Engineers and Mechanics Encyclopedia 1839: Railways: Statistics of Railways

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was mainly designed for the transport of goods at the rate of about ten miles per hour, but it was found that treble the required speed was easily attainable by the improvements that were made in the engines; it became, in consequence, a more important object to carry passengers, and the result has been a continually increasing amount in their number. The ingenious Dr. Lardner has been at some pains to discover a statistical law, by which the increase of intercommunication is governed. The Doctor has made some very interesting statements on this subject, which we shall endeavour to compress into a small compass.

Previous to the establishment of the Manchester and Liverpool railway, the number of passengers making, one trip was 100 per day; immediately afterwards it rose to 1,200 daily. Since that period the number has regularly increased, and it now amounts to 1,500, which is a further increase of one in four.

Previous to the railway there were twenty-six stage coaches daily running between Manchester and Liverpool; now there is but one. The time of the journey by the fastest coaches on the road was three hours; by the rail, it is one hour and twenty minutes. The rate of the fares is similarly reduced. This diminution of both the time and expense of travelling has increased the passengers fourfold.

Between Newcastle and the village of Hexham, the effect of the railway there has been to increase the number of passengers from 1,700 to 7,000; which is also a fourfold increase.

Between Dublin and Kingstown the increase has been from 800 daily, to an average of 3,300; also a fourfold increase. Having given these examples to prove the ratio of increase, the learned Doctor shows that this increase was owing more to the saving of time than of money, by reference to the Dublin and Kingstown railway, where the price was actually raised higher than by the ordinary vehicles.

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