Title: Rail transport in Great Britain - Wikipedia
Headings: Rail transport in Great Britain
Rail transport in Great Britain
Contents
Historical overview
Nationalisation
Privatisation
Semi-renationalisation
Passenger services
Annual passenger numbers
Stations
Inter-city
High Speed 1
Intercity Express Programme
Proposed
High Speed 2
High-speed rolling stock
Local metro and other rail systems
Goods services
Train leasing services
Competition codes of practice
White paper 2004
Competition Commission
Leasing companies (ROSCO)
Spot-hire companies
Statutory framework
Industry bodies
Statutory authorities
Devolved authorities
Network and signalling operations
Other national entities
Trade unions
Regional entities
Freight companies
Open access and other non-franchised passenger operators
1820s–1840s: Early companies
Heritage and private
Proposed line re-openings
Links with adjacent countries
Rail-ferry-rail services
See also
References
Citations
Sources
External links

Content: Contents
1 Historical overview
1.1 Nationalisation
1.2 Privatisation
1.3 Semi-renationalisation
2 Passenger services
2.1 Annual passenger numbers
2.2 Stations
2.3 Inter-city
2.3.1 High Speed 1
2.3.2 Intercity Express Programme
2.3.3 Proposed
2.3.4 High-speed rolling stock
2.4 Local metro and other rail systems
3 Goods services
4 Train leasing services
4.1 Competition codes of practice
4.2 White paper 2004
4.3 Competition Commission
4.4 Leasing companies (ROSCO)
4.5 Spot-hire companies
5 Statutory framework
6 Industry bodies
6.1 Statutory authorities
6.1.1 Devolved authorities
6.2 Network and signalling operations
6.3 Other national entities
6.3.1 Trade unions
6.4 Regional entities
6.5 Freight companies
6.6 Open access and other non-franchised passenger operators
7 1820s–1840s: Early companies
8 Heritage and private
9 Proposed line re-openings
10 Links with adjacent countries
11 Rail-ferry-rail services
12 See also
13 References
13.1 Citations
13.2 Sources
14 External links
Historical overview
Current railway lines in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man are shown in black, heritage (tourist) lines in green, metro lines in red and former routes in light blue. Rail passengers in Great Britain from 1829 to 2019, showing the early era of small railway companies, the amalgamation into the " Big Four ", nationalisation and finally the current era of privatisation
Main article: History of rail transport in Great Britain
According to historians David Brandon and Alan Brooke, the railways brought into being our modern world: They stimulated demand for building materials, coal, iron and, later, steel. Excelling in the bulk movement of coal, they provided the fuel for the furnaces of industry and for domestic fireplaces. Millions of people were able to travel who had scarcely ever travelled before. Railways enabled mail, newspapers, periodicals and cheap literature to be distributed easily, quickly and cheaply allowing a much wider and faster dissemination of ideas and information. They had a significant impact on improving diet.... [and enabled] a proportionately smaller agricultural industry was able to feed a much larger urban population....They employed huge quantities of labour both directly and indirectly. They helped Britain to become the ‘Workshop of the World’ by reducing transport costs not only of raw materials but of finished goods, large amounts of which were exported.... [T]oday’s global corporations originated with the great limited liability railway companies....By the third quarter of the nineteenth century, there was scarcely any person living in Britain whose life had not been altered in some way by the coming of the railways.