What was the first public railway in England?
The Stockton and Darlington Railway, opened on 27 September 1825 in northeast England, was the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives. Its first train was pulled by George Stephenson's Locomotion No. 1.
The railway was built mainly to carry coal from mines in County Durham to the port of Stockton-on-Tees. It also carried passengers.
George Stephenson was the chief engineer. On the opening day, Locomotion No. 1 pulled a train of wagons carrying coal, flour and passengers.
Railway pioneers
Horses were still used for some services in the early years, but the railway showed that steam power could transport goods efficiently.
The success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway led to the building of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830.
Locomotion No. 1 is preserved at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, County Durham.
In 2025, Britain celebrated 200 years of the modern railway with events marking the Stockton and Darlington Railway's anniversary. The railway age transformed travel, trade and daily life around the world.
Part of the original route is still used by trains today.