CHAPTER XXVI 



THE RAILWAY SYSTEM TO-DAY 



WHATEVER the difficulties which have attended the develop- 

 ment of British railways, the lines themselves have been 

 spread throughout the three kingdoms to such an extent 

 that there are now very few districts not within easy reach 

 of a railway ; while though the different lines are still owned 

 by, altogether, a considerable number of companies, the 

 physical connections between them and the arrangements 

 of the leading companies, not only for through bookings but 

 for through trains, supplemented by the operations of the 

 Railway Clearing House, have brought about as close an 

 approach to a really national network of railways, connecting 

 all the different sections of the country one with another, as 

 could well be expected in view of the lack of co-ordination 

 when the lines were first called into being. 



At the end of 1910, according to the Railway Returns 

 issued by the Board of Trade, the " length of line " of the 

 railways in the United Kingdom was 23,387 miles. By itself, 

 however, this figure does not give an adequate idea of the 

 extent of the railway system. This is better realised by taking 

 the figures for track mileage and sidings. A far greater pro- 

 portion of the railways in England and Wales than in any other 

 country consists of double, treble or other multiple track, 

 so that for one mile in length of line there may be two, three 

 or more miles of separate pairs of rails, increasing the transport 

 facilities in proportion. The percentage of single track to 

 total length of line in various countries is shown by the 

 following figures : 



PER CKNTAGE OF 

 COUNTRY. SINGLE TRACK. 



England and Wales . . . 33-0 



Scotland 59-0 



Ireland . . . . . .80-2 



United Kingdom . . . .44-2 



Prussian State railways . . 57-3 



Germany (the entire system) . . .617 



France (main line system) . . 57-0 



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