Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

It is argued that governments should invest money in
railways
instead
of roads. I completely agree with
this
point of view because
railways
are environmentally friendly. I will discuss
this
point and
also
provide the important economic driver. On the one hand,
Railways
help to protect the environment. Improving roads amounts to encouraging the public to use cars. The more cars on the road, the more carbon emissions.
However
, if governments spend money constructing
railways
, be they subways or tram lines, more people would opt for public transportation
instead
of private cars when travelling. Take Wuhan, China
for example
. Over the past 5 years, the government has built 10 subway lines that connect the entire city, making it easy for people to get around.
As a result
, city road traffic has gone down significantly.
This
is good for the environment since public transportation has much lower per capita carbon emissions than private vehicles.
On the other hand
, railway networks help to drive economies forward. Different cities have different strengths. With these networks, a country can become more connected, and
thus
businesses in different cities can collaborate more easily.
For example
, in China, all major cities are linked by high-speed rail.
This
allows various hubs,
such
as the tech hub Shenzhen, manufacturing hub Wuhan, and e-commerce hub Guangzhou, to work together to bring the best products out to the market fast. In conclusion, government spending should be on
railways
rather than roads. For one thing, improving
railways
encourages the use of public transportation and
therefore
benefits the environment. For another,
railways
play a key role in economic growth.
Submitted by nagendranp1991 on

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • Carbon emissions
  • Mass transportation
  • Traffic congestion
  • Economic growth
  • Regional development
  • Initial investment
  • Feasibility
  • Flexibility
  • Rural areas
  • Integration
  • Sustainable
  • Efficiency
  • Infrastructure
  • Commuters
  • Public expenditure
  • Autonomous vehicles
  • Long-term investment
  • Accessibility
  • Connectivity
  • Modal shift
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