Train travel in Great Britain is very popular but tickets are usually expensive especially at peak times. Passenger trains are operated by many companies but tickets can be bought from any one station to any other in Great Britain – an uniform tariff applied (divided into peak and off-peak hours). In Great Britain, it is worth seeing the railway museum in York, numerous heritage railways and monuments related to the history of railways.
Last updated: 05.02.2024
The history of railways in Great Britain began in the 16th century, when German miners at Caldbeck in Cumbria, used a wagonway – a railway powered by animals drawing the cars or wagons (from 1560s). A wagonways were built in Prescot, near Liverpool in 1600 and in Wollatoon between 1603 and 1604.
Railed roads were used from 1671 in Durham, many of them were built in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In 1798 the world’s first public railway was opened to traffic. The Lake Lock Rail Road was a horse-drawn narrow gauge railway built near Wakefield. Initially the route was 4,8 km long. In 1984 the line was rerouted. The Lake Lock Rail was closed in 1836.
The first passenger-carrying public railway was opened at Oystermouth in 1807, using horse-drawn carriages on an existing tramline.
On 27 September 1825 was opened the first locomotive-hauled railway in the world between Stockton and Darlington (40 km).
In 1830 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was opened – the first modern railway in the world.
In 1948 the railways were nationalised to form British Railways.
In the first half of the 1990s, the railways in Great Britain were privatized.
Train travel in Great Britain – timetable and prices
Although there are many train companies operating in the UK, timetables and ticket prices are available on National Rail’s website. As I wrote at the beginning, there is a uniform tariff and even if we travel between cities on several trains operated by different carriers, only one ticket is needed.
Useful websites:
National Rail – timetable, search engine, prices, information
Eurostar – international trains from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Tickets can also be purchased on the websites of individual operators (without commission) or on the websites of numerous travel agents selling train tickets (with commission).
In the UK, ticket prices depend on many factors. It is best to buy tickets online and well in advance.Tickets for journey outside peak hours (off-peak) or purchased in advance (advanced) will be cheaper.
Railways in Great Britain are sometimes paralyzed by strikes, so it is worth following information about possible disruptions.
Train travel in Great Britain can be very expensive, but there are many discounts, railcards and special offers. Some operators offer inexpensive tickets for tourists – information can be found on the websites of each carrier.
Passenger train operating companies
There are over 30 railway companies operating regular passenger trains in Great Britain. For obvious reasons, there is no point in describing each of them. There is a list of most important passenger operators:
Arriva Trains Wales – a carrier operating rail connections in Wales and in the English counties bordering Wales. The rolling stock consists mainly of diesel multiple units, the oldest of which, operating on the Cardiff Queen Street – Cardiff Bay route, was manufactured in 1960. Arriva offers a number of railcards entitling to discounts on its trains – for young people, families, seniors and disabled people.
Arriva Trains Wales – official website
C2C – a popular carrier operating selected suburban lines within the London metropolitan area. C2C also offers discount cards and interesting promotions.
C2C – official website
Chiltern Railways – the company operates long-distance services from London to Birmingham and several regional services from London. The rolling stock consists of various diesel multiple units. The oldest trains were produced in 1959. The carrier currently does not have any interesting promotional offers, travel costs can be reduced by purchasing tickets in advance or traveling outside peak hours.
Chiltern Railways – official website
Cross Country – a carrier operating selected long-distance connections in England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, it runs trains connecting city centers with London Stansted, Birmingham and Southampton airports. One of the largest British operators. Tickets can be booked 12 weeks before the planned journey – the earlier tickets are purchased, the lower is the price.
Cross Country – official website
East Coast – East Coast trains, as the name suggests, mainly run along the east coast of Great Britain. They arrive, among others: to London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, as well as to Inverness and Aberdeen. Wi-Fi and a silence zone are standard on East Coast trains.
East Midlands – East Midlands trains can be found on lines in the East Midlands region and neighboring counties. It mainly runs suburban and regional trains, but also fast trains connecting e.g. Sheffield with London. On the operator’s website you can buy a ticket, and use the lowest price search engine.
East Midlands – official website
Greater Anglia – a company named on some rail travel websites as National Express East Anglia. The company’s offer includes regional and suburban connections in the East of England, as well as Intercity connections. Discounts and promotions are similar to those offered by other British carriers. A nice and readable website is worth attention.
Greater Anglia – official website
Great Western Railway – the company operated trains in southwest England and on several lines in Wales. In addition to regional and suburban connections, the company runs long-distance connections from cities in southwest England to London. Previously it operated under the name First Great Western.
Great Western Railway – official website
Hull Trains – an operator operating the London to Hull route.
Hull Trains – official website
London Northwestern Railway – the company operates trains in the West Midlands region, as well as trains connecting the region with London. Formerly known as London Midland
London Northwestern Railway – official website
London Overground – a carrier operating local rail services in London. It is something like a fast urban railway that is an extension of the metro. The surface rail network is still being expanded, which may cause temporary difficulties. The new rolling stock is worth attention.
Lumo – long-distance electric trains on the East Coast of the UK between London & Edinburgh, calling at Stevenage, Newcastle & Morpeth.
