Last update for this page: 20 April 2008.
National Railway System: Infrastructure in Great Britain is owned by Network Rail. Most passenger train services are provided by operators - mostly owned by large transport groups - under franchise agreements with the government's Department for Transport (DfT). Full details are given by links from the ATOC website. Note that GNER became National Express East Coast from 9 December 2007 while one will be re-branded National Express East Anglia from February 2008. A map showing where the operators ply is at Barry Doe's website.
The operator of each train is indicated in the electronic National Rail Timetable and its printed derivatives by means of two-letter codes; for a de-coder and a chronology of privatisation and transfer/re-branding of Great Britain's passenger railway franchises to date go to the Rail Chronology website. Basic customer information about and links to the websites of each TOC are available through the National Rail website. For fuller history of franchises, past and present, and for breaking information about changes to franchises go to the Keeping Track website and select "Rail Franchise Details".
A small number of operators provide passenger services on the national network which are not franchised by the DfT. Details are available by links from the ATOC website. In addition
Railways in Northern Ireland are owned by Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (which remains state-owned) and are operated as the N I Railways (NIR) division of Translink.
All freight trains in Great Britain are privately-operated, the predominant company being English Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS), in effect a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn. EWS also runs many charter passenger (excursion) trains. Other freight operators are Freightliner, Direct Rail Services (a subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels) and First GB Railfreight (a subsidiary of First Group plc).
There are no longer any revenue freight trains in Northern Ireland.
Neither the Isle of Man nor the Channel Isles (îles Anglo-Normands) is legally part of the UK but the Isle of Man's active railways and tramways are to be found under Tourist Lines and Trams respectively.
Language: English. In addition Welsh is spoken in most parts of Wales, and Gaelic is used to a limited extent in the north of Scotland.
Currency: Pound sterling. Banks in Scotland issue their own notes, which are valid throughout the UK and usually accepted without question. Channel Islands and Manx notes (but not coins) are technically legal tender in the UK, but are best changed at banks. There are several different designs of £1 coin, but all are the same size, weight and colour.
UIC code:
Timetable: National Rail Timetable is published twice yearly (in mid December, to meet an EC directive, and mid May). It is available in PDF format on-line at the Network Rail website and in various printed derivatives, such as: Rail Times for Great Britain published monthly by Middleton Press and the curiously titled UK Rail Timetable (excluding Northern Ireland) published at each half-yearly timetable change by The Stationery Office (search for "UK Rail Timetable"). These are entirely in English and distances are given in miles. Services on Mondays to Fridays, on Saturdays (or Mondays to Saturdays) and on Sundays are usually shown separately. There may be several alternative Sunday services, to allow for engineering work, during the currency of a timetable. Downloadable timetables for some operators are available via the National Rail website.
A free booklet is issued giving train times in Northern Ireland. This is entirely in English and includes route diagrams showing all stations. Downloadable tables are available from the Translink website.
The Rules of the Route set out - amongst other things - forward planned engineering possessions, including brief details of the impact on train services, such as diversions. General information is on Network Rail's web site. The details of planned possessions are sorted by geographical area (Route) and organised by financial year, rather than timetable or calendar year (hence week 1 is in April, not December or January!) - go to the 2008 Rules of the Route page; under Bookmarks click 7.0 Register of Possessions and go to the Route concerned, then scroll or search for the date you require.
Gauge: Standard (Great Britain), 1600 mm [5 feet 3 inches] (Northern Ireland)
Electrification: Mostly 25 kV 50 Hz. 750 V dc third rail is used on some lines in south east England and around Liverpool. NIR has no electrified lines.
Rule of the road: Left.
Other railways: Eurotunnel operates the Channel Tunnel. Passenger trains run on summer Sundays over the railway between Yeoford and Okehampton which is owned by Bardon Aggregates Division of Aggregate Industries plc. BAA plc owns the railway between Hayes & Harlington and London Heathrow Airport.
Tourist lines: A current listing of UK and Irish heritage railways can be found at the UK and Irish Heritage Railways website.
