Rail transport in Great Britain – china Stone texture – china Marble texture
Historical overview
Main article: History of rail transport in Great Britain
Rail passenger numbers in Great Britain, 1920-2007
The system was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links operated by small private railway companies. Over the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries these amalgamated or were bought by competitors until only a handful of larger companies remained (see railway mania). The entire network was brought under government control during the First World War, and a number of advantages of amalgamation and planning were revealed. However, the government resisted calls for the nationalisation of the network (first proposed by William Ewart Gladstone as early as the 1830s). Instead, from 1 January 1923 almost all the remaining companies were grouped into the “big four”, the Great Western Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the Southern Railway companies (there were also a number of other joint railways such as the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway and the Cheshire Lines Committee as well as special joint railways such as the Forth Bridge Railway, Ryde Pier Railway and at one time the East London Railway). The “Big Four” were joint-stock public companies and they continued to run the railway system until 31 December 1947.
The growth in road transport during the 1920s and 1930s greatly reduced revenue for the rail companies. Rail companies accused the government of favouring road haulage through the subsidised construction of roads. The railways entered a slow decline owing to a lack of investment and changes in transport policy and lifestyles. During the Second World War the companies’ managements joined together, effectively forming one company. A maintenance backlog developed during the war, and the private sector only had two years to deal with this after the war ended. After 1945, for both practical and ideological reasons, the government decided to bring the rail service into the public sector.
What the rail network would have looked like if the Beeching Axe II plans had been implemented
From the start of 1948, the “big four” were nationalised to form British Railways (latterly “British Rail”) under the control of the British Transport Commission. Although BR was a single entity, it was divided into six (later five) regional authorities in accordance with the existing areas of operation. Though there were few initial changes to the service, usage increased and the network became profitable. Regeneration of track and stations was completed by 1954. In the same year, changes to the British Transport Commission, including the privatisation of road haulage, ended the coordination of transport in Great Britain. Rail revenue fell and in 1955 the network again ceased to be profitable. The mid-1950s saw the rapid introduction of diesel and electric rolling stock, but the expected transfer back from road to rail did not occur and losses began to mount.
The desire for profitability led to a major reduction in the network during the mid-1960s with ICI manager Dr. Richard Beeching given the task by the government of re-organising the railways. Many branch lines were closed because they were deemed uneconomic (“the Beeching Axe”), removing much feeder traffic from main line passenger services. The closure of many freight depots that had been used by larger industries such as coal and iron led to much freight transferring to road haulage. Beeching was going to close all but the “major trunk routes” in the Beeching II report. This was never implemented by BR.
Passenger services experienced a renaissance with the introduction of high-speed inter-city trains in the 1970s. Passenger levels have fluctuated since this time, increasing during periods of economic growth and falling during recessions. The 1980s saw severe cuts in government funding and above-inflation increases in fares, and the service became more cost-effective. In the early 1990s the five geographical Regions were replaced by a Sector organisation, where passenger services were organised into Inter City, Network SouthEast, and Other Provincial Services sectors. This new organisation showed promise of being a more efficient organisation of the railways, but within a couple of years of its implementation the structure was fragmented by the privatisation process.
Railway operations were privatised during 1994-1997. Ownership of the track and infrastructure passed to Railtrack, whilst passenger operations were franchised to individual private sector operators (originally there were 25 franchises) and the freight services sold outright (six companies were set up, but five of these were sold to the same buyer). The government claimed that privatisation would see an improvement in passenger services. Passenger levels have since increased to above the level they had been at in the late-1940s.
The public image of rail travel was severely damaged following the series of significant accidents after privatisation. These included the Hatfield accident, caused by a rail fragmenting due to the development of microscopic cracks. Following the Hatfield accident, the rail infrastructure company Railtrack imposed over 1200 emergency speed restrictions across its network and instigated an extremely costly nationwide track replacement programme. The consequent severe operational disruption to the national network and the company’s spiralling costs set in motion the series of events which resulted in the ultimate collapse of the company, and its replacement with Network Rail, a state-owned, not-for-dividend company.
