Rail transport in Great Britain

Rail transport and its services ...

Rail transport in Great Britain………………………………………………2
Passenger services…………………………………………………………..4
Freight services……………………………………………………………...5
High-speed rail………………………………………………………………6
White paper 2004……………………………………………………………8
Local metro and other rail systems………………………………………….8
Railway stations……………………………………………………………..9

The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. The British railway network is connected with that of continental Europe by an undersea rail link, the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994.
The system was originally built as a mix of local rail links operated by small private railway companies. The entire network was brought under government control during the First World War and a number of advantages of planning were revealed. However, the government called for the nationalization of the network. From 1 January 1923, almost all the local 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 Souther n Railway companies. The “Big Four” were joint-stock public companies and they continued to run the railway system until 31 December 1947.