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From the start of 1948, the railways were nationalised to form British Railways (latterly "British Rail") under the control of the British Transport Commission. [51] Though there were few initial changes to the service, usage increased and the network became profitable.
The name "Great Western Railway", alone of all the pre-Grouping companies, was retained until the nationalisation of the railways; and one of the post-British Rail train operating companies now bears the name in 2005. Manchester Victoria station, built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR)
Total length of the British railways at 1 January 1923 was 19,585 route miles (31,336 km). From the end of the 1920s, when it was obvious that the motor vehicle was in the ascendancy, dozens of little-used branch lines began to close: some to passenger traffic, many completely. Although few railways were constructed, some new works were undertaken.
Here, the vast majority of the railway system standardised on the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm). History of rail transport in Ireland discusses the history of rail transport on the island of Ireland, comprising the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Here a system using a broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) developed.
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.
The history of rail transport in Great Britain to 1830 covers the period up to the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first intercity passenger railway operated solely by steam locomotives. The earliest form of railways, horse-drawn wagonways, originated in Germany in the 16th century. Soon wagonways were also built in ...
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).
In 2024, there were 1.612 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 ...