The invention of the railroad has changed the world. For the first time, both people and goods could be transported fast, long-distance and in great numbers. Almost 200 years later, the Internet started a similar revolution. Today information travels the globe with lightning speed. The first revolution was powered by steel and steam. The second revolution was driven by cables and electrons. But both of them followed similar patterns. This article analyses the similarities of both systems and what we can learn from them.