The railway industry in the United Kingdom is steeped in a history that is often unappreciated by its employees. While there are still plenty of memories and relics of the railway’s past throughout England, the advent of the high speed train and the subway mean that most young professionals have not been in contact with anything beyond the most modern trains. Young professionals, graduates, and even experienced railway workers should understand where the railway came from before understand where it is heading.

Prior to the First World War, the railway in the United Kingdom was largely localized in order to meet town commercial needs. The countryside of England was the testing ground for steam engines and locomotives, which spread eventually to the rest of Europe and North America. As the First World War came to pass, the railway system in the United Kingdom began to develop its current shape. Local lines were connected and modernized in order to meet wartime transportation and defense needs. Following the war, four major companies oversaw the British railway system, including the Great Western Railway and the Southern Railway.

As the Second World War began, the United Kingdom placed all four major companies and their competitors underneath one umbrella organization. Following the war, this organization was made a permanent nationalized management group called British Railways. The management and funding of British Railways were a point of contention between its founding in 1948 and the privatization of the industry in 1994, due to the massive funding needed for its upkeep and modernization. The British railway hit an all-time low in passengers around 1982 but has seen a solid increase in usage since privatization.

While all of this information is helpful, the question is what it means for the railway industry in the future. The rise in automobile usage and the expansion of cities away from the city center means that rail transport either needs to become more extensive or see a decrease in usage due to convenience. However, the British government has done a good job of maintaining the system through regulation over the last decade despite a few tragic incidents. The railway is the heart of industrial transportation in the United Kingdom and is a preferred method of travel in most British cities. Professionals just breaking into the industry now should see the railway as a strong career option filled with possibilities.

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Mark Murphy, Business Unit Director for Wynnwith Rail, a leading provider of Railroad Jobs.