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British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board.
1960 – the last British steam engine is made (Evening Star). 1960s–2000s (decade) – Many countries adopt high-speed rail in an attempt to make rail transport competitive with both road transport and air transport. 1963, 27 March – Publication of The Reshaping of Britain's Railways (the Beeching Report).
This was subsequently split further, becoming British Rail Maintenance Limited, whose ownership was retained by British Rail; and British Rail Engineering (1988) Limited, which was prepared for privatisation. The latter went through a series of owners, mergers and take-overs and now resides with Canadian transport company Bombardier.
Commercial locomotive builders were called upon when requirements exceeded the railway works' capacity, but these orders were generally to the railways' own designs. British commercial builders concentrated on industrial users, small railway systems, and to a large extent the export market.
Frith's The Railway Station, 1862 depiction of Paddington railway station in London. In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened. [21] Being the world's first inter-city passenger railway and the first to have 'scheduled' services, terminal stations and services as we know them today, it set the pattern for modern railways.
In 2019, there were 1.738 billion journeys on the National Rail network, [1] making the British network the fifth most used in the world (Great Britain ranks 23rd in world population). Unlike a number of other countries, rail travel in the United Kingdom has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with passenger numbers approaching their highest ...
The first intercity railway between Liverpool and Manchester was built by Stephenson in 1830. [5] These systems, which made use of the steam locomotive, were the first practical form of mechanized land transport, and they remained the primary form of mechanized land transport for the next 100 years. The first railroad built in Great Britain was ...
The first proposals for railways in India were made in Madras in 1832. [105] The first train in India ran from Red Hills to Chintadripet bridge in Madras in 1837. It was called Red Hill Railway. It was hauled by a rotary steam engine locomotive manufactured by William Avery. It was built by Sir Arthur Cotton.