Metro: London (Docklands Light Railway [DLR], an automatic LRT system in east London, is separate from the London Underground system), Newcastle, Glasgow. Although part of the national railway system, the Merseyrail Electrics network in Liverpool is like a Metro. DLR, Glasgow and Merseyrail are third rail, Newcastle is 1500 V dc overhead and London Underground is four rail 660 V dc (two conductor rails). There are several lines where London Underground and main line trains share the same tracks. London Overground is part of the national system on which the franchising has (in effect) been devolved to the Mayor of London.
Trams: Birmingham/Wolverhampton (Midland Metro), Blackpool, Croydon, Llandudno (cable worked), Manchester, Seaton (Devon) and Sheffield. The Croydon, Manchester, Midland Metro and Seaton systems include extensive running over lines that were previously part of the national railway system. The Seaton and Llandudno lines are essentially tourist operations, and both are narrow gauge. There are other tourist lines of a mile or more at the National Tramway Museum (Crich, near Matlock) and at Beamish Open Air Museum (near Gateshead), plus several other shorter lines. On the Isle of Man are the Douglas Horse Tram and the Manx Electric Railway, an inter-urban line; both are narrow gauge.
Recent and Future Changes:
Privatisation of the railways in Great Britain has been completed, but there is considerable dissatisfaction at the fragmented and complex nature of the system that has emerged. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), which was formally established only in February 2001, to plan and co-ordinate development and expansion of the railway system, has been wound up and its work generally subsumed by the DfT or Network Rail.
Considerable investment is needed in both the London Underground and Northern Ireland Railways. Private sector companies and finance were to be used to modernise the London system but the process has not been trouble-free with one company having collapsed financially.
Having undergone extensive cut backs in the 1960s, the present passenger network is relatively secure. Closure of a passenger railway in the UK involves a lengthy legal process (albeit somewhat simplified by recent legislation), and short-notice closures usually occur only if there is a sudden and dramatic infrastructure failure. A number of passenger services introduced in recent years were designated "experimental" enabling them to be withdrawn with minimal notice; all such experimental designations have now expired and all services and stations would require to go through the full closure process. Lines closed recently or about to close are: the Sheepcote Lane curve, London, over which passenger trains (between Kensington Olympia and London Waterloo) ceased to run from the May 2004 timetable change; the Barkston link (near Grantham) which has, in effect, been replicated by a new triangle at Allington from October 2005; the Maindee curve, Newport, Gwent, over which passenger trains ceased to the run from the December 2005 timetable change; and Stratford - North Woolwich (Greater London) which closed from the December 2006 timetable change, to be replaced (after reconstruction) in part by DLR extension and in part possibly by Crossrail. Proposals have been mooted which could see withdrawal of passenger services from the following sections of line: Darlaston Jn - Pleck Jn (West Midlands; currently used by a local service between Wolverhampton and Walsall - the threat seems to have receded); Farringdon to Moorgate (Greater London) (which closes in December 2008 when the Thameslink 2000 scheme goes ahead - the parallel London Underground line would not be affected); and Acton Main Line - Mitre Bridge Jn and Latchmere No.1 Jn - Factory Jn (Greater London; both used by Cross Country Brighton services which are to be withdrawn from December 2008). One such route - between Stratford and Tottenham Hale - regained regular interval service from the December 2005 timetable change, while another - the Rose Street curve, avoiding Inverness - had its service improperly withdrawn in June 2006 but restored again from September 2006.
Some routes have been reduced to just one or two trains per day (or, in some cases, per week) in order to reduce operating costs without having to go through the closure procedure. These are included in the list of sparse services.
Passenger services via, or in connection with those through, the Channel Tunnel do not enjoy statutory protection from closure, and with Eurostar's transfer to St.Pancras International on 14 November 2007 their services will no longer serve Waterloo International; in consequence, there are no passenger services between Nine Elms Junction and Linford Street Junction and between Fawkham Junction and Southfleet Junction.
Trains between Belfast and Portrush or Londonderry have been diverted via Bleach Green Junction and, as a result of this, passenger services between Lisburn and Antrim have been withdrawn.
