Celebrating our train network

TODAY, UK TRAINS CARRY NEARLY 1.5 BILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR OVER 10,000 MILES

- Jo Clarke

SINCE ancient times, humans have sought to create transport systems to help make life easier, and September has marked the culmination of Railway 200 a nationwide celebration of our train network, writes Jo Clarke.

In the early 1800s, Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick designed a steam powered locomotive that could haul coal along a track. A few years later, a railway in Swansea swapped its cargo for paying passengers. Trevithick then ran a steam engine on a circular track in London to show the possibilities and speed of locomotive-powered railways. Although he didn't attract any investors at the time, his ideas proved to be inspirational for others.