Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads

IELTS Writing Task 2 with sample answer.

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Governments should spend money on railways rather than roads.

To what extend do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.


Model Answer:
Investment on communicative infrastructure is very crucial to modern economy. It streamlines other production and consumption activities in the economy.  However, people are split in their opinion when it comes to the issue of spending public money on which projects. Many economists argue that the government ought to spend money on railways rather than roads. In the case, it seems reasonable to concur with this idea.

To begin with, there is not a shred of doubt that traffic congestion is one of the country’s greatest social and economic challenges. So, the government has to curb the issue effectively. In that context, railways would be the silver bullet for reducing traffic congestion. Rail can play a prominent role in the supply chain, since it is uniquely able to transport a huge volume of goods efficiently.

Likewise, railways have a little impact on the environment compared with other transport modes, particularly roads. This is because rail is far more fuel efficient than trucks or any other vehicles. In addition to this, the infrastructure is less costly to build. So, it would be more affordable for the people. Furthermore, it would generate thousands of green jobs nationwide building the infrastructure and manufacturing trains. This means that not only do railways reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, but it also has several economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Summing all of the above, investing on rail infrastructure is much more pragmatic than on roads and highways. It is an ideal solution to economic, social, and environmental development, as the inherent efficiencies are possessed by the railway transport mode.