At the end of September 2003 the first part of High Speed 1, a high speed link to the Channel Tunnel and on to France and Belgium, was completed, significantly adding to the rail infrastructure of the country. The rest of the link, from north Kent to St Pancras railway station in London, opened in 2007. A major programme of remedial work on the West Coast Main Line started in 1997 and finished in 2009, far over budget (10bn), many years late and still not bringing the line up to the standards originally proposed by Railtrack.
History of rail transport in Great Britain
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pre-1830
The pioneers
18301922
Early development
19231947
The Big Four
19481994
British Rail
1995 to date
Post-privatisation
See also: List of railway lines in Great Britain
Passenger services
First Great Western 43143 and 43183 along with 180136 and Heathrow Express 332011 at Paddington station, London.
Passenger train services in Great Britain are, in the main, structured on the basis of regional franchises awarded by the Department for Transport (DfT) to Train Operating Companies. Some slight variations include Merseyrail where the franchise is awarded by Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive and ScotRail where the DfT awards on the advice of the Scottish Government. There were initially twenty-five such franchises, but the number of different operating companies is smaller as some firms, including First Group, National Express Group and Stagecoach Group, have more than one franchise. In addition some franchises have since been combined. There are a number of local or specialised rail services operated on an ‘open access’ basis outside the franchise arrangements. Examples include the Heathrow Express and Hull Trains.
A East Midlands Trains Class 222 Meridian at Derby. These trains are used for InterCity services in the East Midlands.
In the 20023 operating year, franchised services provided 976 million journeys totalling 24.7 billion passenger miles of travel, which was an increase over 19867 of 32% in journeys (from 738 million) and 29% in passenger miles (from 30.8 billion). On the other hand, taking a longer term view the number of journeys in 20023 was lower than for the 195060 period; the passenger kilometres figure, after being a flat from 19651995, surpassed the 1947 figure for the first time in 1998, and continues to rise steeply.
The key index used to assess passenger train performance is the Public Performance Measure which combines figures for punctuality and reliability. Performance against this metric has been especially poor since mid-2000. From a base of 90% of trains arriving on time in 1998, the measure dipped to 75% in mid 2001, and by the end of the 20023 period, had recovered to only 80%. However as of September 2006 the PPM stands at 87.5% after a period of steady increases in the annual moving average since 2003.
A Class 170 at Worcester Foregate Street. These trains are used for local services throughout the country.
The real increase in rail fares after accounting for inflation over the 19952004 period was 4.7%. For some years Britain has been said to have the highest rail fares in the world. For example the (discounted) annual season ticket from London to Brighton (standard 2nd class) as of January 2010 costs 3280 for 54 miles http://www.southernrailway.com/download/300.3/season-ticket-fares-to-london-victoria/ whilst an annual DB (German) 100 BahnCard which allows one year’s travel on the entire German rail network costs almost exactly the same (3800 Euros)http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/germany/bahncard.shtml.
Average rolling stock age thought to be an indicator of passenger comfort fell slightly from the third quarter of 20012 to the third quarter of 20034, from 20.7 years old to 19.3 years old.
Although passengers rarely have cause to refer to either document, all travel is subject to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, and all tickets are valid subject to the rules set out in a number of so-called technical manuals, which are centrally produced for the network.
See also: List of UK Train Operating Companies
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British railway ticket machines (computerised)
Ticket office-based
INTIS | APTIS | Tribute | Shere SMART | Fujitsu STAR | Cubic FasTIS
Passenger-operated
Ascom B8050 Quickfare | Avantix B8070 | Cubic QueueBuster | Shere FASTticket | Scheidt & Bachmann Ticket XPress | Ascom EasyTicket | PERTIS
Conductor-operated
PORTIS/SPORTIS | Avantix Mobile
Travel agency and online sales
Inclusive Tour Coupons | AJENTS | ELGAR | Evolvi
Related articles
National Location Code | Station groups | APTIS ticket features | Concessionary fares on the British railway network
Freight services
There are four main freight operating companies, the largest of which is DB Schenker (formerly the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS)). There are also several smaller independent operators including Mendip Rail. Types of freight carried include intermodal in essence containerised freight and coal, metals, oil, and construction material. Freight services have been in steady decline since the 1950s, although the Department for Transport’s Transport Ten Year Plan calls for an 80% increase in rail freight measured from a 20001 base.
