Covering some 10,000mi/16,000km, the UK's rail lines trail the length and breadth of Great Britain, from Inverness in the Scottish highlands to Penzance on the Cornish coast. Services range from high-speed Eurostar "chunnel trains" linking London and Paris... to Yorkshire's Settle-Carlisle Railway, considered England's most scenic route.

Since 1996 private companies have been responsible for running Britain's trains. Today, the National Rail network is comprised of 26 individual operating companies. These companies work together to offer a range of coordinated services and products ranging from timetables and station management to ticketing and rail passes.

Irish railways and selected short line services are operated independent of National Rail and are listed separately.

Two lines, covering the Liverpool suburban area and greater Merseyside, serve 67 stations. Purchase tickets in the UK.

Urban and inter urban trains connect Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, and Shrewsbury with points across Wales and the Welsh Marches as well as Manchester and Birmingham.

Principal services connect London Fenchurch Street with East London and the Thames Gateway including Basildon, Grays and Southend.

From its London Marylebone station hub services extend to Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Stratford-upon-Avon, Princes Risborough and Birmingham Snow Hill.

Hi-speed trains race beneath the English Channel linking London St. Pancras, Ebbsfleet and Ashford with Calais, Lille, Brussels, Paris and Disneyland Paris as well as seasonal Alpine and Mediterranean destinations.

The UK's busiest rail network operates cross-London service between Brighton and Bedford as well as mainline connections to Peterborough, Cambridge and King's Lynn.

InterCity and commuter trains depart London Paddington for Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Plymouth as well as Gatwick Airport via Reading. Night Riviera Sleeper service operates between Paddington and Penzance.

Express services between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen are supplemented by commuter and rural services as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper trains to London.

Trains connect Manchester Picadilly and Manchester Airport with over 60 stations including Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle as well as Liverpool, Blackpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Non-stop trains travel between London Victoria and the airport in 30 minutes; with departures every quarter-hour.

Trains departing London Paddington every 15 minutes reach Heathrow Airport 15 minutes later.

East Coast Main Line service links Sunderland, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees (at Eaglescliffe) with London King's Cross.

This single-line service, drawn between London King's Cross and Hull, connects Brough, Selby, Doncaster, Grantham and intermediate points.

Service runs some 13.5km/8.5mi from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. Mainland passengers connect via Portsmouth Ferry.

Trains operating primarily on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston to the West Midlands include frequent service to Birmingham New Street. Additional local and commuter trains serve the Birmingham area.

Commuter routes include Richmond to Stratford, Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction, Gospel Oak to Barking Line and Watford Junction to Euston.

Local, suburban and express trains out of London Liverpool Street station extend from north and east Greater London to Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk in East Anglia.

Trains connect London Kings Cross with Leeds, Hull, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

The UK's largest train operator extends across the North East, North West and York and the Humber linking Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, Blackpool, York and intermediate points including four national parks.

From its London Waterloo hub, commuter and longer-distance trains serve south-west London and the southern and western area of England.

Routes to south-east London, Kent, and parts of East Sussex serve commuters from London Charing Cross, Blackfriars, Cannon Street, and Victoria stations.

Services extend through South London and between central London and the South Coast, through East and West Sussex and Surrey, and into parts of Kent and Hampshire.

Quarter-hourly trains connect Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street in around 45 minutes run Underground passengers can also make Express connections at Tottenham Hale.

West Coast Main Line services from London Euston connect with the West Midlands -- including Birmingham New Street -- as well as the North West, North Wales and Scotland.

Selected destinations include Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Sligo, Galway, Waterford and Rosslare Europort. High-speed Enterprise trains link the capital with Belfast.

Services connect Belfast with Bangor, Derry, Newry and intermediate points. Cross-border Enterprise trains linking Belfast with Dublin are operated jointly with Iarnród Éireann.