56-522: The Devon Metro is the name given to the urban railway network in Exeter and its environs, which since 2011 has been undergoing a metroisation scheme by Devon County Council to provide a rapid transit -style service through incremental upgrades to the existing system. This includes increasing the frequency of trains on existing lines, opening new lines and stations, and improving integration between lines and other modes of transport. Through these upgrades
112-571: A Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Parkway service via Bedminster. The Valley Lines network of eight lines ( Cardiff Bay Line , City Line , Coryton Line , Maesteg Line , Merthyr Line , Rhondda Line , Rhymney Line and Vale of Glamorgan Line ) incorporates 20 stations in Cardiff , the capital of Wales , and 61 in surrounding towns and villages. Its hubs are Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central . Train frequencies are up to every five minutes. The Ebbw Valley Railway also carries commuters to
168-639: A network of 70 stations in the West Midlands county focused on Birmingham . West Midlands Trains operate the West Midlands suburban routes under the West Midlands Railway branding to distinguish them from their longer-distance routes. The main city-centre station is Birmingham New Street , operated by Network Rail ; the other city-centre stations are Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street . The other main stations in
224-456: A "Dartmoor Sunday Rover" to be operated by First Great Western from Okehampton to St James Park in Exeter via St Davids during the summer period. By 2020 both the quarry and the heritage railway had ceased operations. With the stone freight and heritage traffic gone, and the summer sunday service showing some success, this provided an opportunity for the full reopening and reintegration of
280-518: A 15–20 or 30 minute frequency. Routes are listed below: West Midlands Trains routes operating from Birmingham New Street : Three lines, known collectively as the Snow Hill Lines , operate from Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street stations: Other routes operating from the TFWM area but not centred on Birmingham include: The West Midlands Combined Authority , created in 2016,
336-682: A Devon Metro also include new stations at Edginswell , Cullompton and Monkerton . Furthermore, the council wishes for the Dartmoor Railway to be extended to serve the town of Tavistock , which would revive a connection provided until 1968 by the Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR . A Tavistock rail link is funded by the Restoring Your Railway funds via the Tamar Valley Line and could be constructed. This
392-498: A daily basis. They consist of several railway lines connecting city centre stations of major cities to suburbs and surrounding towns. Train services and ticketing are fully integrated with the national rail network and are not considered separate. In London, a route for Crossrail 2 has been safeguarded. Unlike most light rail systems, most urban rail networks are part of National Rail , which often allows easy interchange with mainline rail , and only one ticket needs to be bought if
448-617: A journey includes both mainline and urban rail. Bicycles can be taken on board in the majority of cases, and existing railways can be used, rather than new light railways being built. Urban rail usually has higher capacity than light rail because of longer trains (but often lower frequency), and higher average speed because of fewer stops. In some cases, suburban railway networks have their own ticketing system, as in West Yorkshire . A few urban railways offer service during peak times only, and others operate less frequent trains during
504-407: A loop just outside Tisbury station, a loop at Gillingham station, double track from Templecombe to Yeovil Junction, a loop at the former Chard Junction station, 3 miles of double track centred on Axminster, a loop at Honiton station, and double track from Pinhoe to Exeter. The line's speed limit is mainly 80–90 mph over its whole length from Basingstoke to Exeter. Speed is further limited around
560-526: A part of the Beeching Axe , such as St Thomas station or the Avocet and East Devon Lines, most of the network survived but underwent significant economies to justify their retainment including the singling of previously double-tracked routes. In the years since Exeter has gone through substantial expansion and has become one of the fastest growing cities in the country, with growth particularly large in
616-598: A reduced service. The 2006 Network Rail South West Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy recommended building an extended section of double track from Chard Junction to Axminster , and a passing loop at Whimple . However, Network Rail's 2008 Route Plan was silent on the Whimple loop. The Axminster Loop is centred on Axminster station, and does not extend to Chard Junction as originally proposed. The line between Basingstoke, Salisbury and Exeter
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#1732780802401672-559: A select few continuing further to St James Park on match days. This was increased to an hourly service in 2022. Sampford Courtenay , which was previously served by the GWR summer sunday service until 2019, has all trains pass through non-stop despite having a new platform surface installed when Network Rail took ownership and there are no plans to bring it back into passenger use. Construction work started at Marsh Barton in April 2021. The station
728-487: A short distance west of Basingstoke. Network Rail splits the line into two sections: the first section from the line's start at Worting Junction to Wilton Junction (near Salisbury) is classified as "London & SE commuter", while the section from Wilton Junction to Exeter is a "secondary" route. The secondary route west of Salisbury is predominantly single track, but has three sections of double track and four passing loops . The double track sections and passing loops are:
784-535: Is currently having a business plan made for the restoration of the line by Network Rail . Urban rail in the United Kingdom Urban and suburban rail plays a key role in public transport in many of the major cities of the United Kingdom . Urban rail refers to the train service between city centres and suburbs or nearby towns that acts as a main mode of transport for travellers on
840-607: Is not electrified . Beyond Exeter, the line continued to Plymouth via Okehampton and Tavistock as the Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR . This line is now partly closed, with the surviving sections downgraded to branch lines. The section from Exeter to Coleford Junction, near Yeoford , is still in use as part of the Tarka Line (a community railway , which continues to Barnstaple ). The Dartmoor line runs from Coleford Junction to Okehampton , having reopened to regular passenger services in late 2021, after being run as
896-578: Is pursuing plans to restore local passenger services to the Camp Hill line in southern Birmingham, which is currently freight only, by constructing new chords into Birmingham Moor Street station. Restoration of local passenger services to the freight only Walsall to Wolverhampton Line , is also being pursued. Centro was established in 1969 following the Transport Act 1968 . The Transport Act 1985 deregulated and privatised bus services across
952-737: Is the 13.5 mile long Severn Beach Line with 11 stations and 1.25 million journeys in 2016/7. The operator estimates that 57% of travellers on the line commute, rather than travelling for leisure. Services run every half an hour to Avonmouth and continue every hour to Severn Beach . As part of the MetroWest local rail expansion project, a further two suburban lines from Bristol Temple Meads to Henbury and Portishead were due to open in 2021 and 2023 respectively. Services also run from Gloucester - Westbury and Cardiff Central - Taunton via Bristol. Other suburban stations lie on main lines: Commuter services operate to and from nearby Bath , as well as
1008-746: Is the terminus of the City line, with a connection to the Wirral line at Lime Street underground station. There is also a connection with the Northern Line at Liverpool South Parkway in the south of Liverpool. The City Line is to be electrified to the Wigan and Manchester branches. The network includes the following lines: The West Yorkshire Metro oversees Northern suburban trains on 11 lines connecting urban centres such as Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Huddersfield and small commuter towns and villages in
1064-733: The Arriva Trains Wales franchise in 2003, and subsequently the KeolisAmey Wales franchise in 2018. Since 2021, works on the South Wales Metro have taken place to transform the Valley Lines into a Light Metro service, with brand new larger trains and much more frequent services. Electrification began in 2021 for the new trains which will run at a core frequency of 18 trains per hour. ScotRail operates four commuter lines (with 40 stations) in and around
1120-474: The Devon Metro project multiple new stations within the city and its environs have opened in recent years, with the goal to eventually establish a rapid-transit style service through incremental improvements to Exeter's existing urban rail network. Recent advancements in the scheme include the openings of Newcourt , Cranbrook and Marsh Barton railway stations, as well as an increased frequency of 2tph on
1176-592: The Edinburgh tram network to take passengers to the terminal. A proposal to re-open the Edinburgh suburban railway line has been made by campaigning groups. Exeter serves as the regional hub for rail transport in Devon. There are 8 suburban stations and two main-line stations within the city limits ( Exeter St Davids and Exeter Central ), with many more in the Greater Exeter area. Local services: Under
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#17327808024011232-718: The Leeds city region , branded as Metro. The network incorporates the following lines, which often continue to longer distance destinations: Commuting via rail by wealthy merchants living in North Cheshire and South Lancashire into the centre of Manchester was a fairly early phenomenon thanks to the opening of railways such as the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway , Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway & Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , in
1288-777: The Riviera and Avocet Lines. Glasgow is Scotland's biggest city and has the UK's largest suburban rail network outside London. Much of the network is electrified, with some lines operated by diesel trains. Trains are operated by Abellio ScotRail ; Transport Scotland oversees the management of routes, fares and timetables for all train services in Scotland - until 2005, train services around Glasgow were managed by Strathclyde Passenger Transport . Because of this historic split there are differences between train services in Strathclyde and