Statistics on freight are specified in terms of the weight of freight lifted, and the net tonne kilometre, being freight weight multiplied by distance carried. 87 million tonnes of freight was lifted in the 20023 period, against 138 million tonnes in 19867, a decrease of 37%. 18.7 billion net tonne kilometres (11.4 billion net ton miles) of freight movement were recorded in 20023, against 16.6 billion (10.1 billion) in 19867, an increase of 13%.
A symbolic loss to the rail freight industry in Great Britain was the custom of the Royal Mail, which from 2004 discontinued use of its 49-train fleet, and switching to road haulage after a near 170-year-preference for trains. Mail trains had long been part of the tradition of the railways in Great Britain, not least because of the film Night Mail, for which W. H. Auden wrote the poem of the same name. Although Royal Mail suspended the Mail train in January 2004, this decision was reversed in December of the same year and Class 325s are now used on some routes including between London, Warrington and Scotland.
1995+ the amount of freight carried on the railways has increased sharply. The railways have become more reliable, and economical. Big Road hauliers such as Eddie Stobart LTD and WH Malcom move goods by rail Hauling supplies from ASDA and TESCO. Morrison also use rail freight, as do M&S and many more retailers. aby the year 2015 rail-borne intermodal traffic is scheduled to double, and by 2030 the whole of rail freight is expected to double.
Freight trains in the UK are very fuel efficient compared to the road equivalent, there for the emissions released into the atmosphere is reduced, in fact, the average freight train is 70% more efficient than road transport. The heaviest freight train in the UK, is equivalent to 160 lorry loads.
UK freight train are going to get heavier and bigger over the next few years to increase efficiency even more and to attract more freight onto rail.
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Freight Operating Companies of the United Kingdom
Colas Rail Direct Rail Services Europorte 2 DB Schenker Fastline Freightliner FirstGBRf Mendip Rail
High-speed rail
Main article: High-speed rail in the United Kingdom
High-speed rail (above 125 mph) was first introduced in Great Britain in the 1970s by British Rail. BR had pursued two development projects in parallel, the development of a tilting train technology, the ‘Advanced Passenger Train’ (APT), and development of a conventional high speed diesel train, the ‘High Speed Train’ (HST). The APT project was abandoned, but the HST design entered service as the British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255 trains. The prototype HST, the British Rail Class 252, reached a world speed record for diesel trains of 143.2 mph, while the main fleet entered service limited to a service speed of 125 mph, and were introduced progressively on main lines across the country, with a rebranding of their services as the InterCity 125. With electrification of the East Coast Main Line, high speed rail in Great Britain was augmented with the introduction of the British Rail Class 91, intended for passenger service at up to 140 mph (225 km/h), and thus branded as the InterCity 225. The Class 91 units were designed for a maximum service speed of 140 mph, and running at this speed was trialled with a ‘flashing green’ signal aspect under the British signalling system. The trains were eventually limited to the same speed as the HST, to 125 mph, with higher speeds deemed to require Cab signalling, which as of 2010 was not in place on the normal British railway network (but was used on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link). A final attempt by the nationalised British Rail at High Speed Rail was the cancelled InterCity 250 project in the 1990s for the West Coast Main Line.
The first implementation of high speed rail up to 186 mph in regular passenger service in Great Britain was the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now known as High Speed 1), when its first phase opened in 2003 linking the British end of the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone with Fawkham Junction in Kent. This is used by international only passenger trains for the Eurostar service, using British Rail Class 373 trains. The line was later extended all the way into London St Pancras in 2007.
Post privatisation, a plan to upgrade the West Coast Main Line to speeds of up to 140 mph with infrastructure improvements were finally abandoned, although the tilting train Class 390 Pendolino fleet designed for this maximum speed of service were still built and entered service in 2002, and operates limited to 125 mph. Other routes in the UK were upgraded with trains capable of top speeds of up to 125 mph running with the introduction between 2000 and 2005 of Class 180 Adelante DMUs and the Bombardier Voyager family of DEMUs (Classes 220, 221 and 222).
