Around this time, what began as a "curious technology from an advanced country" moved on to serve as a means of travel, an indispensable means of transportation for industrial development, and a tool for war and other functions.
この間鉄道は「物珍しい先進国の技術」から始まって、旅行の足、産業発展に不可欠な輸送機関、戦争遂行のための道具などの責務を担った。