The Number of Railway Companeis in Britain 1830-1910

People are sometimes astounded when I tell them that in the Victorian period there were over a hundred railway companies in Britain. Therefore, I just thought I would share the figures, as shown on the left. A 'significant' railway company is defined as those that had gross receipts constituting 0.25 per cent or more of the industry total.[1]

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[1] Arnold, A.J. and McCartney, S. ‘Rates of return, concentration levels and strategic change in the British railway industry, 1830-1912’, Journal of Transport History, 26 (2005), p.50