The Rationale for the Colonial Train

Are there economic grounds supporting the existence of the colonial train? Is it possible to identify in the development of rail transport, under the profile of the chosen routes, the technical characteristics of the lines, the corporate governance and structure of rail companies, some peculiar and distinctive features of colonial railways compared to what happened in their mother countries and/or in other political and institutional contexts? This paper aims at investigating the existence of such characteristics through a comparative approach studying the development of the railways in a number of colonial states and that of other countries (United States and Canada) where the railway has represented a key element in their so cio-economic development.