The first, and principal, main trunk-route railway through Somerset was the Bristol and Exeter, approved by Act of Parliament in 1836, which reached Bridgwater in 1841, Taunton in July 1842, and, after delays due to the construction of a tunnel at Whiteball on the Devon border, was completed to Exeter in 1844. The line was brilliantly planned for fast expresses; avoiding the Mendip Hills, following an almost level route for mile after mile, running straight across the Somerset moors, and using gentle curves and gradients to cross the Blackdown Hills. Until 1849 the line was leased to the GWR, but from then onwards it worked independently until 1876, when it was absorbed by the GWR with which it shared a reputation for the smooth running and high speeds of its express trains. The success of the new system of comparatively cheap and rapid mechanical transportation, especially in the carriage of people and heavy goods, brought increased demands for branch line connections to the coastal towns and to other parts of the county. Stage coaches had done much to prepare for the coming of the railways by getting an increasing number of people used to travel and by demonstrating the value of fast overland communication, but they were very limited in speed and seating capacity and could never carry heavy goods. Their heyday was a short one, though they continued to be used as local links with railway centres.