There were several advantages and disadvantages to railroads for the people that lived near them.
The main advantage is that it gave people an easy way to move around. It connected them to other cities, which also allowed towns to grow and industries to develop. Another advantage was the fact that the railroad usually brought work to a town, as employees were needed to build and maintain the railroad.
However, there were several disadvantages to railroads as well. For example, many people had to sell their land in order for the railroad to be built. Moreover, as towns grew because of the railroad, so did crime and poverty.