The main line between Belfast and Dublin has been upgraded, and new and faster trains provided. This service is operated jointly by NIR and Iarnród Éireann.
In recent years, lines have been opened to the airports at Stansted, Manchester, Heathrow (separate extensions for London Underground and for Heathrow Express to reach the new Terminal 5 open on 27 March 2008) and London City (the latter directly served by DLR from December 2005).
Main line railway electrification in Great Britain has virtually ceased, because private sector train operators and rolling stock companies prefer the flexibility of diesel traction, although the line between Crewe and Kidsgrove (near Stoke on Trent) was electrified for diversionary use, while the reconstructed Larkhall branch line in Scotland and the newly completed Channel Tunnel rail link [see below] are electrified.
Major work is being carried out to upgrade the West Coast Main Line, including the London to Manchester route, for 125 mph running (the tilting Pendolino trains will not be able to reach their design maximum speed of 140 mph). The scheme includes the current construction of additional running lines on parts of the Trent Valley section in Staffordshire.
The first 70km section of the Channel Tunnel rail link, between Dollands Moor and Southfleet Jn, opened to passengers on 28 September 2003 and the 40km second phase, between Southfleet Jn and London St Pancras International, opened on 14 November 2007. The whole CTRL is now dubbed HS1 ("High Speed 1").
There are plans for major infrastructure schemes to increase the capacity of the rail network. These include reconstruction of the Thameslink route through central London, in connection with which the line from Farringdon to Moorgate will close (see above) and a new Crossrail tunnel under central London between Paddington and Whitechapel, whence two "branches" are projected. Enhancements elsewhere in east London are proposed, to accommodate traffic for the 2012 Olympics.
Most projects involve upgrading existing routes, but some re-openings have
occurred and are about to do so. Restoration of passenger services between Barry
and Bridgend (Wales) took effect from June 2005, while in the Scotland, the
route between Maryhill and Anniesland re-opened in September 2005 and the
reconstructed and electrified branch between Hamilton and Larkhall re-opened
from the December 2005. The line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff (Wales) re-opened
in February 2008 (and should also link to Newport in 2009) while the line
between Stirling and Alloa (Scotland) should reopen in May 2008. The long-closed
line between [Airdrie -] Drumgelloch and Bathgate (Scotland) is planned to
reopen in 2010; work has already started. In England, the only projects showing
any signs of making progress are those in London: restoration and extension of
the East London line; Docklands Light Railway Woolwich and Stratford extensions
(and other works in the Stratford area in connection with the 2012 Olympics);
the long-awaited Thameslink project (from which the former suffix "2000" has
been dropped in embarrassment and which, in "line" terms, only involves a
closure - between Farringdon and Moorgate); and the Crossrail (east - west line)
which - at long last - does seem to be going ahead. In the private sector, the
Welsh Highland Railway - 2ft. gauge, closed in 1937 - is rapidly being rebuilt;
the ambitious plan is to have it
re-opened and extended to run between Caernarfon and Porthmadog (25 miles)
from Easter 2009 (the northern section between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu is
already in service). The extension includes a flat crossing with the standard
gauge line in Porthmadog, to restore the link with the Ffestiniog Railway. There
is another ambitious private-
Special Notes:
There is no distance-related fare tariff in the UK, and fares are charged on a market basis. Certain fares are regulated and the amount by which train companies can increase some fares depends on punctuality and reliability standards achieved.
Standard fares are very high, but a wide range of discounted fares is available, principally Savers and Super Savers. These are subject to restrictions as to days and times when they can be used. It can be very difficult to obtain accurate information as to fares and their availability, even from official enquiry offices, because the pricing structure is so complicated and the different train companies are all making their own special offers. The most heavily discounted fares usually oblige the passenger to travel on specified trains and only a limited number of tickets may be issued for each service.
Overseas visitors should endeavour to purchase a rover ticket, such as a BritRail or InterRail pass, before travelling to the UK. Various rail rovers are available within the UK, but they do not offer the value or wide validity of those available to foreign visitors.
In various areas where all stations have automatic ticket machines, including on the London Underground and most other tram and metro networks, a penalty fares system applies. Passengers found without a ticket are likely to have to pay a fine on the spot.