1344-833: The Scottish capital: the North Clyde Line , the Borders Railway , the Edinburgh to Dunblane Line and the Fife Circle Line . Edinburgh Waverley and Haymarket are the city's two major stations with connections to mainline services. A project to open a rail link to Edinburgh Airport was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Government in favour of construction of an Edinburgh Gateway station at nearby Gogar , which connects with
1400-528: The Tarka and Dartmoor lines respectively. Due to the historical development of railways by competing companies in Exeter, which acts as the gateway to the rest of the South West Peninsula , the city has enjoyed an unusually extensive railway network for its size being the meeting point of various lines. Despite substantial sections of Exeter's railway infrastructure being selected for closure as
1456-428: The train operating company called Merseyrail . Suburban trains run on both the electrified lines. The service operates at metro frequencies in central Liverpool and Birkenhead. The City line is operated by Northern running into Merseyside from outside the region, receiving funding from Merseytravel. The City line consists of non-electrified lines heading east and one electrified running south. Liverpool Lime Street
1512-502: The 1830s & 1840s. All had stations in what were then the outskirts of Manchester, from where citizens could take a train into the centre of the city. Sale , Alderley Edge and Wilmslow are examples of early settlements that had railway stations in the early-mid-19th century and grew into sizable commuter towns. Urban rail services to Manchester nowadays forms part of the Northern network. Around 25 million journeys are made on
1568-601: The Ayrshire Coast line, and is the only airport in Scotland with its own station. A direct rail link from Glasgow Central to Glasgow International Airport was planned, but was cancelled in 2009. The partially underground Merseyrail network consists of three lines, the Northern Line , Wirral Line and City Line , which interconnect in Liverpool's city centre. The Northern and Wirral Lines run in tunnels in
1624-664: The Birmingham and West Midlands County local suburban lines are centred on New Street station, including the Cross-City Line , the Chase Line and the Coventry-Wolverhampton Line . Three suburban routes, known collectively as the Snow Hill Lines run through Snow Hill and Moor Street stations. Services run at ten-minute frequencies on the busiest routes, with most other routes operating at least
1680-522: The Dartmoor Line with the rest of the network. In 2021, Network Rail acquired the line and laid new track from Colyford Junction to Okehampton funded by the Government's Restoring Your Railway programme. In November the same year regular passenger services recommenced, with 2tph from Okehampton to St Davids calling at Crediton . On weekday peaks, 5 trains a day also continue to Central and
1736-690: The Devon Metro project, frequency on the Riviera Line between Exeter and Paignton was increased to two trains per hour, which has also had the effect of increasing the frequency of the Avocet Line to Exmouth. Also as part of the project, in the 2020 timetable change, the Tarka Line service between Barnstaple and Exeter was segregated from the service on the Avocet and Riviera Lines from Exmouth to Paignton via Exeter. It has been proposed that
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1792-729: The Greater Manchester local rail network, compared to 34 million Metrolink tram journeys. Buses make up a far bigger number than both however with 225 million journeys per year. The biggest point of entry to the city is Manchester Piccadilly which accommodates 13 lines on which services are provided up to around every 15 minutes. These include lines to/from Bolton , New Mills Central , Crewe , Liverpool Lime Street , Chester , Warrington Central , Hadfield / Glossop , Huddersfield and Southport . There are also 11 routes from Manchester Victoria , all operated by Northern. Routes are as follows: 91 stations are within
1848-552: The Greater Manchester ticketing zone. There are links to the Metrolink tram network at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Deansgate, Altrincham, Navigation Road, Eccles (400m walk), Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne (from 2013), East Didsbury (200m walk) and Manchester Airport. Tickets bought for rail travel within Greater Manchester ticketing zone to the four city-centre stations (Deansgate, Oxford Road, Victoria and Piccadilly) are to "Manchester Central Zone", rendered on
1904-674: The North of England via Reading use the outer pair of tracks, while express services to/from London Waterloo use the inner pair of tracks. The inner pair of tracks are unelectrified through the junction and continue towards the west to Salisbury and Exeter. Passenger services are operated by South Western Railway using Class 159 and Class 158 trains. They generally run half-hourly from London to Salisbury and hourly to Exeter, calling at Clapham Junction and/or Woking and then most stations between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids, although some smaller stations east of Salisbury and near Exeter have