After the building of the first of a new British Rail Class 395 train fleet for use partly on High Speed 1 and parts of the rest of the UK rail network, the first domestic high speed running over 125 mph (to about 141.37 mph) was due to begin in 2009 with new domestic services and a special Olympic Javelin shuttle for the 2012 Olympics, both operated by the Southeastern franchise.
Following several studies and consultations on high speed rail, in 2009 the UK Government formally announced the High Speed 2 project, establishing a company to produce a feasibility study to examine route options and financing for a new high speed railway in the UK. This study began on the assumption that the route would be a new purpose built high speed line, from London to the West Midlands, via London Heathrow, relieving traffic on the West Coast Main Line, and would use conventional high speed rail technology as opposed to Maglev. The rolling stock would be capable of travelling on the existing Network Rail infrastructure if required.
For replacement of the domestic fleet of Intercity 125 and 225 trains on the existing national network, the Intercity Express Programme was announced. In February 2009 it was announced the preferred rolling stock option for this project was the Hitachi Super Express family of multiple units, expected to enter service in 2013. It was stated by Agility Trains, the consortium building the trains, that they would be capable of a maximum speed of 140 mph with “minor modifications”, with the necessary signalling modifications required of the Network Rail infrastructure in Britain likely to come from the phased roll out of the Europe wide European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS).
As of August 2009 the speeds of the fastest trains operating in Great Britain capable of a top speed of over 125 mph were as follows:
Name
Locomotive Class
Type
Max. Speed (mph (km/h))
Max. Speed in service (mph (km/h))
Eurostar
Class 373
EMU
209 (334.7)
186 (300)
Javelin
Class 395
EMU
140 (225)
140 (225)
InterCity 225
Class 91
Electric Loco
162 (261)
125 (200)
Pendolino
Class 390
EMU
145 (234)
125 (200)
InterCity 125
Class 43 (HST)
Diesel Loco
148 (238)
125 (200)
Adelante
Class 180
DMU
125 (200)
125 (200)
Voyager
Class 220
DEMU
125 (200)
125 (200)
Super Voyager
Class 221
DEMU
125 (200)
125 (200)
Meridian
Class 222
DEMU
125 (200)
125 (200)
The fastest domestic railway journey in the UK is the non-stop National Express East Coast service from London King’s Cross to York, timetabled to complete the 188-mile journey in 1 hours 44 minutes, giving an average speed of 109 mph.
Leasing services
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rolling Stock Operating Company. (Discuss)
Fragonset Railways class 47 railway locomotive, Virginia Water railway station, April 2004
At the time of privatisation, the rolling stock of British Rail was sold either directly to the new operators, as in the case of the freight companies, or to the three ROSCOs (Rolling Stock Operating Companies) which lease or hire stock to passenger and freight train operators. Leasing is relatively commonplace in transport, since it enables operating companies to avoid the complication associated with raising sufficient capital to purchase assets; instead, assets are leased and paid for from ongoing revenue. Since 1994 there has been a growth in smaller spot-hire companies that provide rolling stock on short-term contracts. Many of these have grown thanks to the major selling-off of locomotives by the large freight operators, especially EWS.
Unlike other major players in the privatised railway system of Great Britain, the ROSCOs are not subject to close regulation by the economic regulatory authority. They were expected to compete with one another, and they do, although not in all respects.
Controversy
Since privatisation in 1995, the ROSCOs have faced criticism from a number of quarters – including passenger train operating companies such as GNER, Arriva and FirstGroup – on the basis that they are acting as an oligopoly to keep lease prices higher than would be the case in a more competitive market. In 1998, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott asked Rail Regulator John Swift QC to investigate the operation of the market and make recommendations. It was believed by many at the time that Prescott favoured much closer regulation of the ROSCOs, perhaps bringing them into the net of contract-specific regulation, i.e. requiring every rolling stock lease to be individually approved by the Rail Regulator before it could be valid. Swift’s report did not find major problems with the operation of what was then an infant market, and instead recommended that the ROSCOs sign up to voluntary, non-binding codes of practice in relation to their future behaviour. Prescott did not like this, but he did not have the legislative time allocation to do much about it. Swift’s successor as Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, agreed with Swift and the ROSCOs were happy to go along with codes of practice, coupled with the Rail Regulator’s new powers to deal with abuse of dominance and anti-competitive behaviour under the Competition Act 1998. In establishing these codes, the Rail Regulator made it clear that he expected the ROSCOs to adhere to their spirit as well as their letter. The codes of practice were duly put in place and for the next five years the Rail Regulator received no complaints about ROSCO behaviour.
