people standing and siting on a train, (Carbon County Museum)
The importance of the Transcontinental Railroad was to allow for access to the east and to the west. After the Transcontinental Railroad was built, it would take over 50 million dollars worth of merchandise across the country at a time (History.com). The railroad gave Americans more places to live in America (History.com). It made transportation from coast to coast possible, so now people can transport items and travel all throughout America (History.com). The Transcontinental Railroad also made transportation faster, and it made travel easier because people could now travel straight through the country (“The Transcontinental Railroad”).