British Railways Operators Map

[alexh2o]

Hi all,

I made a map. It started just because I wanted to see how all the TOCs' networks linked together like a national scale Underground map, but couldn't find anything up to date that came close. I got a bit carried away and it grew and grew. Now more hours than I'll ever admit later and I'm not sure what to do with it! Except share it and hope others enjoy it.

So here's the British Railways Operators Map.

Let me know if you spot any errors and happy to hear suggestions for corrections/improvements. I'll probably collect all the amendments and do one big update at some point. Maybe one day I'll keep going north but that's it for now!

Also if you're feeling really nice, you can buy me a coffee/beer (ko-fi link on the map), which would be hugely appreciated...

Enjoy,
Alex

 

[Starmill]

A very impressive piece of work drawing that all out like that!!

If you're interested in the tiny details, the service between Ellesmere Port and Helsby is limited and the Avanti West Coast service between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury no longer runs.

 

[Horizon22]

Nice work.

If you go here on the NRES site is quite similar.

 

[Dstock7080]

Byfleet & New Haw station is the wrong side of the Addlestone junction.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Very nice. A couple of minor points though:

• The ferry connection should be at Newhaven Town, not Newhaven Harbour.
• AFAIK there's no public transport connection between East Midlands Parkway and the airport, the recommended "official" connection is Derby.

 

[Horizon22]

Also not sure why, but the Southend and Southminster branches on Greater Anglia have deviated from the green used for the rest of GA to a blue.

 

[357]

There seems to be some operators missing, at least three Open Access aren't on there

 

[AlterEgo]

It’s Stansted Express not “Stanstead” - the stations are correct though.

 

[liamf656]

Outstanding work, very well done. With the critiques above addressed it'll be perfect

 

[LUYMun]

There seems to be some operators missing, at least three Open Access aren't on there

As OP said, it's more about TOCs.

 

[Trainguy34]

One tiny detail:
On the Sheerness Branch, there are no scheduled passenger services towards Gillingham, only to Sittingbourne.

Edit: Also there are a few Overground services to Battersea Park from Wandsworth Road.

 

[RUK]

I’m not sure if you’re aiming for any sort of geographic accuracy with a diagrammatic map such as this, but Southend Victoria is very slightly to the West of Southend Central, rather than being between Southend Central and Southend East.

 

[357]

As OP said, it's more about TOCs.

https://www.orr.gov.uk/about/who-we-work-with/industry/train-operating-companies
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/find-a-train-company/

Thanks for agreeing with me

 

[OneOfThe48]

For a future update, Overground goes into West Croydon not East Croydon

Other than that though, fantastic work

 

[Bungle]

If I may… EMR also operates between Chesterfield and Derby, where as the current map shows EMR turning towards Nottingham south of Chesterfield, and only XC heading south to Derby.

Impressive piece of work nevertheless.

 

[John R]

What an excellent map.

Another minor point, the proposed (ie committed) service to Henbury is purely east to Filton Abbey Wood, and with no service planned on the north side of the triangle shown either.

 

[eastwestdivide]

On the Sheerness Branch, there are no scheduled passenger services towards Gillingham, only to Sittingbourne

There’s an 0505 Gillingham to Sheerness passenger service, eg

Realtime Trains | 2U91 0505 Gillingham (Kent) to Sheerness-on-Sea | 26/06/2025

Real-time train running information for 2U91 0505 departure from Gillingham (Kent) to Sheerness-on-Sea on 26/06/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[stadler]

Excellent map you created there. Just two minor things that i noticed with it.

Woodgrange Park should be slightly further South on your map. C2C trains pass through this station but your map makes it look like it as after the junction.

South Hampstead, Kilburn High Road, Queens Park, Kensal Green, are all missing from your map. These are London Overground stops.

 

[jupiter]

I think it’s a terrific piece of work, thank you.

What drawing package did you use to create it?

In the spirit of accuracy not criticism, Castle Cary is shown as Castle Cray.

