening of railroads
has been taken in the above instance to be the last
year of primitive technique in transportation. It is
self-evident that down to the commencement of "the fi;st
railway operations all the countries are equally primitive.
In the race for modernization on which mankind has
embarked since 1825 the most important item to notice is
the rate of progress for each region or people.
The Indian conditions of 1925 will then pave to be
found
in Italy somewhere between
1839 and 1870,
1835 and 1870, and
1828 and 1870.
in Germany
" "
in France
" "
It is now time, then, to refer to the very early
chapters in the world's history of railroad construction.
The fon~wing table furnishes the early history of railroad
mileage (in miles and not in km). The countries are
being arranged in the chronological order of their .railway
ongms.
(a) Countries which had railways previqus to 1840
1840 1850 ·"1"860
British Isles· 1,857 6,621 10,433
2 U.S.A. 2,818 9,021 30,626
3 France unavailable 1,714 5,700
4 Belgium 207 454 1,074
5 Germany 341 3,637 6,979
6 .Canada 16 66 i,065
7 Austria unavail~ble .817 1;813
8 Russia 310 988
"
9 Holland 10 110 208
10 Italy 13 265 1, i 17