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Train Trivia: Boost your kids' travel knowledge

Grand Central train at Wakefield Kirkgate

Are you going on a train journey soon and want to get your kids excited about the experience?

Well, here we have listed ten fascinating train trivia facts that should hopefully capture their attention and leave them eager to get to the train station on time for departure.

You never know, you might learn a thing or two about train travel too……

10 facts about trains and train travel

  1. There are 2,563 train stations in the UK. That’s a lot of places to visit!
  2. There are over 50,000 bridges and tunnels on the UK rail network. How many can you spot on your train journey?
  3. The longest train station platform in England is in Gloucester. It is over 600 meters long - that’s as big as 6 football fields!
  4. The station with the longest name in Britain is based on the Isle of Anglesey and is called – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ool-llandus-ilio-gogo-goch). Can you say that without taking a breath?
  5. There is a railway station in Kent called Sandwich station. I wonder if they have a nice café there?
  6. Grand Central station in New York City has 44 passenger platforms. That is one very busy station.
  7. 70% of all train journeys in England either start or finish in London. Which London stations have you visited?
  8. Trains are one of the eco-friendliest ways you can travel. Train travel is much kinder to the environment than air travel.
  9. The Shanghai Maglev is the fastest train in the world. It has a maximum operating speed of around 267.8 mph. That’s one speedy train!
  10. In the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a real, functioning British train was made over to look like the Hogwarts Express. 
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