Urban andsuburban rail plays a key role inpublic transport in many of the major cities of theUnited 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 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 forCrossrail 2 has been safeguarded.
Unlike most light rail systems, most urban rail networks are part ofNational Rail, which often allows easy interchange withmainline rail, and only one ticket needs to be bought if 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 inWest Yorkshire.[4]
A few urban railways offer service during peak times only, and others operate less frequent trains during 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 onetrain operating company operating exclusively on an urban rail network, such as inMerseyside, or by a company that also operates regional and national services, like inBristol,Cardiff,Edinburgh andGlasgow.
InNorthern Ireland's capital,Northern Ireland RailwaysBelfast suburban rail servesGreater Belfast. Services run about every 20 minutes from 06:00 until 00:00 on:
Belfast Suburban Rail serves 39 different stations on three lines.
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Co-ordinated and subsidised byTransport for West Midlands (TfWM),West Midlands Trains operates anetwork of 70 stations in theWest Midlands county focused onBirmingham. West Midlands Trains operate the West Midlands suburban routes under theWest Midlands Railway branding to distinguish them from their longer-distance routes. The main city-centre station isBirmingham New Street, operated byNetwork Rail; the other city-centre stations areBirmingham Snow Hill andBirmingham Moor Street. The other main stations in the West Midlands areWolverhampton andCoventry.
During 2014/15, there were nearly 51 million rail passenger journeys in the TfWM area.[5] Birmingham has the highest proportion of rail commuters in England outside London.[6] 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,[5] compared to 17% in 2001, 12% in 1991.[7][8]
Most of the Birmingham and West Midlands County local suburban lines are centred on New Street station, including theCross-City Line, theChase Line and theCoventry-Wolverhampton line. Three suburban routes, known collectively as theSnow 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 a 15–20 or 30 minute frequency. Routes are listed below:
West Midlands Trains routes operating fromBirmingham New Street:
Three lines, known collectively as theSnow Hill lines, operate fromBirmingham Snow Hill andBirmingham Moor Street stations:
Other routes operating from the TFWM area but not centred on Birmingham include:
TheWest Midlands Combined Authority, created in 2016, is pursuing plans to restore local passenger services to theCamp Hill line in southern Birmingham, which is currently freight only, by constructing new chords into Birmingham Moor Street station.[9] Restoration of local passenger services to the freight-onlyWalsall to Wolverhampton line, is also being pursued.[10][9]
Centro was established in 1969 following theTransport Act 1968. TheTransport Act 1985deregulated and privatised bus services across the UK. TheWest 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.[11] In 2016 Centro was abolished and replaced by TfWM.
There are 13 suburban and two main-line stations (Bristol Temple Meads andBristol Parkway) inBristol, all operated byGreat Western Railway. The only suburban line is the 13.5 mile longSevern 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.[12] Services run every half an hour toAvonmouth and continue every hour toSevern Beach.[13] As part of theMetroWest local rail expansion project, a further two suburban lines from Bristol Temple Meads toHenbury andPortishead were due to open in 2021[14] and 2023[15] 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 nearbyBath, as well as aWeston-super-Mare to Bristol Parkway service via Bedminster.[16]
TheValley Lines network of eight lines (Cardiff Bay Line,City Line,Coryton Line,Maesteg Line,Merthyr Line,Rhondda Line,Rhymney Line andVale of Glamorgan Line) incorporates 20 stations inCardiff, the capital ofWales, and 61 in surrounding towns and villages. Its hubs areCardiff Queen Street andCardiff Central. Train frequencies are up to every five minutes.[17] TheEbbw Valley Railway also carries commuters to 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.[18] Until the line's closure in 1962, passengers had had to change atNewport.
The Maesteg line is incorporated into the wider network: trains continue toCheltenham Spa from Cardiff Central. The Vale of Glamorgan Line servesCardiff Airport.
However, the network neglects large residential areas in the south-west and east of Cardiff,[19] although theSouth Wales Main Line runs through these areas without any stations. These areas includeCaerau in the south-west andRumney andSt Mellons in the east.
Between 1995 and 2001, the network (except the Maesteg Line) was operated byValley Lines. It then became part of theWales & Borders franchise before becoming part of theArriva Trains Wales franchise in 2003, and subsequently theKeolisAmey Wales franchise in 2018.
Since 2021, works on theSouth 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 theScottish capital: theNorth Clyde Line, theBorders Railway, theEdinburgh to Dunblane Line and theFife Circle Line.Edinburgh Waverley andHaymarket are the city's two major stations with connections to mainline services.
A project to open arail link to Edinburgh Airport was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Government in favour of construction of anEdinburgh Gateway station at nearbyGogar, which connects with theEdinburgh tram network to take passengers to the terminal.[20] A proposal to re-open theEdinburgh suburban railway line has been made by campaigning groups.[21]
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 andExeter Central), with many more in the Greater Exeter area.
Local services:
Under theDevon 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 ofNewcourt,Cranbrook andMarsh Barton railway stations, as well as an increased frequency of 2tph on theRiviera andAvocet Lines.[22][23]
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 byAbellio 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 byStrathclyde Passenger Transport. Because of this historic split there are differences between train services in Strathclyde and the rest of Scotland. There is nofirst class travel in Strathclyde, and morning peak time finishes at 09:00 (rather than 09:15) with no evening peak time.
Glasgow Central andGlasgow 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 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 atPartick, which is also served by theGlasgow Subway. There areGlasgow Subway stations near Central (St Enoch) and Queen Street (Buchanan Street).
A bus services toGlasgow Airport operates fromPaisley Gilmour Street station.Glasgow Prestwick Airport has its own railway station on the Ayrshire Coast line, and is the only airport in Scotland with its own station. Adirect rail link from Glasgow Central to Glasgow International Airport was planned, but was cancelled in 2009.
The partially undergroundMerseyrail network consists of three lines, theNorthern Line,Wirral Line andCity Line, which interconnect in Liverpool's city centre. The Northern and Wirral Lines run in tunnels in 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.[24] There are 21 stations on the City Line that serves the Merseyside area. The origins of the network are old, dating back 1848 and theLiverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway, one of the world's first commuter lines, and to the 1886Mersey Railway, which was the world's second oldest underground passenger railway. An early commuter wasNathaniel 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 byNorthern. 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 thetrain operating company calledMerseyrail. Suburban trains run on both the electrified lines.[25] The service operates at metro frequencies in central Liverpool and Birkenhead.
The City line is operated byNorthern 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 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 atLiverpool South Parkway in the south of Liverpool. The City Line is to be electrified to the Wigan and Manchester branches.[26]
The network includes the following lines:
TheWest Yorkshire Metro overseesNorthern suburban trains on 11 lines connecting urban centres such as Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and Huddersfield and smallcommuter towns and villages in theLeeds city region, branded as Metro.[27]
The network incorporates the following lines, which often continue to longer distance destinations:
Commuting via rail by wealthy merchants living in NorthCheshire and SouthLancashire into the centre ofManchester was a fairly early phenomenon thanks to the opening of railways such as theLiverpool and Manchester Railway,Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway,Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway &Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, in the 1830s & 1840s.[28] 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 andWilmslow 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 theNorthern network.
Around 25 million journeys are made on the Greater Manchester local rail network, compared to 34 millionMetrolink tram journeys. Buses make up a far bigger number than both however with 225 million journeys per year.[29][30]
The biggest point of entry to the city isManchester Piccadilly which accommodates 13 lines[31] on which services are provided up to around every 15 minutes.[32]
These include lines to/fromBolton,New Mills Central,Crewe,Liverpool Lime Street,Chester,Warrington Central,Hadfield /Glossop,Huddersfield andSouthport.[31]
There are also 11 routes fromManchester Victoria, all operated by Northern.
