George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 -- 12 August 1848 ) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public inter-city railway line in the world to use steam locomotives , the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened in 1830 .
George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 - 12 August 1848 ) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer . He built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives .