History of British Train Travel INFOGRAPHIC

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Explore the history of British rail travel with this unique infographic. Find out exactly how far train travel has come since 1800's.

In 1904, the first electrified suburban railway began running between Newcastle and Benton. Things moved rapidly from there – only a decade later, there were 130 individual railway companies in Great Britain with 23,000 locomotives and 73,000 carriages. By 1950, the move over to diesel engines began, with 2,000 purchased by the British Railway.

One of the most significant events in railway history came in 1997 when British Rail was privatised and a number of companies, including First Hull Trains, took over its responsibilities. During this year, the Channel Tunnel also officially opened.

By 2012/2013 there were 1.6 billion passenger journeys, 5,249 miles of electrified train tracks and 2,516 passenger stations travelled through. And did you know that the railway gave us Greenwich meantime, suburbs and commuting, an improved postal service and the ability to get fresher milk from further away?

By Ian Farrow

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