The announcement by the newly-elected Labor government that Great Britain's rail network is to be renationalized within five years will see the creation of Great British Railways and, it says, establish "a more efficient and reliable service." The country's railways underwent a total privatization in 1993, but a series of deadly accidents, rising prices, and damaging strikes has prompted this latest move to place the UK's train operators back into public ownership.
Nonetheless, Great Britain is proud of its pioneering railway industry, and according to the Office of Rail and Road, Britain's railways are today among the safest in Europe. So how did the nation's railroad network evolve, and who are the visionary figures behind its success?
Click through and track the history of the British railway system.