 

[MatthewE707]

This is very impressive. Just a few small details from me, which are not criticisms by any means:

• There is one scheduled train a day between Nottingham and Skegness which avoids Grantham, your map lacks the curve this train uses
• The Victoria - Gillingham trains use the Catford Loop between Nunhead - Shortlands all day, so this isn't a limited service, however it is non-stop except for peak time services at Crofton Park and Bellingham
• The Avanti service on the Northampton loop is only once per day, so should be a limited service
• The limited Northern service to Cleethorpes no longer stops at Habrough
• The junction for TPE trains to York via Wakefield should be south of Ravensthorpe, not north
• TPE have no trains stopping at Widnes or Sankey for Penketh
• CrossCountry have some services (Newcastle-Reading) which travel between Birmingham New Street and Leamington Spa via Solihull, without stopping anywhere
• EMR Intercity also have occasional services at Luton Airport Parkway, Luton, Bedford and Wellingborough
• Southern no longer have any trains to Hemel Hempstead
• Lea Bridge is on the line between Tottenham Hale and Stratford only, not Liverpool Street

 

[jupiter]

I guess like any map it’s a snapshot in time. Trying to keep up with all the changes would be a huge undertaking.

Just a thought, the Ordnance Survey maps omit certain features and contain fictitious features to help detect plagiarism. You’d be hard pressed to get any of those past this crowd!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Do East Midlands Trains ever call at Irlam? Or for that matter at Hough Green?

 

[Trainguy34]

There’s an 0505 Gillingham to Sheerness passenger service, eg

Realtime Trains | 2U91 0505 Gillingham (Kent) to Sheerness-on-Sea | 26/06/2025

Real-time train running information for 2U91 0505 departure from Gillingham (Kent) to Sheerness-on-Sea on 26/06/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Oh so there is, unsure how I've never spotted that. Might have to try it someday...

 

[pdeaves]

.

 

[sftfan1909]

Nice work. Dinas Powy should read Dinas Powys

 

[duffield]

Nice map.
One minor thing missing in the Nottingham area is part of the "Allington triangle" - i.e. the junction just to the right of Bottesford station should be triangular. The daily Nottingham-Skegness "direct" service and its return equivalent use this line, bypassing Grantham.

Edit: Also missing is the chord allowing direct services between Todmorden and Burnley Manchester Road, used by the Blackburn to Headbolt Lane services.

 

[The Planner]

Can't see Atherstone and Polesworth. You are missing the XC route via Solihull. You have a connection from HS2 to the Stone line. That isn't a connection.

 

[tramdan]

Another minor one for the Nottingham area, if you are including the diversionary route through Toton which both EMR and Northern use, then you would probably include the diversionary route through Pinxton which the last train of the evening from Mansfield Woodhouse usually takes, calling all stations to Kirkby and then running fast through Langley Mill and Ilkeston.

 

[yorkie]

Hi all,

I made a map. It started just because I wanted to see how all the TOCs' networks linked together like a national scale Underground map, but couldn't find anything up to date that came close. I got a bit carried away and it grew and grew. Now more hours than I'll ever admit later and I'm not sure what to do with it! Except share it and hope others enjoy it.

So here's the British Railways Operators Map.

Let me know if you spot any errors and happy to hear suggestions for corrections/improvements. I'll probably collect all the amendments and do one big update at some point. Maybe one day I'll keep going north but that's it for now!

Also if you're feeling really nice, you can buy me a coffee/beer (ko-fi link on the map), which would be hugely appreciated...

Enjoy,
Alex

It looks good; other than the comments above, I would add that it's technically not an operators map; it's a branding map.

GX, SN, TL & GN are all brands of GTR; Stansted Express is a brand of Greater Anglia and LNR is a brand of West Midlands Trains, etc.

 

[Annetts key]

Well done, a most excellent map.

The Filton diamond area (Filton Junction, Patchway Junction, Stoke Gifford West Junction and Filton West Junction) is normally shown within the railway diagrammaticality as below. Except for the existing public passenger train maps (where of course, there are currently no passenger trains using the lines via Filton West Junction).

How best to show it on you map I don't know, but in future trains to/from Henbury may go via Filton Abbey Wood (using the Filton Chord FWC) missing out Bristol Parkway or go via Bristol Parkway (AFR) then reverse and then go via Filton Abbey Wood (FEC).