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Between 1870 and 1916, the length of railway track in the United States grew from 53,000 to 245,000 miles.
By 1916, there were 85,000 train stations in the United States, and 98 percent of all passenger traffic between cities was carried on rails. That meant almost everyone traveled by train.
Around the world, train stations were viewed as the gateways to cities, and many were built to be grand and beautiful. They were called “castles and cathedrals of travel” and “temples for trains.” Trains themselves could be luxurious, too. Some were like rolling hotels, with fancy dining cars and private sleeping cars.