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The National Rail Network web site is a portal providing access to all the major rail companies in Britain and on-line schedule information and reservation services. This web site also provides advisory information regarding possible service problems, so it or an applicable rail operator's web site should be checked prior to any journey.
The National Rail Network has a collection of maps that will assist in travel planning.
The Arriva Trains Wales network extends to Manchester and Liverpool in the north, to Wales in the west and to Plymouth and Penzance in southwestern England and to London's Waterloo station.
Trains that operate between London and Wales stop at Reading where connections can be made to London-Heathrow and London-Gatwick airports. There are also connecting services to Manchester and Birmingham airports.
Central Trains serve the Midlands and East Anglia in England and extend westward to Wales.
First Great Western trains operate from London (Paddington) to the Cotswolds, southwestern England and to Wales.
The Heart of Wales Railway is as much a tourist rail line as it is a vital train service operating from Swansea in the south of Wales to Llanelli, Ammanford, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Llandeindod Wells and Knighton to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands.
The Virgin Trains system is the closest to a national system in that it serves England (except East Anglia and the southeast), Scotland and Wales. Virgin Trains serve London Euston station and London-Gatwick Airport.
Wessex Trains serve southern England between Brighton and Penzance on the south coast and Worcester, Bristol, Newport and Cardiff to the north.
Heritage and Scenic Railways:
The Bala Lake Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway run through Snowdonia National Park.
The Brecon Mountain Railway is a four-mile (6 km) scenic railway running north of Merthyr Tydfil between Pant and Dol-y-Gaer in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is one of the Great Little Trains of Wales, and was the last steam railway owned by British Rail until it was privatized in 1989.
The Aberystwyth Cliff Railway is a very popular attraction for visitors to Aberystwyth.
The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a heritage railway that operates near the Blaenavon World Heritage Site.
The Talyllyn Railway has a terminus at Tywyn Wharf on the coast of Cardigan Bay north of Aberystwyth.
The Welsh Highland Railway Working Museum in Porthmadog has historic steam locomotives and coaches, slate wagons, goods vehicles and other railway memorabilia. Work is in process to convert the whole site to a replica of the Welsh Highland Railway as it operated in the 1920s.
The Great Little Trains of Wales web site has a collection of scenic and heritage railways.
The Funicular Railways of the UK web site is a very good resource for discovering these railways.