In what ways did the transcontinental railroad help to boost the American economy? It boosted the American economy by transporting goods from east to west and west to east, and it would bring more people and money to towns it passed through.

Trains and railroads dramatically changed life in America. They allowed for faster, safer travel all over the country. They were more reliable than wagon trains, as these trains could bog down in the country’s terribly maintained roads. Railroads allowed people to send goods independently of rivers and canals.

The transcontinental railroad was built to open up the interior and allow settlement in these areas, to make rural and unexplored areas accessible, and to ease the transportation of both goods and passengers from one area to another.

The first transcontinental line was established in 1869. Eventually, railways lowered the cost of transporting many kinds of goods across great distances. Busy transport links increased the growth of cities. The transportation system helped to build an industrial economy on a national scale.

Answer Expert Verified. The statement that best explains why the transcontinental railrold took several years to build is digging through the mountains was very difficult, and the long winters hampered workers’ ability to make progress.

Chinese workers often had to live in the underground tunnels they were constructing, and more than one thousand died in accidents and avalanches while laboring in the mountains. Without the work of these immigrants, the Transcontinental Railroad might have never been built.

Building the transcontinental railroad was difficult because tracks were laid across 1,700 miles of rugged plains in hot and cold conditions.

Harsh weather Little access to supplies Opposition from Congress Attacks from white settlers Drilling tunnels through rock.

why did railroad construction expand so rapidly after the civil war? by linking the nation, railroads increased the markets for many products, spurring industrial growth. Railroad companies also stimulated the economy by spending huge amounts of money on steel,coal, timber, and other materials.