Space Hit by a Train

             Serena Becker 

Geography 101

February 2, 2021

Space Hit by a Train

 

In the book Railroad Space and Railroad Time by Wolfgang Schivelbusch one of the big changes and developments of mankind is discussed in a very different way. Schivelbusch brings to light that the development of quick transportation, mainly talking about the railroad systems, has contributed to a great loss of something. He inserts that the development of this quick form of transportation, “means a shrinking of space” (page 31). Since the time to travel is much less, there is now an illusion that there is no longer so much space in between different destiniations. Because of this, the experience of travelling from place to place is much less of a true adventure and experience. 

The development of the railroad in Europe meant that people could now get to different countries without having to go through the experience of traversing many different andscapes and using much slower and inconsistent forms of travel. Because it used to take people so long to get from place to place, or to transport goods from place to place, there was a different kind of value placed on travelling in general. Some might argue that the travelling and transportation of goods was seen as a much more valuable and experiential thing. Also, with the shorter time comes the illusion of a shorter distance travelled than before. Schivelbusch point out, “What is experienced as annihilated is the traditional space-time continuum which was characterized by the old transport technology” (page 33). In the old days when people had to rely on horses, boats, or foot travelling, the time it took to get from place to place was longer and thus the space traversed seemed longer. Now with the railroads, the space was no longer there since the time and experiences were no longer there. 

The railroad is an amazing development that changed the direction mankind was headed in forever. Schivelbusch explains, “the railroad opens up new spaces that were not accessible before it; on the other, it does so by destroying space” (page 34). With the railroad, more places than ever were able to be accessed and transported goods. This is a good thing for business and for exploration, but the railroad also had the effect of speeding up life in a sense. All of a sudden travelling is more about getting some place than what you do on the way there. Life has to go faster, things are more urgent. In a sense this whole idea of focusing on your life in the future rather than the life you are in now.  Schivelbusch says it nicely, “The railroad knows only points of departure and destination” (page 35). He railroad and all speedy transportation only focuses on getting there, not on the experience of travelling itself. 

As I read this, it made me think about how many of the developments of transportation mostly serve as another way to make money and experience more power over the land. There is not much focus on nature, or on relationships with other cultures, but more so a focus on money and conquering. Maybe that is negative, but I think Schivelbusch puts it well, “Traffic is the physical manifestation of the circulation of goods” (page 40). This stood out to me as an interesting idea about why we make these big leaps in development, what the motivations are in exploring new territories or inventing new ways to traverse the land.