This is a list of railway lines in Great Britain that are currently in operation, split by country and region.
There are a limited number of main inter-regional lines, with all but one entering Greater London. [1] The line from London to the Channel Tunnel is the only line designated 'high speed', although the other main routes also operate limited-stop express services.
The bulk of the secondary network is concentrated in London and the surrounding East and South East regions; an area marketed by National Rail as London and the South East. The majority of these lines are radial to London. [2] There is a further concentration of routes around Birmingham in the West Midlands [3] and in the urbanised part of northern England that stretches from Liverpool in the west, via Greater Manchester to Leeds in the east. [4]
Some areas, such as Wales and Scotland, have relatively sparse railway provision. [1] There are local lines throughout all areas of Great Britain with some services designated as community railways.
This is a list of routes entirely contained within Greater London. [5]
Name | End and major calling points | Countries and regions | Category |
---|---|---|---|
Chiltern Main Line | London, High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Solihull, Birmingham | England: London, South East, West Midlands | Main Line 100 mph |
East Coast Main Line | London, Leeds, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh | England: East, East Midlands, London, North East, Yorkshire and the Humber; Scotland | High Speed Main Line 125 mph |
Great Eastern Main Line | London, Ipswich, Norwich | England: East, London | Main Line 100 mph |
Great Western Main Line | London, Bristol | England: London, South East, South West | High Speed Main Line 125 mph |
High Speed 1 | London, Channel Tunnel | England: East, London, South East. Continental Europe: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany | High Speed Line 186 mph |
Midland Main Line | London, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield | England: East, East Midlands, London, Yorkshire and the Humber | High Speed Main Line 125 mph |
South West Main Line | London, Southampton, Bournemouth, Weymouth | England: London, South East, South West | Main Line 100 mph |
West Coast Main Line | London, Glasgow with spurs to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Holyhead and Edinburgh | England: London, North West, South East, West Midlands; Scotland; North Wales | High Speed Main Line 125 mph |
This is a list of all routes that enter the South East England region.
This is a list of all routes that enter the South West England region.
Name | Route, or previous name | Opened | Regions | Electrified |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic Coast Line | Par to Newquay | 1874 | South West | — |
Avocet Line | Exeter to Exmouth | 1862 | South West | — |
Bristol–Exeter line | 1841–1842 | South West | — | |
Cornish Main Line | Plymouth to Penzance | 1867 | South West | — |
Cotswold Line | Oxford to Hereford | 1851–1860 | South East, South West, West Midlands | — |
Dartmoor line | Exeter to Okehampton | 1851–1871 | South West | — |
Exeter–Plymouth line | 1846–1849 | South West | — | |
Gloucester–Newport line | 1850 | South West | — | |
Golden Valley line | Swindon to Cheltenham Spa | 1845 | South West | — |
Heart of Wessex Line | Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth | 1857 | South West | — |
Looe Valley Line | Liskeard to Looe | 1860–1901 | South West | — |
Maritime Line | Truro to Falmouth Docks | 1863 | South West | — |
Reading–Taunton line | 1847–1906 | South East, South West | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | |
Riviera Line | Exeter St Davids to Paignton | 1846–1859 | South West | — |
Severn Beach line | Bristol to Severn Beach | 1840–1900 | South West | — |
South Wales Main Line | Swindon to Swansea | 1850–1903 | South West, South Wales | — |
St Ives Bay Line | St Erth to St Ives | 1877 | South West | — |
Tamar Valley Line | Plymouth to Gunnislake | 1890–1908 | South West | — |
Tarka Line | Exeter to Barnstaple | 1851–1854 | South West | — |
Wessex Main Line | Bristol to Southampton | 1847–1856 | South East, South West | — |
West of England line | SWML to Exeter | 1854–1860 | South East, South West | — |
Name | End and major calling points | Countries and regions | Category |
---|---|---|---|
Cross Country Route | Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, York | England: East Midlands, South West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands | High Speed Main Line 125 mph |
South Wales Main Line | Bristol, Swansea via Cardiff | England: South West; Wales: South | Main Line (100 mph) |
This is a list of all routes that enter the North West England region.
This is a list of all routes that enter the West Midlands region.
