page_title: Caledonian Railway
section_title: English railways
hierarchical_section_title: Caledonian Railway / Early history / English railways
caption_attribution_description: English: The Class 185 'Desiro' in First Train livery is on the Caledonian Main Line between Edinburgh Waverley and Carlisle.
context_page_description: The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh and Aberdeen, with a dense network of branch lines in the area surrounding Glasgow. It was absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Many of its principal routes are still used, and the original main line between Carlisle and Glasgow is in use as part of the West Coast Main Line railway.
context_section_description: During this period, the first long-distance railways were opened in England; the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first inter-city line, opened in 1830 and was an immediate success. It was quickly followed by the London and Birmingham Railway in 1838 and the Grand Junction Railway in 1837, and the North Union Railway reaching Preston in 1838, so that London was linked with the Lancashire and West Midlands centres of industry.
caption: Former Caledonian Main Line, Edinburgh 2011
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