1960-540: The Tarka Line could now be extended east from Exeter to Honiton along the West of England Main Line . Prior to its reopening, the Dartmoor Line had not seen regular passenger service since 1972. It was used from then as a freight and heritage railway line, with trains carrying stone from Meldon Quarry and a heritage passenger service between Meldon Viaduct and Sampford Courtenay . From 1997, Devon County Council commissioned
2016-517: The UK. The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive co-ordinated the services of all local private bus operators and adopted the name of Centro shortly afterwards to distinguish its new role from its previous role as an operator. In 2016 Centro was abolished and replaced by TfWM. There are 13 suburban and two main-line stations ( Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway ) in Bristol , all operated by Great Western Railway . The only suburban line
2072-575: The West Midlands are Wolverhampton and Coventry . During 2014/15, there were nearly 51 million rail passenger journeys in the TfWM area. Birmingham has the highest proportion of rail commuters in England outside London. In the past few decades the proportion of journeys into central Birmingham by rail has grown sharply: 29% of journeys into Birmingham city centre in the peak hours were made by rail in 2015, compared to 17% in 2001, 12% in 1991. Most of
2128-512: The capital. Transport for Wales operates the stations and services. In February 2008, the Ebbw Valley Railway re-opened after 45 years with an hourly service to Cardiff Central. Until the line's closure in 1962, passengers had had to change at Newport . The Maesteg line is incorporated into the wider network: trains continue to Cheltenham Spa from Cardiff Central. The Vale of Glamorgan Line serves Cardiff Airport . However,
2184-540: The centres of Liverpool and Birkenhead. Liverpool is the nucleus of the network, which sees 100,000 people a day travel through 68 stations on the electrified lines. There are 21 stations on the City Line that serves the Merseyside area. The origins of the network are old, dating back 1848 and the Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway , one of the world's first commuter lines, and to the 1886 Mersey Railway , which
2240-421: The city centre by train instead of car. The local rail routes subsequently experienced rapid growth in passenger numbers forcing them to operate near or at maximum track capacity with the limitations of the single-track lines left after Beeching. This impacted reliability due to the lack of leeway available if a train was slightly delayed causing problems to cascade, often requiring trains to be cancelled to regulate
2296-677: The city centre: the North Clyde line through Queen Street and the Argyle Line through Central, from underground platforms below the mainline stations. The North Clyde and Argyle lines meet at Partick , which is also served by the Glasgow Subway . There are Glasgow Subway stations near Central ( St Enoch ) and Queen Street ( Buchanan Street ). A bus services to Glasgow Airport operates from Paisley Gilmour Street station . Glasgow Prestwick Airport has its own railway station on
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2352-454: The city". New stations at Marsh Barton , Newcourt and Monkerton were explicitly mentioned. The proposal also included longer term goals such as a new station at Cullompton and increased train frequencies, however it also mentioned that increased train frequency would depend on the construction of new passing loops on single track lines. In the final report written at the conclusion of the consultation, 84% of respondents indicated support for
2408-574: The duplication of routes from London to the West Country , therefore British Rail downgraded the line in 1967 by reducing long sections west of Salisbury to single track. This restricts the number of trains on this section, but passing loops have been added to alleviate this. Trains between London Waterloo and Exeter run on the South West Main Line as far as Basingstoke . The West of England Line diverges at Worting Junction ,
2464-533: The eastern suburbs of the city. This has led to Exeter becoming one of the most congested cities in the UK. The need to reduce congestion on the roads led to the reopening of Pinhoe and Digby and Sowton stations in 1983 and 1995 respectively, and the construction of a new passing loop at Axminster in 2009 to increase the frequency on the East Devon Line. These enhancements in the east of the city were intended to attract more commuters to travel to and from
2520-869: The evenings and on Sundays. Networks often encompass a few major stations in a large city, with other stations being medium or minor. Services can be provided by one train operating company operating exclusively on an urban rail network, such as in Merseyside , or by a company that also operates regional and national services, like in Bristol , Cardiff , Edinburgh and Glasgow . In Northern Ireland 's capital, Northern Ireland Railways Belfast suburban rail serves Greater Belfast . Services run about every 20 minutes from 06:00 until 00:00 on: Some services run between Larne and Portadown, calling at all stations. Belfast Suburban Rail serves 39 different stations on three lines. Co-ordinated and subsidised by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), West Midlands Trains operates
2576-410: The junctions. The first section to Wilton Junction has a listed line speed of 50–90 mph, and the secondary section to Exeter has a line speed of mainly 85 mph with parts at 70 mph. When the line was first opened in 1854, Worting Junction was constructed as a flat junction. This required that down trains heading west and up trains from Southampton cross each other's paths. Initially this
2632-658: The line intersects with the Wessex Main Line at Salisbury . Despite its historic title, it is not today's principal route from London to the West of England: Exeter and everywhere further west are reached more quickly from London Paddington via the Reading–Taunton line . Once all sections had been incorporated into the London and South Western Railway , the sections and branches were: The Beeching Report identified
2688-524: The network is to gradually become a "turn-up-and-go" service without having to refer to a timetable, like more conventional metro systems. The network is primarily made up of 5 lines with a total of 40 stations radiating from the city centre across the Greater Exeter Area, including the neighbouring districts of East Devon , Mid Devon and Teignbridge , but in some instances extends beyond this with Barnstaple and Okehampton as termini for
2744-620: The network neglects large residential areas in the south-west and east of Cardiff, although the South Wales Main Line runs through these areas without any stations. These areas include Caerau in the south-west and Rumney and St Mellons in the east. Between 1995 and 2001, the network (except the Maesteg Line) was operated by Valley Lines . It then became part of the Wales & Borders franchise before becoming part of
2800-465: The rail enhancements under the Devon Metro scheme, with only 5% expressing opposition. A further briefing was published in 2011 outlining the scheme in more detail, including an implementation plan for 2011-2026. In the short term they included: The briefing also included longer term plans, including: Several improvements were also ruled out at this stage: Cranbrook railway station opened in 2015. Newcourt railway station opened in 2015. As part of
2856-399: The rest of Scotland. There is no first class travel in Strathclyde, and morning peak time finishes at 09:00 (rather than 09:15) with no evening peak time. Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street are the two mainline railway stations, both in the city centre. Services to the south leave from Central, and to the north leave from Queen Street. Two lines run underground east to west through
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#17327808024012912-643: The service. Compounded with the continuing high levels of congestion and population growth, this led to Devon County Council to submit an expression of interest to the government for funding towards what it dubbed the "Devon Metro scheme" in 2010. Initial proposals of the Devon Metro scheme were laid out as part of the Future of Transport in Exeter consultation, which took place in March and April of 2010. This set out short to medium term plans for new stations "related to areas of new development or existing employment sites in
2968-711: The ticket as "MANCHESTER CTLZ", and allow free tram travel within the Metrolink tram city fare zone (eight stops within the Piccadilly-Victoria-Deansgate station triangle). West of England Main Line The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line ) is a British railway line from Basingstoke , Hampshire , to Exeter St Davids in Devon , England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter;
3024-834: Was added to the National Rail timetable in May 2022, eventually opening for passenger services in July 2023. Following the reopening of the Dartmoor Line in 2021, plans and funding were announced for a 'West Devon Transport Hub' east of Okehampton in November 2023. Funding was approved by the Government in June 2024 as part of their "Levelling Up" policy and the station is expected to be opened in 2025, with Design scoping and ecological survey work currently taking place. Plans to create
3080-487: Was not a great problem, however as traffic and speeds increased the junction became a bottleneck. To relieve this, a flying junction was provided to the south, opening on 30 May 1897. This changed the arrangement so that up trains from Southampton line now crossed over the up and down Salisbury lines on Battledown Flyover, 3 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles west of Basingstoke. North of Worting Junction, stopping services to/from London Waterloo and CrossCountry services to/from
3136-597: Was the world's second oldest underground passenger railway. An early commuter was Nathaniel Hawthorne , United States consul to Liverpool, 1853–57. The 75 mile long electric third rail Northern and Wirral lines are 100% dedicated Merseyrail lines operating separately from the City Line. The City Line currently uses diesel trains operated by Northern . The local passenger transport executive, Merseytravel , brands all suburban rail lines running through Merseyside as Merseyrail with stations inside Merseyside branded as Merseyrail stations. The Northern and Wirral lines operate under
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