White paper 2004
A Virgin Pendolino Train
In July 2004, to the surprise of many, the Department for Transport’s White Paper on the future of the railways contained a statement that it was dissatisfied with the operation of the rolling stock leasing market and believed that there may have been excessive pricing on the part of the ROSCOs.
In June 2006, Gwyneth Dunwoody, the House of Commons Transport Committee chair, called for an investigation into the companies. Transport commentator Christian Wolmar has asserted that the high cost of leasing is due to the way the franchises are distributed to the train operating companies. While the TOCs are negotiating for a franchise they have some freedom to propose different rolling stock options. It is only once they have won the franchise, however, that they start negotiating with the ROSCOs. The ROSCO will know the TOC’s requirements and also knows that the TOC has to obtain a fixed mix of rolling stock which puts the train operating company at a disadvantage in its negotiations with the ROSCO. However, Wolmar considers it a mistake to blame the ROSCOs who are simply behaving in the way commercial companies always behave. Ultimately the problem for Wolmar is the system and that is down to the government who are not prepared to seek a more workable solution (On the Wrong Line 289).
Competition Commission
On 29 November 2006, following a June 2006 complaint by the Department for Transport alleging excessive pricing by the ROSCOs, the Office of Rail Regulation announced that it was minded to refer the operation of the market for passenger rolling stock to the Competition Commission, citing, amongst other factors, problems in the DfT’s own franchising policy as responsible for what may be regarded as a dysfunctional market. ORR said it will consult the industry and the public on what to do, and will publish its decision in April 2007. If the ORR does refer the market to the Competition Commission, there may well be a hiatus in investment in new rolling stock whilst the ROSCOs and their parent companies wait to hear what return they will be allowed to make on their train fleets. This could have the unintended consequence of intensifying the problem of overcrowding on some routes because TOCs will be unable to lengthen their trains or acquire new ones if they need the ROSCOs to co-operate in their acquisition or financing. Some commentators have suggested that such an outcome would be detrimental to the public interest. This is especially striking since the National Audit Office, in its November 2006 report on the renewal and upgrade of the West Coast main line, said that the capacity of the trains and the network will be full in the next few years and advocated train lengthening as an important measure to cope with sharply higher passenger numbers.
The Competition Commission is now conducting an investigation (due to be completed on 25 April 2009) and published provisional findings on 7 August 2008.
Leasing companies (ROSCO)
Angel Trains – owned by a consortium of private equity investors, mainly comprising pension funds and insurance companies, and has 4,400 vehicles in the UK.
HSBC Rail – a lessor of domestic passenger rolling stock, owned by HSBC.
Porterbrook – owned by Abbey National, which leases some 3,500 locomotives, trains and freight wagons.
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British Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOs)
Angel Trains Diesel Trains HSBC Rail Lloyds TSB General Leasing Porterbrook QW Rail Leasing Sovereign Trains
In 2008, two further companies have come about to try and break into the leasing market:
Sovereign Trains – a company that forms part of the same group as the open-access operators Grand Central and Grand Union. Sovereign Trains owns the rolling stock currently operated by Grand Central.
QW Rail Leasing – a joint venture between the National Australia Bank and SMBC Leasing and Finance to provide the EMU rolling stock to London Overground.
Diesel Trains Ltd – In March 2009, the Department for Transport also launched its own ROSCO to order 202 new diesel train carriages for the Thames Valley area, around Bristol and on longer distances in northern England. The trains are set to enter service by 2012 subject to negotiations with train operators First Great Western, Trans-Pennine Express and Northern Rail.
