Why Were There so Many Railways in Britain?

November 9, 2016 | 2 minute read

In a country that’s around 650 miles in length, there were over 18 thousand miles of railway track. There wasn’t a single part of the country that was unreachable by rail. The railways were carrying everything from passengers to freight, making lorry or car transport almost insignificant. But why were there so many railways in Britain?

Why were there so many railways in Britain?

The reason for the alarming amount of railways was because the railways were built with no plan or structure. Private companies and Railway Barons were building railways all over the country, in order to make quick, and easy money. Some lines were even built that were a duplicate of another line. This chaotic growth of the railways meant that the lines were not considered as a public service, but as a money-spinner. Railway Barons and private companies were too interested in making money and didn’t consider the long term sustainability of their railways.

Rail Travel was not only for the rich people, however. In the 1840s, train travel certainly was a luxury that could only be enjoyed by the upper classes. Working-class people only dreamed of travelling by train. But an act of Parliament in 1844 changed this and forced rail companies to provide an affordable service to the working-class people.

The service would cost no more than 1 penny a mile (5p in today’s money), and travel no slower than 12mph. This act meant that rail travel was available to the masses. Although some train companies tried their best to deter the working-class people from their lines by running the affordable services at 5 o’clock in the morning when no one was around.

The railway companies in the 1850s were making a profit, and that meant that more and more people were investing in the railways. This partly answers our question; why were there so many railways in Britain. This leads us to what Historians call ‘The Golden Age of Steam’ which was from around 1890-1910. It was at this time that we had the largest railway network in the world. Unbelievably, every railway company was registering a profit, everyone was using the railways and more railways were still being built.

Some people who lived in the countryside, however, complained about this growth of the railway, saying it was spoiling the joy of the countryside. One particular example of this was when a railway in the Severn Valley was proposed. The plans brought outrage to the local people.

One angry landowner in the area, named Thomas Charlton Whitmore of Apley Park; insisted that the rail company built a tunnel for the railway when it came onto his estate, in order for the view to be preserved. Whitmore backed down with a considerable amount of compensation from the railway company. When the line was built, he cut down trees so that he could get a better view of the trains passing through his estate.