ANSWER:
The railroad had a number of different positive effects on the west. One of the most important was an increase in population. Thanks to the railroad, American citizens now have much easier access to western territories. Another positive effect on the west of the railroad was a decrease in shipping costs. Before the railroad, it was very expensive to ship goods from the western territories to the east. Thanks to the railroad, the price of shipping goods has dropped dramatically. Finally, the railroad has made travel faster and more efficient. Traveling by rail in the 19th century was much faster than riding a horse or a wagon.