The three class fare structure disappeared piece-meal from 1875, after the Midland Railway redesignated its Second class accommodation as Third class - at the lower fares. The curiosity of having no Second class was abandoned in 1956 when Third was redesignated Second, to be further redesignated Standard from 11 May 1987. First class tends now to be found only on principal routes; in Northern Ireland it is limited to principal trains on the international route between Belfast and Dublin (where NIRailways call it "First plus" while partner Iarnród Éireann call it "Premium"). Eurostar maintain three classes: Standard; Leisure Select; Business Premier, and some train operating companies have the appearance of three classes where the distinguising feature is the inclusion or otherwise of meals.
Trains, other than Eurostar, are not identified in timetables and on departure sheets by numbers. Services are publicly identified by their journey and departure time, but with variations to allow for intermediate stops. There is no standard convention, but as an example a train would be described as the 09:00 London King's Cross to Edinburgh, though at an intermediate stop would probably be announced as the "10:32 Doncaster to Edinburgh, the 09:00 from King's Cross". Some trains, mainly in the London area, display route numbers. However, an alpha-numeric system is used for operating purposes and these train reporting numbers can be found through planajourney - having obtained your train timing, click Details and see the column labelled Service. Virgin and CrossCountry have their own four-digit train numbering systems for reservation purposes which is displayed on train sides and reservation tickets.
Departure sheets listing trains from a station in chronological order are rarely used. The usual format is to list destinations in alphabetic order, and provide details of all trains to each. Principal stations have electronic displays, which indicate all departures (and often arrivals) within the next hour or so.
Facing pairs of seats in trains have traditionally had the same number, being distinguished by being either "facing" or "back" relative to the direction of travel. They are distinguished on seat reservation labels and tickets by suffixes F and B. This can cause some confusion with seat reservations on trains that reverse en route. The practice is being replaced by most operators (including Eurostar) by numbering each seat uniquely, particularly on new trains.
There are very few long-distance overnight trains in Great Britain (and none in Northern Ireland). Couchettes are not provided and seating, when available, is in saloons with non-reclinable seats, where passengers may have no control of the lighting.
Some carriages remain in service where it is necessary to open a window and use an outside handle to open an external door from inside but (apart from heritage operations) all doors are now centrally locked when trains are underway. Accommodation for bicycles is limited on most trains, and some train operators require space to be reserved in advance.
Train services at weekends, and especially Saturday evening and Sunday until mid-afternoon, can be extensively altered because of engineering work. With the paucity of alternative routes and a growing aversion to temporary single line working, buses frequently substitute for trains in such circumstances.
The risk of terrorism in Great Britain should not be over-stated - but this is due in part to stringent precautions, so very few stations have left luggage facilities or litter bins. Unattended luggage may be removed by the police and processes to check that it is safe can be very destructive.
Railway enthusiasts are welcomed on stations - for guidance when on and about stations refer to National Rail's advice.
No stations sell international tickets or can make international reservations (although there are facilities to make through bookings from certain stations by Eurostar). Even the range of tickets available from Eurostar UK is very limited. For guidance on booking travel to and from Europe visit The Man in Seat Sixty-One's website.
Maps: The Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland by S.K. Baker gives detailed and accurate coverage of the UK railway system, and is widely available. It is mostly at 1:350,000, but with enlargements of many urban areas; an updated edition is published every 2-3 years. A map of Great Britain National Rail Passenger Operators is available at Barry Doe's website. TrackMaps publish a series of track diagrams (Quail Track Diagrams) in regional volumes, based on the former British Rail regions. Northern Ireland Railways are in a volume covering the whole of Ireland published by Quail Map Co. Historic atlases have been published by various other publishers. For a handy on-line map of British railways go to the Trainspotting Bükkes website.
Last complete update: 12 December 2007. Recent amendments: National Rail System typo corrected (16 December 2007); TSO link amended (23 December 2007); Timetable (Rules of the Route) amended (14 January 2008); "Recent and Future Changes" amended (6 April 2008); "National Railway System" amended (20 April 2008).
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