Additionally, with the railway going through Gunma and Nagano prefectures, the production areas of silk which was one of Japan's major exports in those days, it was expected that the Nakasen-do route could play a key role in industrial development of the country.
更に、当時の日本の主力輸出産品であった生糸の主産地である群馬県や長野県を通ることで、産業振興に重要な役割を果たせるという期待もあった。