YORK, England — York has a deep railroad history, and it’s not just because of the exhibits at the National Railway Museum.
Railroads first reached the city in 1839, when the York and North Midland Railway opened to the city, linking it to the growing railway network. It also marked the start of York’s transformation into a major rail center.
The following year, direct rail service between York and London began, reducing travel times and boosting tourism and commerce in York.
In 1841, the city’s first permanent railway station opened inside the city walls at Toft Green. George Townsend Andrews designed the station.
The current York station, a through-station situated just outside the city’s walls, opened on June 25, 1877. The station, engineered under Thomas Elliot Harrison, was, at the time, the largest railway station in the world.
The North Eastern Railway soon opened the York Carriage Works near the station — in the Holgate area. It grew into one of Great Britain’s major builders and repairers of passenger coaches.
It closed in 1996, though it saw brief subsequent reopenings until 2002.
In 1906, the North Eastern Railway opened its new headquarters in York. The building survives as The Grand hotel.