How did the railways change Britain's KS2?
Jensen Beatty
2025-04-24 14:22:09
Count answers: 0
The first railroads in Britain predate the Victorian era.
In the 18th century, they were in the coal mines where horses pulled mine carts on wooden tracks from the pits to the factories.
The first railway line for carrying passengers was the Stockton to Darlington line, built by George Stephenson in 1825.
The Victorian era saw the biggest growth in railways.
About 8,000 miles of new railway lines were built as companies made money from the railway craze.
The rapidly expanding railway system created new opportunities for people to take holidays and for developing businesses.
Towns and cities were able to grow.
People could travel between towns and the countryside more efficiently.
Farm produce, such as dairy products, could be delivered more widely and quickly.
They increased communication, as newspapers and ideas were distributed more easily.
The Victorian railways also changed time, introducing a standard time across their networks to make timetabling much clearer, known as ‘Railway Time’, which was mostly Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).