Lloyds TSB General Leasing – In April 2009, Lloyds TSB directly entered the rolling stock market by funding the purchase of 30 new EMU trains for National Express East Anglia.
Spot-hire companies
MiddlePeak Railways, a locomotive hire & lease company with a stock of locomotives similar to Class 08 & NS 0-6-0 600 Class shunting locomotives, other locomotives, rolling stock & parts.
Cotswold Rail, a spot-hire company with a stock of Class 08 shunting locomotives, and Class 47 locomotives. This company works closely with National Express East Anglia.
GL Railease owned by GATX Capital, and Lombard, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Harry Needle Railroad Company Ltd, an industrial and main line locomotive hire and overhaul company. Operates Class 08 shunting locomotives, and Class 20 locomotives.
Riviera Trains, a spot-hire company with a fleet of Class 47 locomotives. This company works closely with DB Schenker.
RT Rail, a small hire company with a stock of Class 08 shunting locomotives.
West Coast Railway Company, a spot-hire and railtour-operator with a stock of Class 37 and Class 47 locomotives, as well as the rebuild Class 57 locomotive.
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Current British railway mainline locomotive spot-hire companies
Harry Needle Railroad Company Riviera Trains West Coast Railway Company Nemesis Rail
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Current British railway shunter-only spot-hire companies
MiddlePeak Railways RT Rail
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Previous British railway spot-hire companies
Ian Riley Engineering Mainline Rail Fragonset Merlin Rail Advenza Freight Cotswold Rail
Statutory framework
See also: Structure of the rail industry in the United Kingdom
Railways in Great Britain are in the private sector. As such, they are not controlled by central government, although they are subject to economic and safety regulation by arms of government.
In 2006, using powers in the Railways Act 2005, the Department for Transport took over most of the functions of the now wound up Strategic Rail Authority. The DfT now itself runs competitions for the award of passenger rail franchises, and, once awarded, monitors and enforces the contracts with the private sector franchisees. Franchises specify the passenger rail services which are to be run and the quality and other conditions (for example, the cleanliness of trains, station facilities and opening hours, the punctuality and reliability of trains) which the operators have to meet. Some franchises receive subsidy from the DfT for doing so, and some are cash-positive, which means that the franchisee pays the DfT for the contract. Some franchises start life as subsidised and, over their life, move to being cash-positive.
The other regulatory authority for the privatised railway is the Office of Rail Regulation, which, following the Railways Act 2005, is the combined economic and safety regulator. It replaced the Rail Regulator on 5 July 2004. The Rail Safety and Standards Board still exists, however; established in 2003 on the recommendations of a public inquiry, it leads the industry’s progress in health and safety matters.
The principal modern railway statutes are:
Railways Act 1993
Competition Act 1998 (insofar as it confers competition powers on the Office of Rail Regulation)
Transport Act 2000
Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003
Railways Act 2005
Local metro and other rail systems
Main articles: Rapid transit in the United Kingdom and Commuter rail in the United Kingdom
A number of towns and cities have rapid transit systems. Heavy rail underground technology is used in the London and Glasgow Underground systems. Light rail with underground sections in the city centre exist in Tyne and Wear and in the London Docklands. The light rail systems in Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Croydon and the Birmingham/Black Country use a combination of street running in the city centres and former conventional rail lines in the suburbs. Blackpool has the one remaining traditional tram system. Monorails, heritage tramways, miniature railways and funiculars also exist in several places. In addition, there are a number of heritage (mainly steam) standard and narrow gauge railways, and a few industrial railways and tramways. Some lines which appear to be heritage operations are actually part of the public transport network; the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent regularly transports schoolchildren.
Most major cities have some form of commuter rail network. These include Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Sheffield.