Routes are as follows:
91 stations are within the Greater Manchester ticketing zone. There are links to theMetrolink 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 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).
Transport for Greater Manchester co-ordinates rail services withinGreater Manchester. It was established in 1969 as the SELNEC PTE (South East Lancashire North East Cheshire) following theTransport Act 1968, and was renamed theGreater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive in 1974 before becoming TfGM in 2011.
The London network comprised368 railway stations within theLondon London fare zones. Stations in London (apart fromStratford International) are within London fare zones. Some stations outside Greater London, for exampleChigwell inEssex, are within zones 4–6; many stations outside London are within zones 6–9, for exampleAmersham andShenfield, but some stations much closer to the Greater London boundary, likeEsher andStaines, are not in any zone. London has an integrated ticketing system via the Travelcard orOyster card for buses,Docklands Light Railway, suburban rail, tram, Underground and Overground.
Unlike cities like Liverpool/Merseyside, Sydney and Paris, several operators provide suburban rail services, but all are part of the National Rail system and ticketing is integrated. Some operators have government contracts but others, such as Southeastern, are owned by the state. Most stations are served at least every 20 minutes, with many stations and routes having four, six or more trains per hour.
c2c runs fromLondon Fenchurch Street through east London viaBasildon (orGrays andTilbury) toSouthend Central andShoeburyness, serving eight stations inGreater London.
Chiltern Railways operate fromMarylebone railway station, heading out of the capital along an approximate west-northwest axis. Four commuter routes are run by the operator, each terminating atAylesbury,Aylesbury Vale Parkway,Oxford andHigh Wycombe, typically served by one train per hour.[33] Eight stations within London are served by the operator, includingSudbury & Harrow Road, London's least used station, which has no services outside peak hours or at weekends.
There is a proposal for a Chiltern Metro Service between Marylebone andWest Ruislip, operating at 4+ trains per hour, stopping atWembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road,Sudbury Hill Harrow,Northolt Park,South Ruislip and West Ruislip. This would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip, and passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow and Wembley Stadium (part of the old down fast line is in use as a central reversing siding for stock movements and eight-car shuttles for stadium events).[34]
TheThameslink and Great Northern network extends fromBrighton toBedford and from central London toNorfolk. Thameslink and Great Northern run two distinct services,Great Northern andThameslink. The Great Northern route runs fromKing's Cross andMoorgate. Suburban services serve stations such asAlexandra Palace,Enfield Chase andOakleigh Park. Stations within London have three or six trains per hour, but stations on theNorthern City branch were not served on weekends until December 2015.
The Thameslink route underwent amajor upgrade which was completed in 2020. Trains run fromBedford andCambridge toBrighton and fromLuton toSutton. The network linksLuton Airport,St Pancras (forEurostar services) andGatwick Airport andLondon Blackfriars,London Bridge andWimbledon. Stations in the north of London and some south London suburbs are served every 15 minutes, while stations in central London are served every 15 minutes for each service. Stations on theWimbledon Loop Line are served every 30 minutes.
Greater Anglia operates frequent services fromSouthend Victoria,Ipswich,Clacton-on-Sea andBraintree toLiverpool Street station throughout the day along theGreat Eastern Main Line, as well as fromSouthminster,Walton-on-the-Naze andHarwich Town during the peak hours.
On theWest Anglia andLea Valley lines Greater Anglia run services from Liverpool Street toHertford East via Tottenham Hale and fromStratford viaTottenham Hale toBishops Stortford. The Stansted Express links London toStansted Airport and calls at Tottenham Hale.
Great Western Railway operates fromPaddington toGreenford,Slough,Reading andOxford stopping at west London suburbs includingEaling Broadway,Southall andHayes & Harlington. Great Western Railway also operate services toSouth Wales andWestern England. Stations within London are served by two or four trains per hour.
