How did the transcontinental railroad make travel easier in the late 1800s?
a. the railroad provided a new route from the east to the midwest.
b)the railroad made it easier to cross the central american isthmus.
c)the railroad shortened the length and difficulty of the trip.
d)the railroad eliminated the need to travel across mountains.

A.The railroad provided a new route from the East to the Midwest.

Explanation:

A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad tracks that crosses a landmass of land, with terminals in different oceans or continental borders, which can be through railways, either one or more, that are owned or controlled by multiple rail companies along a continuous route. Although Europe, for example, is crisscrossed by railways, railways within European territory are not considered, generally, transcontinental, with the sole and possible exception of the historic Orient Express.

Transcontinental railroads helped to open unpopulated regions of the interior of the continents to exploration and settlement that otherwise would not have been possible. In many cases they also form the backbone of passenger transport and cargo transport networks between countries.

the answer is choice (b)