Name | Route, or previous name | Opened | Regions | Electrified |
---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham to Peterborough line | 1840–1860 | East, East Midlands, West Midlands | — | |
Birmingham to Worcester via Bromsgrove Line | 1840–1879 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | |
Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line | 1852–1867 | West Midlands | — | |
Camp Hill line | 1840-1841 | West Midlands | — | |
Chase Line | Birmingham New Street to Walsall and Rugeley | 1837–1859 (partly closed 1965, reopened 1989–1997) | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Chiltern Main Line | Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill | 1852–1910 | London, South East, West Midlands | — |
Cotswold Line | Oxford to Hereford | 1851–1860 | South East, South West, West Midlands | — |
Coventry–Leamington line | 1851 | West Midlands | — | |
Coventry–Nuneaton line | 1850 | West Midlands | — | |
Crewe–Derby line | 1848 | East Midlands, North West, West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | |
Cross-City Line | Redditch or Bromsgrove to Lichfield | 1837–1876 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Cross Country Route | 1948 | East Midlands, North East, Scotland, South West, Wales, West Anglia, & West Midlands | — | |
Leamington–Stratford line | 1860 | West Midlands | — | |
Leicester–Burton upon Trent line | 1832–1849 | East Midlands, West Midlands | — | |
Northampton loop | 1881 | East Midlands, West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
North Warwickshire Line | Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford-upon-Avon | 1908 | West Midlands | — |
Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line | 1837 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
Shrewsbury–Chester line | 1848 | North West, West Midlands | — | |
Stafford–Manchester line | 1848–1887 | North West, West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
Stone to Colwich Line | 1849 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
Stourbridge Town branch line | 1879 | West Midlands | — | |
Sutton Park line | Walsall to Castle Bromwich and Water Orton | 1879 | West Midlands | — |
Trent Valley line | part of the West Coast Main Line | 1847 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Walsall–Wolverhampton line | 1837 | West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
Welsh Marches line | Newport to Shrewsbury | 1852–1858 |
| — |
Wolverhampton–Shrewsbury line | 1848–1849 | West Midlands | — |
This is a list of all routes that enter the East of England region.
This is a list of all routes that enter the East Midlands region.
Name | Route, or previous name | Opened | Regions | Electrified |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barton line | Barton-on-Humber to Cleethorpes | 1848 | East Midlands | — |
Birmingham–Peterborough line | 1840–1860 | East, East Midlands, West Midlands | — | |
Buxton line | Manchester Piccadilly to Buxton | 1863 | East Midlands, North West | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) |
Crewe–Derby line | 1848 | East Midlands, North West, West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | |
Derwent Valley line | Derby to Matlock | 1839–1849 | East Midlands | — |
Doncaster–Lincoln line | 1849 | East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Glossop line | Manchester Piccadilly to Glossop or Hadfield | 1844 | East Midlands, North West | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Ivanhoe line | part of the Midland Main Line | 1840 or 1993 | East Midlands | — |
Leicester–Burton upon Trent line | 1832–1849 | East Midlands | — | |
Northampton loop | 1881 | East Midlands, West Midlands | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC | |
Nottingham–Grantham line | 1850 | East Midlands | — | |
Nottingham–Lincoln line | 1846 | East Midlands | — | |
Oakham–Kettering line | 1879 | East Midlands | — | |
Poacher Line | Grantham to Skegness | 1848–1873 | East Midlands | — |
Robin Hood Line | Nottingham to Worksop | 1848 (reopened 1993–1998) | East Midlands | — |
Sheffield–Lincoln line | 1849 | East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Erewash Valley Line | 1844–1862 | East Midlands | — |
This is a list of all routes that enter the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East England region.
Name | Route, or previous name | Opened | Regions | Electrified |
---|---|---|---|---|
Durham Coast Line | Newcastle to Middlesbrough | 1833–1905 | North East | Overhead line , 1,500 V DC (partial) |
Esk Valley line | Middlesbrough to Whitby | 1835–54 | North East, Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Tyne Valley line | Newcastle to Carlisle | 1834–1837 | North East, North West | — |
Northallerton–Eaglescliffe line | 1852 | North East, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Tees Valley line | Bishop Auckland to Saltburn | 1825–1887 | North East | — |
Airedale line | Leeds to Skipton | 1846 | Yorkshire and the Humber | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Askern branch line | Knottingley to Doncaster | 1848 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Calder Valley line | Blackpool North or Manchester Victoria to Leeds | 1840s | North West, Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Dearne Valley line | Sheffield to York | 1839–40 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Doncaster–Lincoln line | 1849 | East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Hallam Line | Sheffield to Leeds | Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Harrogate line | Leeds to York | 1848 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Hope Valley line | Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield | 1894 | North West, Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Huddersfield line | Manchester Piccadilly or Victoria to Huddersfield | 1849 | North West, Yorkshire and the Humber | Planned |
Hull to York Line | 1840 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Leeds–Morecambe line | 1846–50 | North West, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Leeds–Bradford lines | Yorkshire and the Humber | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | ||
Penistone Line | Huddersfield to Sheffield | 1845–50 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Pontefract line | Leeds to Goole | 1848 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Selby Line | Leeds to Hull | 1834 | Yorkshire and the Humber | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) |
Settle–Carlisle line | 1875 | North West, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
Sheffield–Lincoln line | 1849 | East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber | — | |
South Humberside Main Line | Doncaster to Cleethorpes | 1848 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Swinton–Doncaster line | South Yorkshire | — | ||
Wakefield line | Leeds to Sheffield | Yorkshire and the Humber | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC (partial) | |
Wharfedale line | Leeds to Bradford Forster Square or Ilkley | 1865 | Yorkshire and the Humber | OHLE, 25 kV 50 Hz AC |
Hull–Scarborough line | Hull to Scarborough | 1845–46 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
York–Scarborough line | 1845 | Yorkshire and the Humber | — |
Name | Between | Opening | Regions | Electrification |
---|---|---|---|---|
East West Rail | Bicester Village to Bletchley | 2023 | South East England | Not initially |
High Speed 2 | London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street | ~2030 | South East England | 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line |
Transport in the United Kingdom is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. Some aspects of transport are a devolved matter, with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments.
