The high ratio of passenger to freight transport might have been partially due to insufficient preparation for freight management, but also due to the circumstances where there was "nothing to transport" since it was just after the Meiji Restoration and modern industries were still underdeveloped.
また旅客と貨物の比率について、鉄道側に貨物運用の準備不足もあったが、明治維新直後で近代産業が未発達な時期であり「運ぶ荷物がなかった」事も考えられる。