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Local rail transport in the United Kingdom
Metros :
Docklands Light Railway (East London) | Glasgow Subway | London Underground | Tyne and Wear Metro
Tramways :
Blackpool | Manchester | Birmingham | Nottingham | Sheffield | South London
Commuter Rail:
Belfast | Bristol | Birmingham | Cardiff | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Leeds/Bradford | Liverpool | London | Manchester
Railway stations
Facade of London Victoria
Most railway stations in Great Britain date from the Victorian era and some are located on the edge of town and city centres. Major stations lie for the most part in large cities, typically with the largest conurbations (e.g. Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester) boasting more than one main station. London is a major hub of the network, with 12 major main line terminuses forming a “ring” around the central area. Birmingham and Leeds, on the other hand, are major interchanges for many cross country journeys that don’t involve London. However some important railway junction stations lie in smaller cities, for example York station, Crewe station and Ely station. Other places expanded into towns and cities because of the railway network, Swindon for example was little more than a village prior to the Great Western Railway siting their locomotive works there. In many instances geography, politics, or military considerations caused stations to originally be located further from the towns they served, until, with time, these issues could be overcome (for example, Portsmouth had its original station at Gosport).
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Major railway stations in the United Kingdom
Managed by Network Rail:
Birmingham New Street Edinburgh Waverley Gatwick Airport Glasgow Central Leeds Liverpool Lime Street Manchester Piccadilly
Managed by train operator:
Belfast Central Belfast Great Victoria Street Birmingham Snow Hill Brighton Bristol Parkway Bristol Temple Meads Cardiff Central Cardiff Queen Street Crewe Doncaster Glasgow Queen Street Manchester Victoria Newcastle Nottingham Reading Sheffield York
Railway stations of London: Central area | Greater London
Managed by Network Rail:
Cannon Street Charing Cross Euston Fenchurch Street King’s Cross Liverpool Street London Bridge Paddington St Pancras Victoria Waterloo
Managed by train operator:
Blackfriars Clapham Junction City Thameslink Marylebone Moorgate Stratford Waterloo East
Railway industry
Statutory authorities
Health and Safety Executive Website
Office of Rail Regulation Website
Department for Transport Rail Group Website
UK Notified Bodies Website
Network rail and signalling operations
Railtrack (19962002)
Network Rail (2002) Website (A “not for dividend” company limited by guarantee)
Other national entities
Association of Train Operating Companies ATOC Website
Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen ASLEF Website
Institution of Railway Operators Website
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers RMT Website
Rail Freight Group Website
Rail Passengers Council and Committees Website
Rail Safety and Standards Board RSSB Website
The Railway Forum Website
Railway Mission Website
Railway Study Association Website
Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association TSSA Website
Regional entities
See Passenger Transport Executive
Centro (West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive) Website
GMPTE (Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive) Website
Merseytravel (Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive) Website
Metro (West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive) Website
Nexus (Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive) Website
Travel South Yorkshire (South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive) Website
Strathclyde Passenger Transport Website
Transport for London TfL Website
See List of companies operating trains in the United Kingdom.
Freight railway companies
DB Schenker Website
Freightliner Website
Direct Rail Services Website
FirstGBRf Website
Open access operators and other non-franchised passenger operators
Eurostar Website
Heathrow Express Website
First Hull Trains Website
Grand Central Website
Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE)
Wrexham & Shropshire Website
Early railway companies (1820s1840s)
This is only the earliest of the main line openings: for a more comprehensive list of the hundreds of early railways see List of early British railway companies
Canterbury and Whitstable Railway
Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway (BDJR)
Grand Junction Railway (GJR)
Liverpool and Manchester Railway (LMR)
London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR)
London and Greenwich Railway
North Midland Railway (NMR)
Midland Counties Railway (MCR)
Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&D)
Taff Vale Railway (TVR)
Heritage and private railways
There are a number of private and heritage railways in Britain.
A list of British heritage and private railways is available.
Railway re-opening
Several pressure groups are campaigning for the re-opening of closed railway lines in Great Britain. These include:
Ashington-Bedlington-Newcastle
Bourne End-High Wycombe
Cambridge-Oxford, East West Rail Consortium
Cambridge-St Ives
Colne-Skipton, SELRAP
Uckfield-Lewes
Stourbridge-Birmingham New Street
Woodhead Line
Since 1995, 27 new lines (totalling 199 track miles) and 68 stations had been opened, with 65 new station sites identified by Network Rail or government for possible construction.
