Historic maps of every Great Britain railway line that ever existed

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The railroad system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world. The first public railway opened in 1825, which was followed by an era of fast growth. National Rail network controls most of the railroads in the country (15,811 kilometers or 9,824 miles).

There are also many private short railways, primarily for tourists. The main rail network is linked with that of continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1, which fully opened in 1994 and 2007, respectively. Nowadays, Great Britain has one of the densest railroad networks.

The map below created by Reddit user omnomdombomb shows 196 years of passenger rail in Great Britain. It shows railroad stations built in Great Britain from 1825 to 2022.

In 2019, there were 1.738 billion journeys on the National Rail network, causing the British network the 5th most used in the world, while Great Britain ranks 23rd in the world by population. Below is an interactive map of railways of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Unlike many other nations, rail travel in the UK has experienced a revival in recent years. Passenger trips in Great Britain increased by 88% over the period 1997–98 to 2014 as corresponded to 62% in Germany, 41% in France, and 16% in Spain.