Road and rail transport, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), RGS-IBG. - Road and rail transport, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), RGS-IBG.

Road and rail transport

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Road and rail transport

The Ghan railroad is named after the Afghan camel trains that were the first pioneers into the Australian outback.

The Great North Road in Australia is 250 kilometres long and took 19th century convicts more than ten years to build.

Residents of Los Angeles spend, on average, four days a year stuck in traffic.

The Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, the northern section of Argentina’s railway, stretches over 47,000 kilometres.

The oasis at Ha’il was an ancient stopping off point for traders and pilgrims' camel caravans on the Hajj to Mecca.

There are over 26 million cars across Los Angeles, averaging at 1.8 cars per person.

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Road and rail transport

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Great North Road, Australia at 9,000m - Building the Great North Road

Part of a drywall along the Great North Road, built by convicts from sandstone blasted from the mountain rock.

Carvings in the rockface along the Great North Road by the convicts who built it. The carvings date from around 1829, during the construction of the road.

The fertile Hunter Valley, the destination of the Great North Road, is now known as Wine Country for its high proportion of vineyards.

A section of the preserved Great North Road. Only 43km of the original road remain like this, while the rest of the route has been turned into highway and residential streets.

The stone embankment holds the road up against the steep mountain face.

The gutters of the sophisticated drainage system that kept the road from washing away.

Convicts had to blast through the mountain rock to construct the road. This rock face still has marks from the gunpowder explosions.

The drainage system included culverts, stone 'pipes' under the road to divert rain water away.

One of the few original bridges that remain along the Great North Road. There were 33 bridges along the length of the original road.

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MacDonnell Ranges, Australia at 5,000m - A central point for pioneers

The Stuart Highway cuts through Heavitree Gap providing a route through the MacDonnell Range from Alice Springs.

Alice Springs, the 'centre of Australia', is also the mid-point along the Ghan trainline. The red line represents the route of the Ghan, while the blue route is the Indian Pacific, linking Sydney with Perth.

The Ghan at its final destination, Darwin. The northern extension opened in 2004, finally completing the cross-country train line.

The Ghan train navigating its way through the MacDonnell Ranges that surround Alice Springs at the centre of the line.

The Ghan at Alice Springs station. This is the only train route in and out of Alice Springs, carrying passengers between Adelaide in the south and Darwin in the north.

This map shows the original route of the Ghan train, in gold, compared with the current Ghan route, in red - completed in 2004.

The Ghan railway follows the route of the original Overland Telegraph Line that connects the north and south coasts of Australia.

1870 - Engraving of the planting of the first Overland Telegraph pole. The line was completed in two years.

One of the longest rdges in the MacDonnell Ranges passes north of Alice Springs. The Heavitree Gap allows transport and communication lines to travel north of the town.

The Ghan train, originally named the Afghan Express after the Afghan camel trains that first penetrated central Australia.

The first train on the new track extension which links Alice Springs and Darwin, opened in January 2004.

The Overland Telegraph Line has been upgraded since its original poles were constructed in 1872, but they still follow the same path.

The railway line runs through Alice Springs, following the line of the Overland Telegraph Line.

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Los Angeles, USA at 1,000m - The influence of the automobile

A night-time view of downtown Los Angeles and the 110 Freeway.

The ramps of Los Angeles's interchanges fill with sky with twisting, tangled patterns.

Original Metropolitan Transport Authority publicity material for a Los Angeles Freeway.

Thick clouds of yellow smog hang over Los Angeles.

1896 - A "forest" of oil derricks outside Los Angeles.

Frequent forest fires, such as the Station fire in 2009, adds to the smog problem and the blanket of smoke over the city.

1954 - Teenagers arrested for hot rod racing on Artesia Street in South Compton, Los Angeles.

Downtown Los Angeles is surrounded by a spider's web of freeways and intersections.

Typical rush-hour traffic on the I405 through Central Los Angeles.

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Salvador Mazza, Argentina at 1,000m - The Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano

La Polvolrilla, an aqueduct on the north-west branch of the Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano, runs 70 metres above the ground as the train works its way towards Chile.

1965 - The engine of a steam train is loaded with wood to fuel it for its journey at Yacuiba station, on the border between Bolivia and Argentina.

An overlay map of Argentina's extensive rail network across a map of Europe for comparison of size. Yacuiba can be seen at the far north of the network, off the northern coast of the UK.

The "train into the clouds" departs from Salta, in the south of the region, and crosses up over the Andes into Chile.

1965 - Passengers and staff wait whilst the engine at Yacuiba station readies itself for its next journey.

A passenger and freight train running from Santa Cruz to Yacuiba, bringing people and goods from Bolivia's largest city to the Argentinian border.

The "train into the clouds" crosses many viaducts and high bridges as it makes its way out of Salta Province towards the border.

The railway is an important mode of transportation for both people and goods throughout Argentina - this train is running south from Salta towards Buenos Aires.

One of the many viaducts and bridges which make up the "train to the clouds", departing from the south of the Salta region.

1965 - A tanker stuck on poor roads in the Campo Duran region. The railway provided a much faster and more reliable way of transporting goods and people.

1965 - A steam train in Yacuiba waits to be coupled up to carriages and start its journey. The railway was and still is a very important form of transport in both Argentina and Bolivia.

A Bolivian train makes it way through a crowded market town, much like Yacuiba. The railway is an important source of income via trade and transport across Bolivia and Argentina.

An abandoned train lies rusting in Bolivia, north of Yacuiba - although trains are maintained as long as possible, old rolling stock can be seen abandoned in the desert.

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Ha'il, Saudi Arabia at 1,000m - A crossroad oasis

An aerial view of Ha'il shows some of the new developments in the city. Development and regeneration will continue to occur on a huge scale with the new PABMEC city, due to complete in 2025.

The Hejaz railway, opened in 1908, acted as a key link between Damascus and Medina and drew trade and travel away from Ha'il. Today, many parts of the railway lie derelict.

RGS Archive image

1913 - A group of local people wait outside Ha'il village walls to welcome the travelling caravan which included British archaeologist Gertrude Bell.

RGS Archive image

1913 - A view over Ha'il city. When compared with the modern development of today, what was a bustling oasis town seems tranquil and small.

A disused steam engine lies abandoned alongside the Hejaz railway. When it opened in 1908 it revolutionised travel across Saudi Arabia and reduced the importance of Ha'il as a regional transport hub.

Ha'il has long been at the centre of transport and trade across Northern Arabia, situated on the major trading routes between cities such as Buraydah to the south and traders in Iraq to the north.

RGS Archive image

1913 - A travelling caravan awaits entry into the city of Ha'il from outside the city walls.

Although trade in Ha'il was initially impacted by the Hejaz railway, Ha'il soon became an important logistical railway hub as a manufacturer of concrete railway sleepers.

RGS Archive image

1913 - "Abdullah ibn Haiya and his men, Ha'il". This photograph was taken by Gertrude Bell during her stay at the Abdullah's summer palace in the city as part of her expedition across the country to Ha'il.

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