Lumo – official website
Merseyrail – the rail network around Liverpool. Previously, the characteristic feature was the rolling stock from 1978-1979; in recent years replaced by new multiple units.
Merseyrail – official website
Northern Rail – the company operates suburban and regional trains in the north of England, including Liverpool and Manchester.
Northern Rail – official website
ThamesLink – a carrier operating regional and suburban services around Brighton, Bedford, King’s Lynn and Peterborough, as well as connections from these cities to London on railway lines known as Thameslink and Great Northern. Previously known as FCC – First Capital Connect.
Thames Link – official website
Southern Railway – Southern Railway operates regional and suburban routes in southern England and the company’s most famous trains to Gatwick Airport (“Gatwick Express”). It offers discounts similar to other carriers; Noteworthy is a discount for those who buy tickets in advance.
Southern Railway – official website
Transpennine Express – an operator with a wide range of passenger connections, most of which are connections between cities on the eastern and western parts of the north coast of England. In addition to this, TE trains run from Manchester to Edinburgh. Transpennine Express trains also connects Manchester city center with the city’s airport. It is worth buying tickets for TE trains well in advance – tickets are up to 50% cheaper than based-price.
Transpennine Express – official website
Virgin Trains – probably the most famous British carrier operating long-distance connections throughout Great Britain. The carrier’s flaghship is the Pendolino train. Virgin trains depart from London Euston Station. They travel to, among others, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Holyhead. Virgin train offers many discounts and promotional tickets.
Virgin Trains – official website
Train travel in Great Britain – overnight trains
There are three long-distance night trains in the UK (two brands). Both trains are among the most famous long-distance trains in Europe, at least for railway enthusiasts. They are mentioned in many advertising brochures and guides as almost luxurious trains that you absolutely must ride. I don’t know how true the information in guidebooks is, but tickets for the trains described below are very expensive.
Caledonian Sleeper – the trade name Caledonian Sleeper actually covers two night trains running between London and the most important Scottish cities. The Highland Sleeper train has carriages to Inverness, Aberdeen and Fort William. The carriages are switched during the stop in Edinburgh.
The second train is a Lowland Sleeper with carriages to Edinburgh and Glasgow unhooked at Carstairs station.
Trains do not run on the night from Saturday to Sunday, on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Caledonian Sleeper trains are comprised of sleeping cars with single compartments (First Class), sleeping cars with two-bed compartments (Standard Class), open coaches with reclining seats (Sleeper Seat) and a lounge car. The lounge car is not available to passengers traveling in the carriages with reclining seats
Caledonian Sleeper – official website
Night Riviera – the second long-distance overnight train in Great Britain is the Night Riviera, running on the London – Penzance route. The train is run by Great Western Railway. The train has sleeping cars with single and double compartments, a seating carriage and a lounge car.
Like the Caledonian Sleeper trains, the Night Riviera train does not run on Saturday/Sunday nights over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
The Sleeper Advance tariff applies – tickets purchased in advance, i.e. the earlier you buy, the less you will pay, and the normal tariff, i.e. we buy a ticket from London to one of the cities where the Night Riviera train stops and pay a supplement for a bed in the sleeper car. Along the way, the train stops in, among others, Plymouth and Truro.
Since 2017, the train has been comprised of refurbished carriages.
Night Riviera Sleeper – official website
BritRail Pass
BritRail Pass is a network ticket (pass) enabling an unlimited number of journeys during the validity period of the ticket on all trains in Great Britain operated by carriers associated with National Rail (except airport services, tube trains, etc.). It is a perfect ticket for tourists who want to explore Britain visit as many cities as possible in the shortest possible time. However, it is not cheap. The basic validity area is England, Scotland, Wales, but you can choose a number of other variants.
Passengers can choose between ticket variants valid for several consecutive days or tickets valid for several days a month.
The disadvantage of the ticket is that it must be bought from travel agents before you arrive in Great Britain. Buyer must pay high commission and shipping fee. For many people, the Interrail Global Pass is a better option.
Britrail – official website; additional information
National Railway Museum in York
In the beautiful English city of York there is one of the most interesting railway museums in the world.
The museum displays hundreds of thousands of exhibits, such as documents and photos showing the development of the British railway from the 19th century to the present day. The collection includes railway films, railway uniforms, devices and works of art related to the railway. Visitors are most interested in the rolling stock exhibition – over 100 locomotives and nearly 200 various railway vehicles. Visitors can see steam locomotives from the 19th century, which once ran on the tracks of South Africa and China, various trainsets, including the Japanese Shinkansen and various types of passenger carriages.
It is worth spending at least a few hours visiting the National Railway Museum, and in the case of people interested in railways, even a few days. The museum is located on Leeman Road and is open every day (except selected holidays). Entry is free.
Since 2004, part of the collection (over 70 vehicles) has been exhibited at the Shildon Locomotion Museum managed by the National Railway Museum. The museum is located in a modern building in Shildon, County Durham.
National Railway Museum – official website
Related articles:
Train travel in Scotland
Train travel in Wales
The best heritage railways in England
The best narrow gauge railways in England
Railways in Europe by country
