A further development of land transport took place as well; in the 1820s, the English engineer George Stephenson invented the locomotive, an engine that used the energy of steam to pull wagons. It was the beginning of the railway, which has continued until today’s high-speed trains.

In 1836, Johann Strauss I composed the “Eisenbahn-Lust Walzer” (Railway Delight Waltzes) to celebrate the opening of the public railway line Vienna-Břeclav, one of several railway pieces written by members of the Strauss family. “Le Chant des Chemins de Fer” (The Song of the Railways) was commissioned to enthusiastic advocate of train travel Hector Berlioz by the Chemin de Fer du Nord company in 1846 to mark the inauguration of the Paris-Lille-Brussels railway line. A fast-expanding industry poured money into music to promote its services.