A shiny new rail transport section has been added to the article It comes complete with the only assessment Ive seen so far of the question that you started asking to what degree does the th century avoidance of famines result from transport improvements the opinion belongs to Jean Drze Sens collaborator Your note on taxation also deserves mention as does the opium and other cash crop economy although McAlpin suggests its impact on grain production is minor The effect of pre railways is missing but I dont think NPOV is violated by the new section Check it out