On 15 June 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) published the report Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network, detailing schemes around England where it believed there was a commercial business case for passenger network expansion. The published proposals involved the re-opening or new construction of 40 stations, serving communities with populations of over 15,000, including 14 schemes involving the re-opening or reconstruction of rail lines for passenger services. These schemes would be short lead time localised projects, to be completed in timescales ranging from 2 years 9 months to 6 years, once approved by local and regional governments, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, complementing existing long term national projects.
Rail link(s) with adjacent countries
Same gauge
France via the Channel Tunnel
formerly by Train ferries.
See also
British narrow gauge railways
Concessionary fares on the British railway network
History of rail transport in Great Britain
List of British towns with no railway station
List of funicular railways
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Rail transport by country
Royal Train
Transport in the United Kingdom
References
^ United Kingdom: Transport from the CIA World Factbook 2008.
^ http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=5022&NewsAreaID=2&SearchCategoryID=2
^ BBC News
^ ‘Rail’ Magazine Issue 612 February 25 – March 10 2009
^ National Express East Coast Train Timetable
^ “Review of train leasing urged” from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/3434369.stm 1701BST 06/06/2006
^ http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/press_rel/2008/aug/pdf/22-08.pdf
^ SENRUG : South East Northumberland Rail User Group
^ YourHighWycombe – the open forum for everyone who lives and works in High Wycombe
^ EastWestRail – The route
^ CAST.IRON: The Cambridge and St. Ives Railway Organisation
^ Selrap :: Skipton East Lancashire Railway Action Partnership
^ Wealden Line Campaign
^ a b “Connecting Communities” (pdf). Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. http://www.atoc.org/general/ConnectingCommunitiesReport_S10.pdf. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
^ “Move to reinstate lost rail lines”. BBC News. 15 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8099912.stm. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
http://www.sra.gov.uk/publications/national_rail_trends_pubs/nrt_q3_0304/nrt_file_q3 National Rail TrendsPDF 20032004 quarter three, from the Strategic Rail Authority
DfT Transport Ten Year Plan 2000 from the UK Government’s Department for Transport.
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/03-04/0304532.pdf Network Rail Making a Fresh StartPDF (728 KiB) National Audit Office report, 14 May 2004
Railway industry topic guides from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
On The Wrong Line: How Ideology and Incompetence Wrecked Britain’s Railways, Christian Wolmar, Aurum Press Ltd, ISBN 1-85410-998-7
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Railways of Great Britain
National Rail Official UK Rail timetable site
National Rail maps page UK railway maps
BritRail ATOC site with timetables, maps and cross-network passes for foreign travellers in UK
British Rail Tickets Canada Canadian source for British Rail tickets
ScotlandRailways Scottish Rail site with timetables, maps and cross-network passes for foreign travellers in Scotland
Campaign Against New Beeching Report
Northumbrian Railways
Great Scenic Railways of Devon and Cornwall
Collection of Google Earth locations of National Rail stations (Requires Google Earth software) from the Google Earth Community forum.
v d e
Rail transport in Europe
Sovereign
states
Albania Andorra Armenia1 Austria Azerbaijan1 Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus1 Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia1 Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan2 Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia2 San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey2 Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City
States with limited
recognition
Abkhazia1 Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh1 Northern Cyprus1 South Ossetia1 Transnistria
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories
Adjara1 Adygea Akrotiri and Dhekelia land Azores Bashkortostan Chechnya Chuvashia Crimea Dagestan Faroe Islands Gagauzia Gibraltar Guernsey Ingushetia Jan Mayen Jersey Kabardino-Balkaria Kalmykia Karachay-Cherkessia Republic of Karelia Komi Republic Madeira Isle of Man Mari El Mordovia Nakhchivan1 North Ossetia-Alania Republika Srpska Svalbard Tatarstan Udmurtia Vojvodina
1 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the border definitions. 2 Transcontinental country.
Categories: Freight operating companies | Post-privatisation British railway companies | Rail transport in Great Britain | Rail transport by countryHidden categories: Articles to be merged from January 2009 | All articles to be merged
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