Answer:
Railroad companies profited from the building of the transcontinental railroad by selling their own government-granted land to farmers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Private banks were reluctanct to lending money to railroad companies fearing they would no be able to pay off their debts. In turn, railroad companies sold the millions of acres of public land they had been granted by the government to make the money they needed to build the railroads. Farmers and business owners bought the land and established near the railroads, contributing to the rapid expansion and settlemnt of the West.