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest mixed-traffic railway routes in Europe, carrying a mixture of intercity rail, regional rail, commuter rail and rail freight traffic. The core route of the WCML runs from London to Glasgow for 400 miles (644 km) and was opened from 1837 to 1881. With additional lines deviating to Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, this totals a route mileage of 700 miles (1,127 km). The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line connects the WCML to Edinburgh. However, the main London–Edinburgh route is the East Coast Main Line. Several sections of the WCML form part of the suburban railway systems in London, Coventry, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, with many more smaller commuter stations, as well as providing links to more rural towns.
Crewe railway station serves the railway town of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world.
InterCity was a brand name introduced by British Rail in 1966 for its long-haul express passenger services.
In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993.
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter are single-coach diesel-hydraulic railcars which were converted from two-coach Class 155 diesel multiple units in the early 1990s. The class was intended for service on rural branch lines, either where passenger numbers do not justify longer trains or to boost the capacity on services with high passenger volume.
The West Highland Line is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the notable Trans-Siberian line in Russia and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru. The ScotRail website has since reported that the line has been voted the most scenic railway line in the world for the second year running.
Chesterfield railway station serves the market town of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line, which connects Sheffield with London St Pancras. Four tracks pass through the station which has three platforms. It is currently operated by East Midlands Railway.
Transport in Wales is heavily influenced by the country's geography. Wales is predominantly hilly or mountainous, and the main settlements lie on the coasts of north and south Wales, while mid Wales and west Wales are lightly populated. The main transport corridors are east–west routes, many continuing eastwards into England.
Transport in Scotland is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation of BR in 1948, and was renamed to ScotRail in the mid-1980s.
The Edinburgh–Dundee line is a railway line linking Edinburgh with Dundee via the Forth Bridge and the Tay Bridge. A branch runs to Perth. Passenger services are operated by ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, CrossCountry and London North Eastern Railway.
The Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line is a main railway route which connects the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, by means of their respective sections of the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
Railway electrification in Great Britain began in the late 19th century. A range of voltages has been used, employing both overhead lines and conductor rails. The two most common systems are 25 kV AC using overhead lines, and the 750 V DC third rail system used in Southeast England and on Merseyrail. As of October 2023, 6,065 kilometres (3,769 mi) (38%) of the British rail network was electrified.
High-speed rail in the United Kingdom is provided on five upgraded railway lines running at top speeds of 125 mph (200 km/h) and one purpose-built high-speed line reaching 186 mph (300 km/h).
The period from 1995 covers the history of rail transport in Great Britain following the privatisation of British Rail. During this period, passenger volumes have grown rapidly, safety has improved, and subsidies per journey have fallen. However, there is debate as to whether this is due to privatisation or to better government regulation. During this period, High Speed 1, the West Coast Main Line upgrade and Crossrail were completed and more construction projects are currently under way. The period also saw the demise of privately-owned Railtrack and its replacement with government-owned Network Rail.
Urban andsuburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the major cities of the United Kingdom. Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travellers on a daily basis. They consist of several railway lines connecting city centre stations of major cities to suburbs and surrounding towns.
Great Britain has numerous intercity services traversing the country, however, unlike in other countries, these are not clearly defined. Most of these trains are high speed, and some operate into France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Note: many maps cited are dead links as of 2016. Current maps are on the National Rail Enquiries - Maps of the UK National Rail Network Web site. [8]