The first railroad built in Great Britain to use steam locomotives was the Stockton and Darlington, opened in 1825. It used a steam locomotive built by George Stephenson and was practical only for hauling minerals. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830, was the first modern railroad.

The title of the "first" railway in Britain depends on whether you mean a public steam railway or an early wagonway. The Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened on September 27, 1825, in North East England, is widely recognized as the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives to haul both passengers and freight. However, if you are looking for the very first "inter-city" steam-only line, that was the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which opened in 1830 and featured the famous "Rainhill Trials" won by Stephenson's Rocket. Even earlier than these were the "wagonways" used for hauling coal, such as the Tanfield Railway in County Durham, which has been in operation since 1725, making it the oldest working railway in the world. In 2026, these locations are celebrated as the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution, with many preserved as heritage sites that allow visitors to walk the original routes that quite literally changed the world's approach to distance and time.