TheLondon Overground is operated byArriva Rail London under a concession let byTransport for London. The Overground includes theWatford Local,North &West London,East London &South and theGospel Oak to Barking lines. It is one of the three National Rail service shown on the London Underground map, the other two beingElizabeth line andThameslink.[35] All stations are served at least every 30 minutes, with stations betweenDalston Junction andSurrey Quays on the East London Line having 16 trains per hour in each direction.
On theWest Anglia andLea Valley lines, four trains per hour go toChingford and four viaEdmonton Green, with two continuing toEnfield Town orCheshunt.
West Midlands Trains services that run along theWest Coast Main Line operate under theLondon Northwestern Railway brand, some of which connectLondon with commuter towns to its northwest. These include three two-train-per-hour-services heading out ofEuston, which terminate atTring,Milton Keynes Central andBirmingham New Street. The services are semi-fast in nature;Harrow and Wealdstone is first stop served by the operator following Euston. Other major intermediate destinations on some or all of the routes includeWatford,Leighton Buzzard, andHemel Hempstead.[36] Following an initial rollout on the Tring and Milton Keynes commuter services, Class 730 electric trains are expected to be introduced across the entire London Northwestern Railway network by the end of 2025.[37]
Southeastern operates over a large network in south-east London, with services reaching Kent and parts of East Sussex, covering 741 km (460 mi) of railway. Its London termini areCharing Cross,Victoria,Blackfriars,Cannon Street,London Bridge andSt Pancras. Southeastern provides most of its stations with a frequency of 4-6 trains per hour. Stations on theBromley North Line are served every 20 minutes.
Southern provides services inSouth London and betweenCentral London and the South Coast, through East andWest Sussex andSurrey, and parts ofKent andHampshire.[38] Southern manages 167 stations and operates up to every 15 minutes on 14 lines south fromLondon Victoria viaClapham Junction, and 10 fromLondon Bridge. All Southern stations in the London London fare zones are served at least every 30 minutes during the working week with stations on the Tattenham corner line only receiving a train every hour on Sundays.
South Western Railway (SWR) operates a suburban network out ofLondon Waterloo via Clapham Junction, which covers as far asWindsor,Reading,Alton,Guildford andDorking.[39]
The SWR network is the busiest in the UK, serving the busiest railway stations in terms of passenger numbers (Waterloo) and in terms of trains per hour (Clapham Junction). All SWR stations in the suburban network (apart fromFulwell,Hampton,Berrylands,Thames Ditton,Hampton Court,Strawberry Hill and those on the Chessington Branch) have at least four trains per hour.Earlsfield is served by 16 trains per hour, whileVauxhall is served by 26 trains per hour.
SWR also operates longer distance services as far asWeymouth,Portsmouth,Southampton,Bournemouth andExeter.[40] As part of its contract, SWR also operates the 8.5 mileIsland Line on theIsle of Wight, with services betweenRyde Pier Head andShanklin.
A few years before the central section of theElizabeth line opened,Transport for London (TfL) began to operate services on pre-existing track, such asLiverpool Street toShenfield andGidea Park andPaddington toHayes and Harlington andHeathrow Terminal 4. These effectively replaced services run byGreater Anglia andGreat Western Railway (GWR). When the central tunnel opened, TfL Rail was renamed Elizabeth line and continue to serve Liverpool Street and Shenfield as well Paddington to Heathrow via Central London[41]
This is a list of the largest urban rail networks in the United Kingdom outside London. London's suburban rail network has several operators and over 500 stations on many different lines.
| City | Number of | |
|---|---|---|
| Lines | Stations | |
| Glasgow | 13 | 178 |
| Manchester | 11 | 91 |
| Cardiff | 8 | 81 |
| Leeds | 12 | 78 |
| Birmingham | 9 | 70 |
| Liverpool | 3 | 89 |
| Exeter | 5 | 40 |
| Edinburgh | 4 | 40 |
| Belfast | 3 | 39 |
| Bristol | 3 | 26 |
